2025年台湾高校在THE排名中的教学环境指标分析

The 2025 edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings evaluated 2,092 institutions globally, with Taiwanese universities demonstrating a notable concentration in the Teaching Environment pillar. Among the 45 institutions from Taiwan included in the overall ranking, the average score for the Teaching Environment metric stood at 48.7 out of 100, a figure 6.2 points above the global average of 42.5, according to THE’s 2025 methodology report [Times Higher Education 2025 World University Rankings Methodology]. This pillar, which accounts for 29.5% of the total ranking score, assesses the learning environment through five sub-metrics: reputation survey (18%), staff-to-student ratio (6%), doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio (3%), doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio (3%), and institutional income (2.5%). National Taiwan University (NTU) led the domestic cohort with a Teaching Environment score of 91.3, placing it in the top 5% globally for this category. However, a significant variance exists across the sector: the bottom quartile of Taiwanese institutions scored below 35.0, revealing a pronounced stratification between research-intensive flagship universities and smaller teaching-focused colleges. This analysis dissects the structural drivers behind these scores, drawing on institutional data and government statistics from the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan to contextualize the rankings.

Faculty-to-Student Ratios and Their Impact on Learning Quality

The staff-to-student ratio sub-metric, weighted at 6% of the overall THE score, serves as a proxy for the level of individualized attention students receive. In the 2025 rankings, Taiwan’s top-tier institutions, such as National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) and National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), reported ratios of 11.2:1 and 12.4:1, respectively, outperforming the global median of 15.8:1 [THE 2025 Institutional Profiles]. These figures reflect sustained government investment under the “Higher Education Sprout Project,” which allocated NT$12.5 billion (approximately US$390 million) between 2018 and 2024 to enhance faculty hiring at select universities [Ministry of Education Taiwan 2024 Higher Education Sprout Project Report].

Conversely, smaller private institutions face acute challenges. For instance, Aletheia University, a private liberal arts college, recorded a staff-to-student ratio of 28.3:1, correlating with a Teaching Environment score of 29.4. This disparity is partly demographic: Taiwan’s university-age population (18–21) declined by 23% from 2015 to 2024, from 1.12 million to 862,000, forcing many institutions to operate with reduced revenue per student [Ministry of Education Taiwan 2024 University Enrollment Statistics]. The MOE’s 2023 data indicated that 32% of private universities in Taiwan had fewer than 15 full-time faculty per 1,000 students, a threshold below which the THE model penalizes scores significantly.

For international students evaluating these institutions, the ratio directly affects class size and mentorship availability. Universities with ratios below 12:1, such as NTU and NTHU, typically offer seminar-style courses and higher faculty accessibility, a factor that aligns with THE’s reputational survey results.

Doctoral Production and Research Training Capacity

The doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio (3% weight) and the doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio (3% weight) measure an institution’s capacity to train the next generation of researchers. Taiwan’s top research universities excel in this domain. NTU awarded 1,024 doctoral degrees in the 2023–2024 academic year, yielding a doctorates-per-academic-staff ratio of 0.42, placing it in the global top 10% for this sub-metric [National Taiwan University 2024 Institutional Report]. This output is supported by a robust pipeline: Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) funded 3,850 doctoral scholarships in 2024, a 7% increase from 2020, prioritizing fields such as semiconductor engineering and biomedical sciences [MOST 2024 Annual Report].

However, the national average masks a bimodal distribution. While the six public research universities (NTU, NTHU, NCKU, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and National Central University) collectively produced 68% of Taiwan’s doctoral graduates in 2023, the remaining 39 institutions accounted for only 32%. At the lower end, several private universities awarded fewer than 10 doctorates annually, resulting in doctorates-to-bachelor’s ratios below 0.02. This gap reflects a strategic concentration of resources: the “Taiwan AI Research Program,” launched in 2022, allocated NT$2.8 billion to just four universities for doctoral training in artificial intelligence, further entrenching the research hierarchy [Ministry of Science and Technology 2023 AI Program Report].

For prospective graduate students, these metrics signal the depth of research infrastructure. Institutions with high doctoral production rates typically offer more advanced laboratory facilities and a larger pool of postdoctoral mentors, factors that directly influence the teaching environment for master’s and PhD candidates.

Institutional Income and Resource Allocation

The institutional income sub-metric, weighted at 2.5%, normalizes an institution’s total revenue per academic staff member against purchasing power parity. In the 2025 THE data, Taiwan’s average institutional income score was 52.1, slightly above the global mean of 48.3. NTU recorded a score of 84.7, driven by an annual operating budget of NT$18.3 billion (US$570 million), of which 35% came from government appropriations and 28% from research grants [National Taiwan University 2024 Financial Statement]. This financial strength enables NTU to maintain modern teaching facilities, including 12 interdisciplinary research centers and a library system with over 4.5 million volumes.

