Five Long-Established Schools in Taiwan Announce Closure! Cease Admissions in Academic Year 115, Officially Shut Down After 61 Years, Revealing Fate of Faculty and Students

Amid ongoing demographic decline caused by falling birth rates, private universities in Taiwan are moving away from the traditional mindset of struggling until financial collapse. Instead, they are proactively pursuing mergers and transformations while still possessing operational capacity and substantial assets, establishing a new cooperative model for private school closures.

Why are Chung Hua University and Hsiuping University of Science and Technology voluntarily exiting? How will their campuses and vast assets be revitalized?

Chung Hua University, originally established in 1990 as Chung Hua Institute of Technology, has had its exit plan officially approved by the Ministry of Education. It will cease all external admissions starting February 2026. Current students are permitted to complete their studies at the original campus, with the university officially shutting down by August 2030.

The university's board of directors has resolved to donate all remaining assets and over 20 hectares of campus land to National Tsing Hua University. Tsing Hua will take over and develop the site into Taiwan's first university-led 'Tsing Hua Science Park,' focusing on cutting-edge research in semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technology, new energy, and biomedical engineering. This transforms the former educational site seamlessly into a national deep-tech innovation hub.

Hsiuping University of Science and Technology in Taichung, with a 61-year history, has also approved a merger plan with National Chi Nan University. It plans to stop external admissions starting Academic Year 115 (2026), maintaining only select master's programs. The Ministry of Education has responded with preliminary approval for the merger. The existing Dali campus of Hsiuping will be transformed into the Taichung Campus of National Chi Nan University, with integration expected to be completed by August 2030. Hsiuping intends to fully donate its assets and endowment fund—amounting to approximately NT$1.1 billion—to the government, to be received and utilized by Chi Nan University. This marks Taiwan's first precedent of cross-sector integration between a private technological university and a public comprehensive university.

What are the different exit pathways for universities? What is the progress of Hwa Hsia, Da Han, and I-Kuan Tao Tian Hwang College?

Beyond the transformation cases of Chung Hua and Hsiuping, numerous universities across Taiwan have entered various exit trajectories in response to the wave of declining birth rates. Depending on their individual circumstances and regulatory guidelines, institutions are adopting diverse models such as public-private mergers or complete closure, leading to a structural reshaping of the higher education landscape.

In the realm of public-private integration, Hwa Hsia University of Technology in New Taipei City stands as a pioneering example. The Ministry of Education has approved its full cessation of admissions starting Academic Year 112 (2023), with official closure scheduled for July 31, 2027—after the end of Academic Year 115 (2026). The existing campus will be taken over by National Taiwan University of Science and Technology to form the 'Taiwan Tech Hwa Hsia Campus,' ensuring the academic rights of current students and the continuity of educational facilities.

Meanwhile, Da Han Institute of Technology in Hualien and I-Kuan Tao Tian Hwang College in Kaohsiung have already officially entered the closure phase as of August 2025. Comprehensive follow-up operations are currently underway, including student transfer counseling, faculty and staff reassignment, and protection of rights and benefits.

What exactly is the difference between 'ceasing admissions,' 'closure,' and 'merger'? How are the educational rights of current students protected?

Whenever news of university closures emerges, the public often confuses the actual meanings of these administrative terms. In fact, 'ceasing admissions,' 'closure,' and 'merger' have distinctly different legal procedures and operational stages.

Ceasing Admissions: The school stops enrolling new first-year students, but the existing academic and administrative systems continue to operate normally. The primary goal is to ensure that current students can complete their required credits and graduate with degrees from the original institution, with their educational rights fully protected by regulations.

Closure: The school completely terminates all teaching, administrative, and academic research activities, marking the formal end of the educational institution. The school must liquidate its assets and properly relocate faculty, staff, and students in accordance with regulations.

Merger: A private school, while still operationally sound and financially healthy, proactively seeks collaboration with a top-tier public university. By legally donating its campus and assets to the state or a public institution, the facilities are transformed into branch campuses, innovation R&D centers, or technology parks. This approach effectively alleviates the challenges of demographic decline in higher education while maximizing the public value of educational assets.

These developments signal a new phase in Taiwan's higher education reform, where sustainability is prioritized through strategic restructuring.