NTNU Recognized in 2025 University Guide as Leader in Bilingual Education and Industry Collaboration
As the 2025 university entrance season approaches, 1111 Job Bank has released a special edition of the 2025 University Guide this January. Its 'Introduction to Top Universities' series highlights the unique qualities of each institution, introducing NTNU under the theme Industry Connections × Interdisciplinary Learning, Global Engagement × Bilingual Education. The guide outlines NTNU’s core strengths and educational philosophy as the university continues to evolve in a more dynamic and innovative direction.
The annual guide, published by 1111 Job Bank, helps students make informed decisions about their higher education options while encouraging them to explore the opportunities ahead. The section on NTNU reads as follows:
A Comprehensive University with a Global Perspective
National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) is a leading comprehensive institution with a long and distinguished history. Founded in 1922 as Taihoku Higher School, then Taiwan’s only elite college preparatory school, it later became Taiwan Provincial Normal College and subsequently Taiwan Provincial Normal University. Following the liberalization of teacher education policies in 1994, NTNU adapted to changing educational demands. Today, it comprises 10 colleges: Education, Liberal Arts, Science, Arts, Technology and Engineering, Sports and Recreation, Music, International and Social Sciences, Management, and Interdisciplinary Technology and Innovation Research. With more than 10,000 students, NTNU has developed into a diverse, multidisciplinary university.
In recent years, NTNU has expanded its global outreach, building on its strengths in science, technology, engineering, and the humanities. It has also deepened its connections with industry, partnering with international tech leaders such as NVIDIA and Gigabyte Technology to establish Taiwan’s first Metaverse Motion Capture Lab, exploring advanced AI-integrated applications across disciplines. NTNU has also worked with TSMC to create a Semiconductor Program that cultivates talent for the tech sector. These efforts contributed to NTNU’s rise to 8th place in the 2024 Most Favored Universities by Enterprises rankings.
“University Path” and Five-Star Dormitories: Convenient Commuting and Affordable Housing
NTNU has three campuses: Heping, Gongguan, and Linkou. Heping Campus, located in central Da’an District in Taipei City, offers easy access to courses at all three institutions in the National Taiwan University System: National Taiwan University, NTNU, and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. The campus is also close to the Longquan commercial district, which offers a wide variety of dining options.
With over 60,000 students in the NTU System and nearly 100,000 cross-registered course enrollments, students can pursue double majors and minors across the three universities. To support the growing demand for inter-university commuting, the universities, in collaboration with the Taipei City Government, developed the “University Path,” a dedicated bike lane that encourages students and faculty to commute by bicycle while fostering a more integrated university town atmosphere.
In addition to commuting, NTNU has addressed student housing, one of students’ most pressing concerns. The university has invested 1.7 billion NTD to build a second dormitory on the Gongguan Campus. This 18-story facility, located along the Xindian River, offers scenic views and approximately 3,000 beds. With this expansion, the university’s housing rate is expected to rise from 65 percent to 95 percent, ensuring that students from outside Taipei and international students have access to affordable accommodations in the city.
A Century-Old Institution with a Vibrant, Inclusive Campus Culture
Challenging the conventional image of a century-old institution, NTNU promotes an open and energetic academic culture. Each early summer, the university hosts two signature events: the Sports Show and the Watermelon Festival.
The Sports Show, jointly organized by the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences and the Department of Sport and Kinesiology, integrates traditional sports such as soccer and gymnastics with sound, lighting, and visual creativity. It attracts large crowds every year, with audiences lining up early to attend.
The Watermelon Festival reimagines the English word 'watermelon' as a playful phonetic echo of “my beauty” in Chinese, using the fruit as a medium to express emotions. Red watermelons symbolize love, yellow ones represent friendship. The event includes a watermelon-eating contest and a variety of interactive activities, often remembered as one of students’ favorite campus experiences.
The university also organizes the Humanities Festival, which invites students to explore creativity and apply humanistic thinking to everyday life. In recent years, the festival has expanded to include film screenings and concerts.
The NTNU Music Festival brings together faculty, students, and local residents through collaborative performances organized by departments in the College of Music. The NTNU Arts Festival, another major event, showcases student creativity. In 2024, it featured a cultural and creative market, portrait sketching, and spray painting, highlighting the talents of students from the College of Arts.
NTNU Achieves Bilingual Benchmark Status
NTNU has made significant progress in internationalization. Since the 2021 academic year, it has been designated by the Ministry of Education (MOE) as a key institution for bilingual education development. President Cheng-Chih Wu has personally overseen the Bilingual Exchanges of Selected Talent (BEST) Program. After three years of sustained effort, NTNU was named a Benchmark University under the MOE’s Bilingual Education for Students in Higher Education Program in 2024.
Under the BEST Program, all undergraduate departments are required to offer at least 18 credits of English-Medium Instruction (EMI) courses. A total of 886 EMI courses are now available across the university. Nearly 70 percent of graduate programs offer fully English-taught degree programs (GPE), and four fully English-taught undergraduate degree programs (UPE) were approved in the 2023 academic year, providing students with broader academic options.
NTNU’s Center for Academic Literacy, informally known as the NTNU Café, provides one-on-one writing and speaking consultations with resident English-language specialists. With over 80 consultation hours offered per week, it is the most active center of its kind in Taiwan. The university also has the highest number of international degree-seeking students and Mandarin Training Center students in the country, fostering a rich bilingual learning environment.
President Wu has emphasized that internationalization does not mean converting NTNU into an English-only institution. Rather, the goal is to create an inclusive environment that helps international students integrate into campus life while learning Taiwan’s language and culture. At the same time, Taiwanese students benefit from opportunities to broaden their global perspectives through daily interaction with their international peers.
Preparing for the Future: Industry Collaboration and Interdisciplinary Innovation
In 2023, NTNU, with support from 12 companies and the National Development Fund, established the College of Industry Academia Innovation. The college is home to two graduate institutes: Graduate Institute of Green Energy and Sustainable Technology, and Graduate Institute of AI Interdisciplinary Applied Technology.
In 2024, NTNU partnered with TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) to launch a Semiconductor Credit Program. Students in the program can take specialized courses and participate in classes taught by TSMC industry mentors. Those who complete at least 15 required courses are guaranteed an interview opportunity. NTNU has also collaborated with NVIDIA and Gigabyte Technology to establish Taiwan’s first metaverse motion capture lab, combining AI and performing arts for new forms of content creation. The university also introduced an eight-credit Metaverse Technology x Virtual Influencer Micro Program to teach students how to produce digital art using emerging technologies.
To align with industry trends, NTNU launched seven new specialized credit programs in the 2023 academic year. These include Technological Teaching Industry, Metaverse Narrative, Scientific Computing and Interdisciplinary EMI, Business Analytics, ESG Sustainable Management, Strength and Conditioning Training, and Hakka Language and Culture. In total, NTNU now offers 55 specialized programs that are open to both Master’s and Doctoral students.
To provide greater flexibility, the university has expanded its summer offerings to include nearly 60 eight-week courses across disciplines such as engineering, science, social sciences, and the humanities. Most students are exempt from credit fees for these courses.
President Wu believes that interdisciplinary and innovative talent is essential for today’s world. NTNU aims to deepen collaboration between academia and industry, creating stronger connections and supporting the next generation of technological development with renewed energy and purpose.