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Huayu BEST Chinese Language Program with Pitt EALL  

TAIWAN HUAYU BEST PROGRAM 

National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), founded in 1946, is one of Taiwan’s most prestigious universities, recognized for its excellence in education, humanities, and international collaboration. Its Mandarin Training Center (MTC), established in 1956, is a world-renowned institute dedicated to teaching Chinese as a second language. Each year, thousands of students from around the globe come to MTC to study Mandarin and experience Taiwanese culture. Through programs like the Taiwan Huayu BEST Program funded by the Taiwan Ministry of Education, NTNU and MTC continue to promote global academic exchange and cross-cultural understanding. 

In 2025, Pitt Chinese Program and National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) established a collaboration under the “Taiwan Huayu BEST Program” to advance Chinese language teaching and learning through academic cooperation. Pitt students studying at NTNU for intensive Chinese language training will be given a generous scholarship funded by the Ministry of Education in the amount of TWD $28,000 (approx. USD $875) per month for 4 months (semester program) or 2-3 months (summer program).  At least 10 Pitt students can be supported for the summer program, and at least 4 can be supported for the semester-long program.  

For the summer, students will focus on Chinese language learning and culture experiences at NTNU's Mandarin Training Center. Only language courses are offered at NTNU during the summer, and course credits are recognized by Pitt and transferable as Pitt credit with the Chinese Program coordinator and major/minor advisor’s approval. Students who want to earn non-language credits while studying in this program in the summer can take a Pitt summer session online course (with applicable Pitt summer session tuition). Inquire with Professor Xu xuyi@pitt.edu regarding possible options for the 2026 Summer. 

For Fall/Spring semesters, aside from language learning, students can consider taking other (non-language) courses offered by NTNU, with a possible tuition discount on those courses. Credit transfer for non-language courses offered by NTNU depends on the course curriculum/content and your major/minor program advisor’s approval.  

Below are some requirements to register for the program: 

  1. Students must apply through Pitt’s Global Experiences Office before the Pitt internal deadline. March 3, 2026, if you are applying to the 2026 summer program, or March 24 if you are applying to the 2026 Fall program (https://abroad.pitt.edu/Deadlines).
  2. To be eligible for the Taiwan Huayu BEST Scholarship when studying at NTNU, students should
  • Participate in the NTNU Hands Linked Program (Service learning to share cultural exchanges at local elementary schools in Taipei). NTNU will arrange this upon your arrival.
  • Complete the TOCFL exam. The Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) is a standardized test for non-native speakers of Chinese.  Scholarship recipients enrolled in the two-month summer session are required to take the TOCFL exam before arriving in Taiwan. Scholarship recipients enrolled in seasonal terms of three months or longer are required to take the TOCFL exam after arriving in Taiwan (regardless of whether they have taken it before departure). Applicants who do not have an existing TOCFL score at the time of application can provide an Affidavit Letter in place of test scores. More information about the TOCFL test 
    https://tocfl.edu.tw/tocfl/index.php/home/index 

PROGRAM OPTIONS  

  • For the 2026 Summer, there are two options. 
    3-month Seasonal Program
  • Summer Term: Jun. 9, 2026 – Aug. 27, 2026 (application deadline: Apr. 30, 2026) 
    *Registration Date: Jun. 3, 4 

2-month Summer Program 

PROGRAM FEES 

  • Tuition Fee: 
              3-month Seasonal Program
  • Regular Class A NTD 29,100 (approx. USD1050)
  • Intensive Class A NTD 39,600 (approx. USD1430)  

2-month Summer Session 

  • Regular Class A NTD 19,400 (approx. USD700)
  • Intensive Class A NTD 26,400  (approx. USD950)
  • Other Fees:
  • Processing Fee NTD 1,000
  • Registration Fee NTD 1,500
  • Mandatory Accidental Insurance Fee NTD 350(for three months)/ NTD 235 (for two months)
  • Textbooks approx. NTD 2,000 

For more information, please visit MTC Seasonal Program. 

Students are strongly recommended to consider and submit applications early. This scholarship can support multiple students. In the unlikely event that we have limited funding in a given year and receive a high number of Pitt student applications, students may need to be nominated by Chinese language faculty to be eligible for the scholarship. 

For questions regarding applying to this program through the Pitt Global Experiences Office, faculty support and nomination of students for this scholarship, credit recognition, scholarships applicable to Pitt Chinese language students that can be combined with Huayu BEST, or other general questions about this program, contact Chinese Program Coordinator Professor Xu (xuyi@pitt.edu).   

For more specific questions regarding NTNU’s Huayu BEST program (e.g., fees, application deadline to NTNU MTC, service learning, living in Taipei), please contact NTNU exchange scholar, Ms. Ting-Lin Huang (tinglinhuang86@gmail.com). Dr. Yiting Cheng (ycc3@pitt.edu) can also offer consultation.