I was just curious if anyone had studied for the LLM at National Taiwan University or spent any time there or knew anyone who had? Information on the program is very hard to come by but I have heard some very negative things e.g. its not international and there are very few domestic students.

I was just curious if anyone had studied for the LLM at National Taiwan University or spent any time there or knew anyone who had? Information on the program is very hard to come by but I have heard some very negative things e.g. its not international and there are very few domestic students.

What do you want to know?

The program typically lasts for 2-3 years with your first year being mostly coursework based while you start doing your thesis on your particular field after that. It really depends on your concerns and what you seek to achieve from the LLM at NTU. Main reason why it isn't that international, IMHO, is Taiwan's sensitive political situation standing from the global perspective and factually speaking there are plenty of domestic students doing their LLM compared to foreign students as it also serves as delayed and borrowed time to pass the bar exam.

What do you want to know?

The program typically lasts for 2-3 years with your first year being mostly coursework based while you start doing your thesis on your particular field after that. It really depends on your concerns and what you seek to achieve from the LLM at NTU. Main reason why it isn't that international, IMHO, is Taiwan's sensitive political situation standing from the global perspective and factually speaking there are plenty of domestic students doing their LLM compared to foreign students as it also serves as delayed and borrowed time to pass the bar exam.

Definitely suitable for an international student as you can complete your thesis in English but if i'm not wrong you need to submit an abstract of it in Chinese.
Those courses that have been explicitly stated that they'd be taught in English are also genuinely done so in the language, with NTU having the country's most reputable legal scholars and those with extensive experience in the field itself as well so don't worry about the quality as well!
Student life is generally good, with Taiwan having amazing food, being super accessible and having the warmest people but it depends on yourself and how you interact with your fellow peers. Best if you can communicate at least in simple Chinese but if not many students here can communicate in simple English. Foreigners are very much welcomed in the country.
However, if you're looking for a school with better reputation overall in terms of the "international" aspect I'd advise you to look at schools like NUS or HKU in the region of Asia instead.

Definitely suitable for an international student as you can complete your thesis in English but if i'm not wrong you need to submit an abstract of it in Chinese.
Those courses that have been explicitly stated that they'd be taught in English are also genuinely done so in the language, with NTU having the country's most reputable legal scholars and those with extensive experience in the field itself as well so don't worry about the quality as well!
Student life is generally good, with Taiwan having amazing food, being super accessible and having the warmest people but it depends on yourself and how you interact with your fellow peers. Best if you can communicate at least in simple Chinese but if not many students here can communicate in simple English. Foreigners are very much welcomed in the country.
However, if you're looking for a school with better reputation overall in terms of the "international" aspect I'd advise you to look at schools like NUS or HKU in the region of Asia instead.

I'm currently a senior doing the LLB here as a foreign student as well! It wouldn't be an awful idea to come here if you're thinking of improving your mandarin or legal chinese skills but the LLM, to be honest, will not be of much help for that purpose! Competitiveness shouldn't be a consideration at all haha it'll be pretty competitive anywhere you go in Asia, especially at top law schools.
Feel free to ask anytime but remember it really boils down to what you want to achieve!

Cheers (:

I'm currently a senior doing the LLB here as a foreign student as well! It wouldn't be an awful idea to come here if you're thinking of improving your mandarin or legal chinese skills but the LLM, to be honest, will not be of much help for that purpose! Competitiveness shouldn't be a consideration at all haha it'll be pretty competitive anywhere you go in Asia, especially at top law schools.
Feel free to ask anytime but remember it really boils down to what you want to achieve!

Cheers (:

Actually, I also forgot to ask, how likely do you think it is for foreign students to get scholarships? I've heard people say its very easy, one website says 80% of international students receive some form of financial aid, but I am not sure I believe that...

I think if you're genuinely interested in improving your mandarin and if the LLM and thesis topic are bonuses then I'd say go for it! Taiwan's a great place with quite a number of foreigners learning Chinese as well and I'd say it'll be very intellectually as well as practically rewarding learning traditional Chinese and the entirety of the culture.
Then again like I mentioned earlier, whether the foreign students and locals mix really depends on yourself and your willingness to reach out and interact with them. There are many locals in Taiwan who value the idea of learning English and there are actually quite a number of platforms for people to mix and interact via the exchange of languages. Thus the onus is on you to be outgoing and find ways but I can ensure you that the possibilities are endless and you'd make a lot of friends considering that foreigners (especially those from the West) are very much welcomed and fancied in Taiwan. I must also add that the Taiwanese people are one of the most passionate and friendliest people I've met in Asia so don't worry about the whole social thing. Language could hardly be a barrier if you're outgoing and simply willing to be friendly.

Regarding scholarships, it is true that it's generally much easier to get one here than most other Asian countries, and considering that NTU has the most resources and funds being the top university in the country, I would think it as easier and very much possible if your profile is decent. You should, however, enquire directly as there could be multiple sources for scholarships which includes the ministry of education and the like, apart from the university itself. My knowledge on the scholarships available is very limited and this is as much as I can provide but you can be quite confident, if like I mentioned, your profile is decent and also being resourceful would benefit you very much on this end.

Hope this helps!

I think if you're genuinely interested in improving your mandarin and if the LLM and thesis topic are bonuses then I'd say go for it! Taiwan's a great place with quite a number of foreigners learning Chinese as well and I'd say it'll be very intellectually as well as practically rewarding learning traditional Chinese and the entirety of the culture.
Then again like I mentioned earlier, whether the foreign students and locals mix really depends on yourself and your willingness to reach out and interact with them. There are many locals in Taiwan who value the idea of learning English and there are actually quite a number of platforms for people to mix and interact via the exchange of languages. Thus the onus is on you to be outgoing and find ways but I can ensure you that the possibilities are endless and you'd make a lot of friends considering that foreigners (especially those from the West) are very much welcomed and fancied in Taiwan. I must also add that the Taiwanese people are one of the most passionate and friendliest people I've met in Asia so don't worry about the whole social thing. Language could hardly be a barrier if you're outgoing and simply willing to be friendly.

Regarding scholarships, it is true that it's generally much easier to get one here than most other Asian countries, and considering that NTU has the most resources and funds being the top university in the country, I would think it as easier and very much possible if your profile is decent. You should, however, enquire directly as there could be multiple sources for scholarships which includes the ministry of education and the like, apart from the university itself. My knowledge on the scholarships available is very limited and this is as much as I can provide but you can be quite confident, if like I mentioned, your profile is decent and also being resourceful would benefit you very much on this end.

Hope this helps!