CET Taiwan Study Abroad

CET Taiwan: At-A-Glance

Intensive Chinese language classes
Custom internship placements
Share an apartment with local Taiwanese roommates
English-taught electives
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Fall

SPRING

Fall

SPring

CET Taiwan gives you access to the best parts of study abroad—intensive language classes,  internship opportunities in Chinese and English-speaking environments, and a location that balances life in a big city with quick getaways to nature. And with Taiwanese roommates that bring language and culture into your home life, it won’t be long before Taipei feels like your new home away from home. 

Academics in Taipei

Semester
Snapshot

Curriculum & Syllabi

You combine a 12-credit, direct-enroll language course with one 3-credit elective for a total of 15 recommended credits. 

Intensive Chinese Language

You enroll directly with National Taiwan University’s Chinese Language Division (CLD) in a class that meets once daily for 3 hours. CLD looks at your previous coursework and conducts a remote language assessment before the program to place you in the appropriate level. 

 
NoteAs short-term residents of Taiwan, students are expected to learn traditional Chinese characters. CLD courses are instructed using traditional characters, with handouts and additional resources in simplified characters.

You enroll directly with National Taiwan University’s Chinese Language Division (CLD) in a class that meets once daily for 3 hours. CLD looks at your previous coursework and conducts a remote language assessment before the program to place you in the appropriate level. 

 
NoteAs short-term residents of Taiwan, students are expected to learn traditional Chinese characters. CLD courses are instructed using traditional characters, with handouts and additional resources in simplified characters.
students in fan calligraphy class

A well-rounded program for Chinese learners

Intensive language learning. With direct-enroll classes at National Taiwan University, you take on an intensive curriculum with small group classes and lots of individual attention. Then after class, spend time applying what you’ve learned—practice around town with your language partner or even at home with your local Taiwanese roommate.

Explore with an elective. Take Sinophone Cinemas and visit the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. Enroll in Gender and Sexuality in Taiwan and spend a class learning at the Tongzhi Hotline Association. Your elective helps you tailor your Taiwan experience.

Intern abroad. Taipei’s job market boasts a wide variety of opportunities, including in the political, educational, business, and civil society sectors. If you choose to intern for your elective, the course component complements on-the-job learning to not only build your résumé, but give you the framework and context to take ownership of your experience. 

learn more about

Housing and Meals

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Living Like a Local

Local Roommates. Want to learn about the local music scene? Which apps are essential to life in Taiwan? Best cafés for studying outside of campus? Sharing your apartment with students from National Taiwan University  instantly gives you insider’s access to the city. And more than that, they help you better understand local culture and give you company to share it with.  Learn more about living with a local roommate. 

Eating in Taipei. For meals, take your pick of the budget-friendly restaurants and food stalls nearby. Find the city’s best bowl of beef noodle soup or try choudoufu (stinky tofu), local favorite. On campus? Try the cafeteria or one of the school’s restaurants and cafés. And don’t forget to try as much as you can at the night markets throughout the city. Learn more about accommodating your dietary needs in Taipei.

A group of students around a long table at a hot pot restaurant posing for a photo. The table has many small plates of raw foods.

Life in Taipei

night street scene with colorful neon lights

Find out why Taiwan is on everyone’s travel list. Feast at one of the city’s many night markets. Invite your language partner to a temple for suanming (fortune telling) or find the best milk tea in the city. Watch a little league game after a relaxing riverside bike ride. Check out the vibrant music scene with your local roommate. And on weekends, board a train to see the rest of Taiwan or hop a flight to explore even further. Living in Taipei gives you all the benefits of life in a big city, while offering easy access to mountains, beaches, and plenty of small towns to explore. 

Experience Taiwan with CET

Around the city. Each term, the program offers different extra-curricular activities that allow you to explore Taipei, experience local culture, or just unwind with your friends. Try an escape room with a Chinese language pledge or dabble in martial arts. Spend the day at a tea farm or go on an “eating tour” of a night market. And there’s even more to see on your own.

Language Partners. You’re paired with a local college student for a weekly language exchange. Teach each other about the latest internet trends over coffee or get lunch in a neighborhood that’s new to you. Plus, your language exchange activities are reimbursed! And you can ask for extra language partners for even more language practice and built-in local community. 

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Student Resources

"My classmate and friend! 智瑛 is from Japan, and we both study Chinese at the Chinese Language Department at National Taiwan University. When taking classes at CLD, you will not only meet people from the United States but also will have the opportunity to meet classmates from all different countries."

— Elsi Muñoz Ramos,
University of Mississippi | Spring student

READ ELSI'S BLOG
"I loved my semester studying Chinese in Taiwan. The classes were small and intensive but also super fun, and there were plenty of opportunities to practice your language skills when you’re out and about. I did an internship along with my language classes, which meant that I had less free time, but I’m glad that I got to experience the work culture there."

