Taiwan universities close due to falling enrollment, financial woes

Taipei, July 31 (CNA) TransWorld University in Yunlin County on Wednesday closed its door, while the Tatung Institute of Technology in Chiayi City and Mingdao University in Changhua County are set to cease operation Thursday, with declining enrollment leading to financial instability.

TransWorld University was placed on a "watch list" by the Ministry of Education in August 2022 due to its poor finances and given a grace period to make improvements.

However, it failed to make the necessary improvements within the set timeframe and was ordered to stop enrolling new students for the 2023-2024 academic year and shut down on Wednesday.

According to regulations, the assets of schools in debt must be donated to public organizations, central government agencies or public schools.

The Yunlin County government has expressed an interest in taking over the school land, a local government official told CNA Wednesday.

After its closure, arrangements will be made for 320 students at the university to study at other schools.

In addition, the Tatung Institute of Technology, established in 1963, is slated to close its door on Thursday as the falling birth rate continues to hit school finances, with the school property to be transferred to Chiayi city and county governments.

Severance and related payments for 20 teachers and 29 staff members at the university have been remitted to their personal bank accounts, while 80 students will study at other schools in Chiayi or Tainan, according to Yang Chang-yu (楊昌裕), president of the school.

Also, Mingdao University will officially close its door Thursday, with Lin Chin-min (林勤敏), acting president of the school overseeing the liquidation of school property and other tasks.

The Department of Smart and Quality Agriculture will continue operations as part of an off-campus program introduced by Tunghai University, according to Liu Cheng-wei (劉程煒), the head of the department.