I need to find a virtual time capsule, stuff this post into it, and then send it flying towards the head of June 1st, 2026 me at supersonic speed. /ᐠ ╥ ˕ ╥マ

But good news for you who is reading this!! This blog post is anyone who is considering exchange in NTU! Yayy so exciting!!

Details about me: This past March '26, I applied to my school's study abroad program to do a Fall '26 semester exchange at NTU, Taiwan. I had some guidance from my study abroad advisor, but... expect like 90% of the research to be done by yourself as the school starts randomly sending emails (or literally not sending emails) for important deadlines within the WEEK leading up to them.

✅ THE MOST IMPORTANT CHECKLIST OF YOUR LIFE:

Note: Did this in chronological order (ish) so it could be easy to follow; dates will not be exact for future years but I wanted to provide dates that applied to my program so you could get a sense of the timeline

1. Get your school's admission letter!

• I got my notification by June 14th by an "unofficial" online letter
• My school's study abroad office received an "official" physical letter around June 30th
• Deadline: Before you get your VISA

2. Apply for your VISA asap!

• If you're doing the Fall semester like me, then you'll want a Visitor Visa
• Apply online at the Visa Application Form
• Print out the form and BRING IT TO YOUR LOCAL CONSULATE
• I paid $185 in CASH for the Multi-Entry Visitor Visa (which means I get to exit/return to the country during my Visa but I also have to reapply prior to 15 days of my Visa expiration, which is 90 days)
• Luckily, my consulate got it finished for me within 2 days, but it can take up to 2 WEEKS
• ❗❗Important notes: Bring CASH (the Chicago consulate didn't take personal checks or card), bring every document ever (I brought copies of my admission letters, 2 copies of 2x2 passport photos that were printed from Walgreens -- hack: you can take the photo at home and then print the 4 picture wallet photo set so it's cheaper than getting actual photos at Walgreens, school transcript)
• Deadline: 7/31; Upload to the OIA System

Unimportant, funny side story: I didn't realize that the Visa application process required going in-person so I filled out the online form and then.... waited 2 weeks before realizing that the Visa deadline was in 1 week before RUSHINGGG to the consulate... and then they extended the deadline by 1 month el oh el. Shoutout to James for pulling through and picking up my Visa for me. u a real one.

3. Sign housing lease + wire deposit funds

• I applied for the Shui Yuan Single Suite dorm back when I first applied in March and I got notified that I was assigned to it by an email on 7/8
• They required us to wire in a deposit of $990 by 7/20 to reserve our room; this amount included the $330 as the booking deposite and $660 as the security deposit
• I also had to sign the lease within 5 days of receiving the email (so by 7/13)
• Deadline: 7/13 and 7/20

4. Visit your physician + get the health forms filled out

• NTU doesn't want to see a single CAVITY bro
• They are vetting students like they're enlisting them in the military
• Go to your physician IN YOUR HOME COUNTRY (to save the headaches of language barriers, insurance, scheduling appointments, etc.) and bring the medical forms below (these may change year-to-year so CHECK the correct forms)
• You can check for the most up-to-date medical exam requirements here and scroll down to Incoming Exchange/Visiting students
• Otherwise, you'll have to go through the process of getting these forms filled out at NTU and it will delay your registration and consequently your student ID processing
• Deadline: 9/4

5. Purchase accident AND medical insurance with separate totals

• Accident insurance worth a minimum of TWD 1,000,000
• Medical insurance worth a minimum of TWD 1,000,000
• My school took care of my insurance but make sure you clarify with your study abroad office the specific requirements because they'll often just buy a general plan for all their students without looking into the specifics
• Deadline: BEFORE you arrive in Taiwan

6. Print extra copies of everything

• 2x2 Passport photos
• Admission letter
• Passport copy

7. Debit card

• Had to add this because I've actually forgotten this...
• You will need cash. Pls bring your debit card.

8. Course Registration

• If this isn't the prime example of NTU overcomplicating everything, idk what is
• There are TWO course registration time slots where you can put in your PREFERENCE for courses from ~ Aug 19-21 and ~ Aug 24-26 in TAIWAN time
• You'll be notified the day after if you actually got those courses
• This has to be done through TWO applications: Course.ntu.edu and Course Selection Site
• Deadline: During one of the two slots mentioned above

Conclusion

I'm still in the middle of dealing with the consequences of not doing several of the above, so hopefully I can refer someone to this blog page who's thinking about studying at NTU so I can save them some time and heartache.

加油！You got it! I hope you have an amazing time in 台北.. I'll be updating this blog throughout the semester so you can see if I'm enjoying it too.. LOL!