Taipei, July 2 (CNA) The number of students enrolled at universities in Taiwan is expected to fall below 900,000 next year, marking a 20 percent drop from 2012 levels amid the continued effects of low fertility rates, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said.
Incoming freshmen
In a recent statistical forecast on the topic, the MOE said the number of incoming first-year students at Taiwanese universities had been falling steadily since 2012, when around 278,000 people began their collegiate studies.
The downward trend sharpened after 2016, when 241,000 students entered college, and was expected to drop to 191,000 by the start of the 2023 school year, down by around 30 percent from 2012, the ministry said.
Looking ahead, the ministry said the number of incoming university students is forecast to shrink by about 3,400 students, or 1.9 percent, per year for the near future, and ultimately drop below 150,000 by 2038.
Total enrollment
In terms of total student enrollment at Taiwan's universities, the MOE said the number had held relatively steady at 1.11-1.14 million in the years before 2016.
That number, however, dropped by 112,000 in the five years from 2018-2022 as the effects of low fertility became more severe, the ministry said, adding that in 2024, enrollment was expected to dip below 900,000.
Moreover, from 2023 to 2038, university enrollment was forecast to drop at a rate of 14,000 students, or 1.6 percent, per year, the MOE said.
If that forecast proves correct, the 719,000 students attending Taiwanese universities in 2038 will represent a 36.9 percent decrease from the 1.139 million students that were enrolled in 2012, the ministry said.
Taiwan's dropping college enrollment figures take place within a broader decline in the country's population, which fell to 23.264 million in 2022, down by over 110,000 or 0.47 percent, from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
