BACS administers a competitive scholarship programme on behalf of the Taiwan Ministry of Education for nine-month, six-month, and three-month language programmes at approved centres in Taiwan. A monthly stipend of NT$28,000 is provided to cover fees and to contribute to maintenance expenses. For information about approved centres and study in Taiwan, see Chinese Language Centres in Taiwan. The deadline for submitting applications is Tuesday 31st March 2026 at 17:00 BST.
All applications must be submitted electronically through the following link:
https://forms.gle/RsW642Bsd5yq5qvP6. Upon submission of their application, the applicant will receive an auto-response as acknowledgement of receipt. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that their complete application (including both references) has been received by BACS by the application deadline.
Please read the ‘Notes for Applicants’ and ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ documents carefully before addressing queries to the Education Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the U.K. (virginia@mofa.gov.tw), as appropriate.
HES_Guidelines_for_UK_Applicants_(2026)
HES_Notes_for_Applicants_2026
HES_Application_Form_(2026) (Right-click, select ‘Save Link As…’)
HES_Reference_Form_(2026) (Right-click, select ‘Save Link As…’)
HES_Frequently_Asked_Questions_(2026)
It is encouraged to take the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) either before or during your stay in Taiwan. Awardees of the 9-month HES are required to sit for the TOCFL Band B test at least one month before the end of their scholarship. Registrations for taking the test in the UK will open shortly on the website of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK.:
https://www.roc-taiwan.org/uk_en/cat/22.html
A note about eligibility:
The FAQs state that applications are limited to “Those who are over 18 years of age, hold a full UK passport but are not currently studying Mandarin in Taiwan during the scholarship application period; and do not hold or have not held in the past any form of government scholarship in Taiwan.”
We asked for further clarification, and we have been informed that you can apply if you have previously received the Taiwan-Europe Connectivity Scholarship, but only if that scholarship has finished and you are no long receiving any funds or financial benefits from the Taiwanese government and academic institutions. If you are current studying Mandarin in Taiwan or there as an exchange programme you cannot apply, and you cannot apply if you have already studied on a degree programme in Taiwan. If you are currently in Taiwan for personal travel, you are eligible to apply.