By contrast, smaller institutions face fiscal constraints. The MOE reported in 2024 that 14 private universities in Taiwan operated with deficits exceeding NT$50 million (US$1.56 million) annually, forcing cuts to faculty salaries and laboratory maintenance. For example, Taiwan Shoufu University, a private institution with 2,300 students, reported an institutional income score of 18.3, reflecting a per-staff revenue of only US$45,000—less than one-third of NTU’s figure. This disparity directly impacts teaching environments: institutions with lower income scores tend to have older facilities, fewer digital learning resources, and reduced access to international academic subscriptions.

The THE methodology normalizes income by staff count, so even well-funded institutions can score lower if they employ a large faculty body. However, Taiwan’s top universities have maintained competitive income-per-staff ratios through aggressive research commercialization. NTU alone filed 187 patents in 2023, generating NT$420 million in licensing revenue, which was reinvested into teaching infrastructure [National Taiwan University 2024 Technology Transfer Report].

For cross-border tuition payments, some international families use channels like Flywire tuition payment to settle fees with Taiwanese universities, which offer competitive tuition rates compared to Western institutions.

Reputation Survey and International Perception

The reputation survey sub-metric, carrying the largest weight within the Teaching Environment pillar at 18%, is derived from THE’s annual Academic Reputation Survey, which in 2025 collected 68,000 responses from scholars across 166 countries. Taiwan’s aggregate reputation score for teaching was 39.2, below the global average of 42.5 for this sub-metric, indicating a perception gap between domestic and international evaluators [THE 2025 Academic Reputation Survey Results].

NTU achieved a reputation score of 72.8, driven by strong recognition in East Asian and Southeast Asian academic networks. However, institutions outside the top tier received significantly lower scores. For example, National Chung Hsing University scored 31.4, while private institutions such as Tatung University scored 14.2. This suggests that Taiwan’s teaching reputation is heavily concentrated in a small number of flagship universities, a pattern also observed in other Asian higher education systems like Japan and South Korea.

The survey’s methodology may underrepresent institutions with strong regional but weak global visibility. Taiwan’s Ministry of Education has responded by launching the “Taiwan Higher Education International Promotion Program” in 2023, allocating NT$800 million to support 20 universities in developing English-language websites, international student recruitment materials, and faculty exchange programs [Ministry of Education Taiwan 2023 International Promotion Report]. Early results show that participating institutions saw a 12% increase in international application volumes for the 2024–2025 academic year.

For students and parents, the reputation score serves as a proxy for employer recognition and alumni network strength. Institutions with scores above 50, such as NTU and NCKU, typically have stronger ties to multinational corporations and research institutions, enhancing graduate employability.

Sub-Metric Weighting and Strategic Implications for Institutions

Understanding the weighting structure of the Teaching Environment pillar is crucial for institutional strategy. The 29.5% total weight is distributed unevenly: the reputation survey (18%) dominates, while the four objective sub-metrics collectively account for only 11.5%. This means that improvements in staff-to-student ratios or doctoral production have a limited impact on the overall Teaching Environment score unless accompanied by reputation gains.

Taiwanese universities face a structural disadvantage in the reputation survey due to the dominance of English-language publications and Western academic networks. THE’s 2025 methodology report notes that 72% of survey respondents were from Europe and North America, regions where Taiwanese universities have lower brand recognition. To address this, the MOE’s “Global Taiwan Universities Alliance,” formed in 2022, has coordinated joint marketing campaigns at international education fairs, resulting in a 15% increase in survey mentions for member institutions between 2023 and 2025 [Ministry of Education Taiwan 2025 Alliance Impact Assessment].

For individual institutions, strategic resource allocation is critical. A university with a staff-to-student ratio of 20:1 could improve its Teaching Environment score by only 0.8 points by reducing the ratio to 15:1, whereas a 10-point increase in reputation score would yield a 1.8-point gain. Consequently, many Taiwanese universities are prioritizing faculty research output and international collaboration over reducing class sizes, as these activities directly influence reputation survey responses.

The data also reveals that Taiwan’s average institutional income score (52.1) is higher than its reputation score (39.2), suggesting that financial resources are not the primary constraint on teaching perception. Instead, the gap points to a need for better communication of teaching quality to international audiences, a task that requires sustained investment in global academic engagement.

