CET Taiwan: Summer Study Abroad

CET Taiwan: Summer At-a-Glance

Intensive Chinese language classes
Custom internship placements
Share an apartment with local Taiwanese roommates

Summer

CET Taiwan study abroad students are motivated and hard-working Chinese learners ready to take their skills to the next level. With an intensive curriculum, internship opportunities, and local roommates… you leave Taipei with significant critical language gains and a strong start toward your international career.

Academics in Taiwan

Summer
Snapshot

Curriculum & Syllabi

You enroll in a comprehensive direct-enroll language course for a total of 10 recommended credits. Interested students can add a 1-credit internship placement. 

Intensive Chinese Language

You enroll directly with NTU’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.

Note: As 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.

  • If you choose to participate in an internship, we take your academic background, interests, and language abilities and match you with a local organization. 

A well-rounded program for Chinese learners

Intensive language learning. Whether you are new to the Chinese language or already have several years of college-level experience, you take on an intensive curriculum with small group classes and plenty of individual attention. Leave Taipei with the knowledge and study habits to set you up for long-term success.

Add on an internship. Taipei’s job market boasts a wide variety of opportunities, including in the political, educational, business, and civil society sectors. Interns meet weekly with their supervisor and submit work logs to track on-the-job progress throughout the summer.

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Housing and Meals

Living Like a Local

Local Roommates. Want to learn where to get the tastiest mangguo xuehuabing (mango shaved ice)? Which apps are essential to life in Taiwan? Sharing your apartment with Taipei locals 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 e-a-jen (oyster omelette), a local favorite. 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.

Life in Taipei

A paradise for nature lovers, foodies, and entrepreneurs everywhere, there’s no shortage of opportunities to explore what interests you. Take advantage of Taiwan’s status as a key player in the high-tech industry with an internship. Feast at one of the city’s many night markets. Watch a little league game. Bike the riverside. Check out the vibrant music scene.  On weekends, explore Tainan or hop a flight to Hong Kong.

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. Hike up Elephant Mountain and enjoy panoramic views. Bike up to Tamsui with the local roommates. And there’s even more to see on your own.

Student Resources

"Each class is truly an opportunity to step closer to learning more and more each day. Each class and its methods are designed differently by the professors. For my class, our days consist of going through the textbook, partaking in 聽寫 (dictation quizzes), previewing and reviewing chapters thoroughly, and testing our knowledge through quizzes and exams."

— Omiete Williams,
Texas A&M University

READ OMIETE'S BLOG
"The internship component allowed me to keep up with my Computer Science major (I worked as a junior Rails developer for a marketing company), so when I returned to my home university, I wasn't behind my CS peers as far as coding experience was concerned. I not only improved my Chinese, but my coding abilities just as well."

— Nikole Nguyen,
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
"In Taiwan, I have school daily, whereas at home, I might have classes two or three days a week. I also make plans regularly here, even when there is a little irrational part of me that is afraid to take risks and go somewhere new. It is honestly the best thing that could have ever happened to me, and I find that my mood has lifted considerably."

—Niklas Gamble,
University of Minnesota

READ NIKLAS'S BLOG
"CLD has first-rate Mandarin teachers; thus, CET students more often than not have a first-rate academic experience. As someone who exclusively studied simplified Chinese characters before enrolling in CET Taiwan, the transition to traditional characters in (and outside of) the classroom can be frustrating at times, but my instructor was personally very patient and supportive through that process."

—Iman Dancy,
Yale University
"The best part of this program by far is the people. Through meeting CET students from all different walks of life, I was introduced to ideas, perspectives, and voices I wouldn’t have had access to at home. But more importantly, the relationships I built with local Taiwanese gave me a greater understanding of the world through our enriching conversations, our habits and their differences, and our shared laughs."

—Logan Dosher,
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

On-the-ground support

Navigating a new city, country, and culture is a big challenge worth taking—and we’re here to help you along on this adventure. Our on-site team is bilingual, provides round-the-clock support, and is passionate about sharing their love of Taipei (and Taiwan!) with you.

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Program Fees

Summer

$9,990

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!

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. You also have the option to request a School of Record transcript from the University of Minnesota for an additional fee if necessary.

More on finances

Program Fee Breakdown. Of the total program fee, $7,490 goes to tuition and fees, and $2,500 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
• Open to all levels of Chinese, from absolute beginner to advanced

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 CET Compass 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 CET Compass account.

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

Application
DEADLINE

March 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 studying abroad with CET

Learn more about studying abroad with CET

where will you intern?

Get a list of possible internship placements in Taipei.