Taiwan’s transition from senior high school to higher education

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acceptance is made according to baccalaureate score, senior high school grades and a portfolio (sometimes interviews are also required). In spite of it, some Grandes Écoles also offers an admission process to university students. The figure below briefly presents the process from the Baccalaureate to the Grandes Ecoles.

Figure 2.6 Process from the Baccalaureate to the Grandes Ecoles.

2.3 Secondary Education to Tertiary Education

2.3.1 Taiwan’s transition from senior high school to higher education

The abolishment of the principle “One examination determines your whole life”

(一試定終身) has opened the doors to a more accessible higher education system, starting with the implementation of a new system in 1994: “Admission through recommendation”

Baccalaureate

Preparatory classes

(litterature, sciences or economic streams) (2years)

Competitive entrance examination

Grandes Ecoles (3years)

Equivalent to a Master Degree.

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(CEEC). This system consisted on the recommendation of students by their senior high school, students failing to gain admittance through recommendation were then able later on to sit the Joint University Entrance Examination (JUEE) in order to enroll into higher education. With the aim of decreasing the emphasis on grades, in 2002 the Ministry of Education in Taiwan implemented a multiple pathway for college admission, allowing students to apply into college through three different processes. ⁶¹ As a result of several reforms, students are currently able to apply through The Stars Program (繁星推薦), The Personal Application (個人申請), and The Admission by Examination and Placement (登 記分發) (CEEC). The figure below gives a clear picture of College Admission System in Taiwan.

Figure 2.7 The College Admission Process in Taiwan.

Adapted from College Entrance Examination Center,

Retrieved from http://www.ceec.edu.tw/CeecEnglishWeb/E07Process.aspx.

61 The College Admission Process in Taiwan. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ceec.edu.tw/CeecEnglishWeb/E07Process.aspx

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As shown in the figure above, the college entrance examination center offers all students with the possibility to sit two examinations, which are the GSAT and the AST.

This mechanism not only allows students to choose which procedure they wish to undergo but also offers them the opportunity to sit a second examination (AST) if they failed the first examination (GSAT). Applicant may take the GSAT in the second semester of the third year of senior high school (January every year)⁶². This examination tests students’

knowledge in the following topics: English, Chinese, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Humanities through different types of assessment such as: multiple choice questions, writing questions, essay writing, and translation tasks (CEEC). Students are graded on a scale of 0 to 15 for each subject which creates a maximum total score of 75.⁶³ Total score of students will determine their eligibility to enroll in a specific university, in addition to college screening test or recommendation by high school.

Non-attendance in the admission by application and recommendation, failure to gain admittance into college, or dissatisfaction regarding the GSAT score are three reasons as to why the students sit for the AST in July. The table below shows the GSAT two-day exam schedule.

Table 2.1 GSAT two-day examination schedule. (January 22nd and 23rd).

January 22^nd Chinese

Adapted from 大學學科能力測驗, by Wikipedia, 2016, Retrieved from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/大學學科 能力測驗

62 The College Admission Process in Taiwan. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ceec.edu.tw/CeecEnglishWeb/E07Process.aspx

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Students who sit the GSAT are able to pursue two processes in order to enroll in university. The Stars Program (繁星推薦) introduced in 2007 addresses the gap between urban and rural areas and supports disadvantaged students from remote areas.⁶⁴According to the college entrance examination center, the Stars Program uses grade point average from the first two years of high school as the admission criteria in addition to the GSAT score that is required by the college the student wishes to enroll in. A quota is established for high schools who wish to recommend their students, only few students can then undergo this procedure, and then be a part of this program.

Admission by application was introduced in 1998 and expanded in 2000 (CEEC) in view of providing all students with the opportunity to apply to the university of their choice. Students’ eligibility is determined by their performance in the GSAT which guides them to apply for specific colleges through porfolios, interviews and additional examinations. ⁶⁵

The second examination offered to students is the AST, which is provided to students who failed to gain admittance through the aforesaid process. There are several topics within this examination, but students are allowed to decide which topics they wish to test according to the requirements of colleges they are interested in. Topics as refered by the CEEC website are: “Chinese, English, Mathematics (for science and engineering majors), Mathematics II (for humanities and social science majors), Geography, History, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Civics.” In opposition to the GSAT, each AST subject’s tests are worth 100 points and include multiple choice questions, short answers questions, problem-solving, response writing, essay writing, and translation tasks. ⁶⁶

64 Education in Taiwan 2013-2014. (2013, September). Retrieved from

https://stats.moe.gov.tw/files/ebook/Education_in_Taiwan/2013-2014_Education_in_Taiwan.pdf

65 The College Admission Process in Taiwan. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ceec.edu.tw/CeecEnglishWeb/E07Process.aspx

66 Advanced Subjects Test (AST). (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.ceec.edu.tw/CeecEnglishWeb/E07Process_AST.aspx

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As explained above, the admission by examination and placement process is offered to students who failed to gain admission through the Stars program or the application process. But not only, this program is also provided to students who didn’t or couldn’t take part in the GSAT or more often who were dissatisfied by their GSAT score.

Students taking part to the admission by examination and placement process must take the AST. The AST score is the sole factor of students’ distribution into colleges and departments. Still, they can fill out a preference list where they indicate their desire and preferences.