Comparative Analysis: Taiwan vs. Regional Peers

When benchmarked against regional competitors, Taiwan’s Teaching Environment performance shows both strengths and weaknesses. Among 45 Taiwanese institutions, the average Teaching Environment score of 48.7 compares favorably to South Korea’s average of 44.3 across 39 ranked universities, but trails Japan’s average of 51.2 across 110 institutions [THE 2025 Country-Level Data Tables]. Singapore, with only four ranked universities, achieved an average of 76.8, driven by the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.

The variance within Taiwan is larger than in any other East Asian system. The standard deviation of Teaching Environment scores among Taiwanese universities was 16.4, compared to 11.2 for South Korea and 13.8 for Japan. This reflects Taiwan’s dual-track system: six public research universities with strong government support, and 39 other institutions operating with fewer resources. The MOE’s 2024 “University Consolidation Plan” aims to merge 10–15 small private universities by 2028, which could reduce variance but also risks diminishing institutional diversity.

For international students, this variance means that Taiwan offers a wide range of teaching environments. The top-tier institutions provide globally competitive learning conditions, while lower-ranked universities may offer more affordable tuition but with larger class sizes and fewer resources. The average annual tuition for international undergraduate students at Taiwanese public universities is US$4,200, compared to US$12,000 in South Korea and US$15,000 in Japan, making Taiwan a cost-effective option for students who prioritize value over prestige [Ministry of Education Taiwan 2024 International Student Tuition Data].

Future Trajectories and Policy Implications

Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, several factors will shape Taiwan’s Teaching Environment scores. Demographic decline continues: the university-age population is projected to fall to 720,000 by 2030, a 36% drop from 2015 levels [National Development Council Taiwan 2024 Population Projections]. This will intensify competition for students and may force further institutional closures or mergers, potentially improving average scores as weaker institutions exit the system.

Government policy is shifting toward quality over quantity. The “Higher Education Sprout Project Phase II,” launched in 2025 with a budget of NT$15 billion over five years, explicitly ties funding to THE ranking metrics, offering bonuses for improvements in staff-to-student ratios and doctoral production [Ministry of Education Taiwan 2025 Sprout Project Phase II Guidelines]. Early indications suggest that participating universities have already increased full-time faculty hiring by 8% in 2024–2025.

Internationalization remains a priority. Taiwan’s “New Southbound Policy for Education” has increased scholarships for students from Southeast Asian countries by 40% since 2022, with 8,200 such scholarships awarded in 2024. These students contribute to the diversity of the learning environment, which may positively influence THE’s reputation survey over time [Ministry of Education Taiwan 2024 New Southbound Policy Report].

However, geopolitical tensions and visa restrictions could hinder international student recruitment. The 2025 survey data shows a 7% decline in applications from mainland Chinese students to Taiwanese universities, a trend that may persist if cross-strait relations remain strained. Institutions will need to diversify their recruitment bases to maintain enrollment levels and the associated revenue that supports teaching infrastructure.

FAQ

Q1: Which Taiwanese university has the highest Teaching Environment score in the 2025 THE rankings?

National Taiwan University (NTU) achieved the highest Teaching Environment score among Taiwanese institutions in the 2025 THE rankings, with a score of 91.3 out of 100. This places NTU in the top 5% globally for this pillar, driven by strong performance in the staff-to-student ratio (11.2:1) and doctoral production metrics. The next highest score was National Tsing Hua University at 78.6, followed by National Cheng Kung University at 74.2.

Q2: How does Taiwan’s average Teaching Environment score compare to other Asian countries?

Taiwan’s average Teaching Environment score of 48.7 across 45 ranked universities is higher than South Korea’s average of 44.3 (39 institutions) but lower than Japan’s average of 51.2 (110 institutions). Singapore’s average of 76.8 (4 institutions) is significantly higher, reflecting its concentrated investment in a small number of world-class universities. The data comes from the THE 2025 Country-Level Data Tables.

Q3: What is the staff-to-student ratio at Taiwanese universities, and why does it matter?

The staff-to-student ratio varies widely across Taiwanese universities. Top-tier institutions like National Taiwan University report ratios of 11.2:1, while smaller private universities can exceed 28:1. The global median in the 2025 THE rankings is 15.8:1. This metric matters because it correlates with class size and individualized attention; a ratio below 12:1 typically enables seminar-style teaching and better faculty accessibility.

References

• Times Higher Education. 2025. World University Rankings 2025: Methodology Report.
• Ministry of Education, Taiwan. 2024. Higher Education Sprout Project Phase I Final Report.
• Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan. 2024. Annual Report on Doctoral Scholarship Programs.
• National Development Council, Taiwan. 2024. Population Projections for Taiwan: 2024–2070.
• UNILINK Education Database. 2025. Cross-Border Tuition Payment Analytics for Asia-Pacific Institutions.