Programs in Taiwan for Overseas Taiwanese (2027 Guide)

Time-sensitive. Every eligibility rule, date and fee on this page was checked against the official documents on 7 November 2026, and each section links to its sources. These programs change every year. Always read the current rules before applying.

If you have family from Taiwan, a parent or an aunt may have told you about the “Love Boat”. Some version of it still exists, alongside several other programs that Taiwan’s government runs for young people with Taiwanese family roots. This guide sets out what is available for 2027, who can apply, and one rule that catches dual nationals: holders of a Taiwan passport cannot apply for the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship.

Zhong has no affiliation with any of the organisations below. We describe their programs from the documents they publish themselves.

At a glance

Program	Run by	Ages	What it is
Overseas Youth Taiwan Study Tour (“Love Boat”)	OCAC	16 to under 25	2–3 week group tour of Taiwan
Language Study Program for Compatriot Youth	OCAC	14 to under 22 (in person)	3–4 week Mandarin course in Taiwan
FASCA	OCAC	over 14	Local training and volunteering, plus a visit to Taiwan
Huayu Enrichment Scholarship	Ministry of Education	18 and over	Monthly stipend to study Mandarin in Taiwan; not open to ROC passport holders

OCAC is the Overseas Community Affairs Council (僑務委員會), the Taiwan government body with responsibility for overseas communities.

The Love Boat: OCAC’s Overseas Youth Taiwan Study Tour

“Love Boat” is the long-standing nickname for a study tour to Taiwan aimed at young people of Taiwanese or Chinese heritage living abroad; the tour was first run in 1967. OCAC’s current program of this kind is the Overseas Youth Taiwan Study Tour (海外青年臺灣觀摩團).

It is a tour, not a language course. The 2027 programs include introductions to Taiwan’s development and culture, visits to museums, science and cultural parks, industry, national parks and historic sites, and university visits.

2027 rules (from OCAC’s published brochures):

• Age: 16 to under 25, by the date of birth in your passport, counted to the session’s first day.
• Documents: a passport from your country of residence (or a residence endorsement), plus OCAC’s i 僑卡 (overseas compatriot card), which you apply for in advance.
• Who else can join: students recommended by a Mandarin centre in Taiwan, or by a Taiwanese-heritage Chinese teacher at a mainstream school, whatever their background.
• Cost: the participant pays NT$25,986 for a two-week session or NT$37,794 for a three-week session, and OCAC covers the rest of the program cost. Flights, visa, insurance and personal costs are extra.
• Priority goes to people who have not taken part before. Where two or more people from one family apply, normally one is accepted and the others are wait-listed (multiples excepted).

2027 sessions published so far:

Session	Dates (2027)	Region of residence
1	10–30 January	Southern Hemisphere and Asia (excluding the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia)
2	14–27 June	Philippines
3	20 June – 3 July	Indonesia
4	1–14 August	Europe, Asia, Canada (excluding the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia)
5	7–27 December	Southern Hemisphere and Asia (excluding the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia)
6	17–30 December	Malaysia

If you live in the United States: none of the six sessions OCAC had published by 7 November 2026 lists the US. Session 4 includes Canada (applications 1 March to 30 April 2027). Ask your local OCAC office or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) whether a session for US residents is planned.

Sources: OCAC Overseas Youth Taiwan Study Tour page and the 2027 brochure for each session, for example Session 4 (in Chinese).

OCAC Language Study Program for Compatriot Youth

If Mandarin, not a tour, is what you want, OCAC also runs a Language Study Program for Compatriot Youth (海外青年語文研習班). Its stated aim is to build the Mandarin of young people who plan to study at a school or university in Taiwan, covering listening, speaking, reading, writing and typing.

2027 global summer classes (in person, in Taiwan):

Class	Dates (2027)	Length	Places	Applications
Summer 1	20 June – 10 July	3 weeks	60	1 January – 14 March
Summer 2	18 July – 14 August	4 weeks	130	1 January – 31 March

• Age: 14 to under 22, in a teen class (14–17) and a youth class (18–21).
• Documents: overseas residence, a passport from your country of residence (or an ROC passport with an overseas-residence endorsement), and the i 僑卡.
• Cost: the participant pays NT$24,400 for 3 weeks or NT$32,500 for 4 weeks, with OCAC covering the rest.
• Online option: a remote version taught on weekends over eight weeks is open to ages 14 to under 20. The 2027 spring class runs 6 March to 25 April (applications 1 January to 12 February).

