TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Four universities will discontinue operations by the end of July, amid Taiwan's plunging birth rates. 

TransWorld University, Mingdao University, Tatung Institute of Technology, and Tungfang Design University will close by the end of the academic year, reported CNA. The Ministry of Education (MOE) gave the first three institutions a six-month grace period to make improvements, but they failed to do so and their closures were finalized on May 31. 

Tungfang Design University applied with the MOE to suspend enrollment for the 2023-2024 academic year. Its application for termination was approved, with the school expected to close in July. 

According to the MOE, 728 students from the four universities have been redistributed to other schools. This included 80 students from Tatung Institute of Technology, 123 from Tungfang Design University, 320 from TransWorld University, and 205 from Mingdao University.

Wu Chun-chung (吳忠春), chair of the Union of Private School Educators, told CNA that Taiwan's declining birth rate will significantly impact high schools by the 2025 academic year. With fewer students and a general preference for public schools, the impact on private schools will be even greater, said Wu. 

Wu predicted that universities will be impacted from the 2028 academic year, estimating that around 40 of Taiwan's 103 private universities may face closure. Wu warned by 2038, the number of students in private high schools might drop to less than 30,000, putting at least 50 private high schools at risk of closure.

To mitigate the impact, Wu suggested the MOE increase teaching resource subsidies for private high schools to reduce operational costs, ensuring that the quality of education remains unaffected even with fewer students. For private universities, he recommended increasing student recruitment from abroad, including foreign and Chinese students, to compensate for the insufficient local student population.