"Taiwan’s educational system is currently undergoing major reform with the key objective being to internationalise the education system. It will not only provide additional places at local institutions, but also create a favourable environment for Australian (and other) recruitment activities in Taiwan.
Education is important for Taiwanese and entrance exams for the better known schools are highly competitive. Compulsory education is for nine years, with six years of primary school and three years of junior high school. In 2008-09, there were 1,260,427 graduates. Key graduating areas included:
 Senior vocational schools (three years) – 103,064
 Senior high schools (three years) – 131,669
 Junior college (five years, admission for junior high school graduates) – 28,014
 Universities and college (four years) – 289,148
 Postgraduate and PhD – 61,263
Taiwan education officials recognise the importance of internationalisation and are enthusiastic about building linkages with Australia and other countries. Institutions at all levels and especially universities are being encouraged to meet international benchmarks on research and cooperation. The demand for overseas education and the size of the overall international education market is relatively stable – Australia has been attracting significant numbers of Taiwanese students since the late 1980s.
In addition, the Australian Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa was introduced in Taiwan in November 2004, with almost 30,000 WHM visas granted to Taiwanese applicants up to July 2010. The visa provides an attractive new option for young Taiwanese who wish to include a study component in their holiday plans in Australia.
The Taiwanese were the sixth largest WHM visa holder group to enter Australia in 2009-10. English Australia’s figures also suggest that a considerable portion of Taiwanse WHM visa holders engage in some form of ELICOS activity during their time in Australia."