Sources: OCAC Language Study Program page, together with the 2027 in-person brochure and the 2027 remote brochure (both in Chinese).

FASCA: Formosa Association of Student Cultural Ambassadors

FASCA is an OCAC program aimed at second- and third-generation overseas Taiwanese youth. It has run since 2011 in the United States, Canada, Australia and Brazil. It is not a Mandarin course. Participants take training courses in their own city, work on volunteer projects in their community, and take part in a dedicated training course and visit to Taiwan.

• Who: overseas Taiwanese youth over 14.
• How to join: contact the OCAC overseas office for your area. In the US, OCAC lists offices in Washington DC, Boston, New York, Chicago, Houston, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County and Atlanta.

Source: OCAC FASCA introduction (page updated 17 March 2026).

OCAC also lists an English Teaching Volunteer Service Program for Overseas Youth. Its 2026 registration had closed, and no 2027 guidelines had been posted when we checked.

The Huayu Enrichment Scholarship and dual nationals

The Huayu Enrichment Scholarship (華語文獎學金, HES) is the Ministry of Education’s stipend that lets foreign nationals study Mandarin at a language centre in Taiwan. It carries a rule that matters for dual nationals.

Who cannot apply. Under the Ministry of Education’s directions for the scholarship (教育部華語文獎學金作業要點, as amended 4 February 2025), the following may not apply:

• anyone with overseas compatriot student (僑生) status, or anyone who holds a Republic of China (Taiwan) passport;
• anyone currently studying Chinese in Taiwan, or who has previously studied for a degree in Taiwan;
• previous recipients of the HES, the TUSA Global Ambassador Scholarship or a Taiwan Scholarship;
• exchange students currently in Taiwan under a university agreement;
• anyone in Taiwan already receiving a scholarship or funding from a Taiwan government agency or school.

So a Taiwan passport, even held alongside a US or other passport, rules you out. The directions refer to holding a passport; they do not say how they treat someone who has ROC nationality but has never held an ROC passport. If that is your situation, ask your local Taiwan office before applying rather than assuming either way.

Who can apply. Foreign nationals of 18 or over who have completed secondary school, with a good academic record and good character.

What it pays. NT$28,000 a month, from the 2025 summer courses onward. Awards cover a two-month summer course, or 3, 6 or 9 months or a year.

How to apply. Through the Taiwan embassy or representative office (TECO) responsible for your country of nationality. Each office sets its own window: in 2026, for example, the Taipei Representative Office in Italy accepted applications from 1 February to 2 May, while the office in Ireland set a deadline of 1 May. Check your own office’s notice. Our HES guide covers the documents and the application steps; check the stipend and deadlines against your TECO’s current notice.

Sources: MOE Huayu Enrichment Scholarship directions (MOE law database, in Chinese, as amended 4 February 2025), together with the 2026 scholarship notices issued by TECO offices.

If you are over 25, or none of these fit

The OCAC Study Tour takes ages under 25, and the in-person Language Study Program ages under 22 (the online version is under 20, with some exceptions for applicants to specific study programs). OCAC’s FASCA page gives a minimum age of over 14 but no upper age; if you are older, ask your local OCAC office whether you can join. Whatever your age, you can study in Taiwan by enrolling directly at a university Mandarin centre, paying your own tuition:

• Summer Mandarin Programs in Taiwan compares short courses.
• MTC vs Other Taiwan Language Schools compares term programs.
• Learn Chinese in Tainan or Kaohsiung covers options in the south.

The visa guides on this site are written with foreign nationals in mind. If you hold a Taiwan passport, different entry and residence rules may apply to you, so check with your local TECO.

Before you go

Whichever program you choose, arriving with some reading makes the experience richer, because so much of Taiwan’s daily life is written: signs, menus, transport. If your listening runs ahead of your reading, How to Learn to Read Chinese When You Already Speak It sets out a route, and the heritage placement check suggests where to begin. If you want a certificate before you go, Heritage Speakers and the TOCFL explains how to choose a band. The heritage learner route collects the rest.

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Related Reading

• You Speak It. Now Read It: Heritage Learner Route — A reading route for heritage learners, from placement through reading.
• HUAYU Enrichment Scholarship: How to Apply — Documents and application steps.
• Summer Mandarin Programs in Taiwan — Short courses for a summer in Taiwan.
• Heritage Speakers and the TOCFL: Choosing a Band — Choosing a band when your listening is ahead of your reading.