International students increasingly favor tech-related fields: Report

Taipei, Jan. 28 (CNA) Foreign nationals looking to study abroad are increasingly drawn to courses related to information and communications technology, according to a report by the Association of International Cultural and Educational Exchange Taiwan (AICEE).

The preference for this field rose from 14.7 percent in 2025 to 15.5 percent in 2026, reflecting the growing influence of AI on study choices, the Taiwanese association said.

At the same time, AICEE said interest continued to decline in education, humanities and arts, and social sciences, while business and management -- long the most popular fields -- also showed a downward trend.

The findings are detailed in the association's 2026 report on international recruitment trends, which examines how the global wave of artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping international students' study-abroad preferences.

The report, published Wednesday, was based on an online survey conducted between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025, of more than 3,700 non-Taiwanese respondents from 97 countries who had an interest in Taiwan and planned to pursue an academic degree abroad or who intended to study Mandarin in Taiwan, according to the association.

The association said 53.2 percent of those surveyed knew that TSMC, which supplies 90 percent of the world's advanced chips, is a Taiwanese company.

Many respondents interested in pursuing overseas degrees said they were confused by a lack of detailed information, including specific scholarship amounts, the association said.

Regarding expectations after graduation, AICEE said 22.7 percent of respondents hoped to secure employment quickly, while 22 percent wanted to enter industries suitable to their skills.

AICEE CEO Allen Hung (洪志衛) said Taiwan has historically struggled to compete with the United States and Europe in global higher education visibility.

Past surveys, he said, have consistently found that more than 80 percent of international students did not understand Taiwan's higher education strengths.

Hung said that amid the AI wave, local universities can leverage Taiwan's influence in AI and the semiconductor industry by linking school and department names with industry keywords in promotional efforts, which can help attract prospective international students and strengthen brand recognition.