NTU offers many opportunities for students enrolled in degree and non-degree programs to learn Chinese during their time at the university. Below is an overview of the options available to students.

General and Enhancing Chinese

The General Chinese course is a 3-credit course for international students who wish to learn or improve their Chinese language skills. Students get 6 hours of Chinese language training in class per week. The levels provided are beginner (3 levels), intermediate (3 levels) and advanced (1 level). Classes have 15 to 25 students. Classes are available either in the morning or evening, so students can easily fit the class into their own schedule.

The Enhancing Chinese course offers an additional 4 hours of Chinese class per week to students enrolled in the General Chinese course. This course is available on the elementary and advanced levels.

The General and Enhancing Chinese courses can be taken for up to 1 year. Students who have passed the first semester will automatically be enrolled for the second semester. A placement test takes place at the start of the semester to determine the level of incoming students; students who have never studied Chinese before do not have to take the placement test.

For more information, see General and Enhancing Chinese.

Applied Chinese

Applied Chinese courses are topical courses that can be taken for credits by students at the elementary levels and up. Topics include Business Chinese, Classical Chinese, as well as Taiwanese. Classes are about 10 to 30 people in size. Applied Chinese courses are applied for through the regular course selection system.

For more information, see Applied Chinese.

College Chinese (I) for International Undergraduate Students

All international undergraduate (bachelor's) degree students — with the exception of students enrolled in select English-language programs — have to take College Chinese (I) as part of their graduation requirements. Incoming undergraduate students must take a Chinese proficiency test upon arrival. If they pass, they can enroll in the College Chinese (I) course. Those who have not passed the proficiency test must first take the General Chinese course to raise their Chinese level before being able to take College Chinese (I) and meet this graduation requirement. Students who have already learned Chinese in the past must take a placement test to find a General Chinese class suitable to their level; those who have not yet studied Chinese will be enrolled in the elementary level class.

Graduate (master's and PhD) degree students are exempt from this requirement, but they are still welcome to take General, Enhancing or Applied Chinese courses.

For more information on this requirement, see Chinese and English Proficiency Test.