"Internationalization" is one of the Triple Objectives of Education of our university. Recruiting international students and promoting international exchange and learning have always been our goals. In line with the government's New Southbound Policy, we have strengthened our enrollment efforts in Southeast Asian countries and have seen initial results. Many students from this region have enrolled at our university, with a significant number coming from Indonesia. In recent years, we have continued to promote our efforts, with a particular focus on countries like Vietnam, in the hope of attracting more students to study at Tamkang University.

The Office of International and Cross-Strait Affairs, represented by its Dean, Dr. Chien-Mu Yeh, the Chair of the Department of International Business, Dr. Chu-Mei Liu, and the Head of the International and Mainland Students Guidance Section, Nastia Lin, attended the Taiwan Higher Education Expo in Vietnam from October 12 to 18. Their presence successfully captured the attention of many high school students and parents. Dr. Yeh took the opportunity to reach out to 8 local high schools for recruitment purposes. "Through our experience at this education expo, we found that Vietnamese high school students are not very familiar with Tamkang University. Local students are more concerned about whether the university offers programs with industry-academic collaboration resources, as well as their opportunities for professional development and growth in Taiwan. Therefore, the programs in the Colleges of Business and Management, Science, and Engineering are the top choices for most Vietnamese students coming to study in Taiwan, as it benefits their future employment," Dr. Yeh mentioned. Furthermore, during this expo, several high school students expressed a strong desire to study at Tamkang, particularly in departments such as Computer Science, AI, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, International Business, Business Administration, Mass Communication, and Chinese, showing a high level of interest and enthusiasm.

“Getting more high school students and teachers acquainted with Tamkang is the first step towards success." Currently, a total of 72 Vietnamese students studying at our university. The International Affairs Office plans to promote these students as ambassadors who can return to their high schools to share their experiences and promote the university. This effort aims to increase the university's recognition and favorability in Vietnam. Additionally, active participation in education expos is a strategy. Dr. Yeh further explained that they intend to focus on Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi since a significant proportion of students attend universities in these cities. By offering scholarships, they aim to attract students who are interested in studying in Taiwan. He stated, "In the short term, we hope to establish strategic alliances with high schools to offer recommended admission quotas for excellent students to study at Tamkang. In the medium to long term, we plan to organize study programs and summer/winter exchange groups to increase opportunities for mutual experiences and exchanges. This will help us achieve our goal of promoting Tamkang and we hope to extend these strategies to more schools." Furthermore, increasing collaboration with Vietnamese universities, establishing parterships, and dual-degree programs are other avenues of effort to boost the number of students coming to Tamkang.

SDGs #SDG04 Quality Education #SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

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