Private university to merge with Tsing Hua amid declining enrollment

Taipei, Nov. 22 (CNA) Chung Hua University (CHU), which has been facing declining enrollment, has agreed to merge with National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) and will cease enrolling students as early as next year, according to an announcement on Friday.

In a press conference, CHU President Victor W. Liu (劉維琪) said that the school authorities of both universities, located in Hsinchu City, have reached a preliminary consensus on the merger, but have yet to go through administrative procedures.

Founded in 1990, privately-run CHU had a total of 3,898 students enrolled in the 2023 academic year. Its student enrollment numbers have been declining steadily since the 2017 academic year, when it had 6,722 students enrolled.

The merger and subsequent closure of the university follows a string of private university closures over the past decade, the most recent being TransWorld University, Tatung Institute of Technology, and Mingdao University in July 2024.

Liu said that CHU will prioritize the rights of its students and faculty in carrying out the merger.

Current students will be able to take courses that NTHU opens on the CHU campus, Liu said.

Regarding the faculty, the school will refer to the mode used by the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST) and Hwa Hsia University of Technology when they merged last year. It lets the faculty continue working at the school for six years and then plan their career paths after the seventh year.

Liu said CHU's financial operations were sound, and the board will continue carrying out the mission of the university, which was to cultivate technological talent for the country.

The university agreed to selflessly donate its campus and assets to NTHU, Liu added.

Meanwhile, NTHU President Weiyuan John Kao (高為元) confirmed the news in a press interview.

He said that the merger would be similar to the NTUST and Hwa Hsia University of Technology merger last year, the first between a public university and a private one in Taiwan.

In this model, CHU will stop enrolling new students as early as the 2025 academic year, with its existing students studying as usual until graduation when they will receive diplomas from CHU. After the CHU students graduate, NTHU will take over CHU's campus and equipment.

Kao said that his school has yet to internally discuss the issue.

Currently, its College of Semiconductor Research has expressed intentions to set up courses and equipment on the CHU campus and establish a "Tsing Hua Square Technology Park." Other departments of the university have also expressed their intent and they need to be thoroughly discussed, Kao said.

NTHU said in a statement on Thursday that CHU is near the Hsinchu Science Park, which provides a geological advantage for cultivating semiconductor talent and developing the industry.

On Friday, the Ministry of Education said that it had not received merger plans from the two schools.

It said that after the plan is submitted, it will ensure the rights of existing students and faculty, and provide assistance.