— Florina Sutanto,
Wesleyan University | Fall student
"As for Chinese language speaking opportunities, CET set me up with a Taiwanese language partner from NTU who was the perfect match for me. We shared some common interests but diverged in our cultural backgrounds, allowing us to converse about our similarities and learn about each other's differences."

— Isaac Wan,
Macalester College | Fall student
"I believe the internship course has definitely made me think broader and more deeply into my internship, from at the beginning simply viewing my internship as 'going to work,' to now a view of how it affects my overall human perspective and how I can actually get to know some Taiwanese people in a work setting, a rare opportunity to have."

— Grayson Ross,
University of Texas-Austin | Fall student
"The intensive Chinese language course allowed me to reach my academic goals tenfold! In an average course, we would only get through chapters 1-6, but CLD completes a course with chapters 1-12. Plus, there is the outside-of-the-classroom language learning. It's perfect."

— Brianna Janae Chang,
Florida A&M University | Fall student
"In our house, me and Ming (one of my roommates) will ask each other questions about language almost every night. In this magical moment, I learned so much about American slang as well as formal English. We even have a list of Chinese and English slang."

— Jim Wu, CET Taiwan Local Roommate

READ JIM'S BLOG
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On-site Staff

photo of CET staff member

Rita Jhang
Program Director

Chunling Wang
Internships Director & Office Manager

Melita Piercy
Resident Director

Teresa Yu
Housing Coordinator

Greta Hagedorn
Custom Programs Resident Director

Program Fees

Fall/Spring

$18,990

What's Included

All of your classes and program-related learning are included with your tuition.

We arrange for you to live in a shared apartment with a local roommate. Your program fees go toward rent, furnishing, and other management costs.

We help you land the internship, make sure you’re prepared for your job, and then stay in close touch with your host organization… all semester long.

From pre-departure to orientation, from on site to re-entry, CET provides you with the support you need every step of the way.

We guide you step-by-step through the visa process. You do the legwork, but we’ll make sure you have the documentation and information you need, when you need it.

You’re provided with a comprehensive insurance plan through GeoBlue that even includes medical evacuation coverage.

The activities and excursions that we arrange are included in your program fee. All you need to do is remember to bring your camera!

You’re provided with a public transportation pass (EasyCard) for the duration of your program. Use the bus and metro to your heart’s content.

Your textbooks and course supplies are covered and waiting for you on site.

You receive an official transcript jointly issued by CET and National Taiwan University at the end of the term. If your home institution requires a School of Record transcript, CET is able to provide one through the University of Minnesota.

More on finances

student selfie with water behind
Program Fee Breakdown. Of the total program fee, $15,990 goes to tuition and fees, and $3,000 goes to housing and other student life fees.

Local Cost of Living. Day-to-day cost of living in Taipei is generally cheaper than the United States. Meals and transit are cheaper, but western comforts (restaurants, coffee, etc.) cost about the same or more than they do in the US.

Estimated out-of-pocket expenses: 

How to Apply

•  Pre-requisites: None. Open to students of any Chinese level, including absolute beginners
• Must be 18 or older at the time of program participation.
• Open to students from any US college or university
• GPA: 3.0 or higher is recommended, students with lower GPAs will be asked for a faculty recommendation to supplement their application

 

Complete the application through your online CET account. This is a brief form that asks for basic information and has a few short answer questions about why you want to study abroad.

Upload a scan of your passport to your online CET account. This should be a single scan that includes the signed signature page and the photo/personal details page. Don’t have a passport yet? Let us know and we can help advise you.

This is an online form that your study abroad office completes to let us know you meet the requirements to study abroad. To send the electronic form request,  simply enter the name and email address of your study abroad advisor in the designated fields of your online account.

Your online CET account has specific instructions for submitting an official transcript.

Application
Deadlines

Spring Semester:

November 1

Fall Semester:

May 1

photo of lucy

Have a question? Get in touch!

Lucy Gough

Student Services Coordinator
202.349.7322
[email protected]

Price Subject to Change:

CET reserves the right to increase quoted charges at any time without prior notification, based on increased instruction costs, exchange rate fluctuation or other cost increases beyond CET’s control.

Course Availability

Our goal is to offer every course every term, but sometimes factors like faculty availability and program enrollment keep us from reaching that goal. If you’re concerned about needing to enroll in one particular course, please contact us
 

Internship Possibilities

Whether you’re interested in the high-tech sector, politics, or the environment, we take your interests and abilities and match them to the needs of a local company. Make connections, build your résumé, and improve your language skills in the workplace.  

CET Jordan: Academic Consultation Board

Over the years, we’ve built a strong network of locally-based faculty that we’re proud to call our peers. These faculty make up our Academic Consultation Board—a select group of local voices and thought leaders that help advise and shape components of the CET Jordan program. 

Board members support the program in many ways, including but not limited to:

Academic Consultation Board Members

Learn More about our Programs

where will you intern?

Get a list of possible internship placements in Taipei.