TAIPEI: Major universities in Taiwan, including those ranked at the top, have stepped up preparations to attract mainland students even though the government has yet to enact all the necessary legislation.

    Mainland students are not eligible to obtain academic degrees from Taiwan institutions at present, but are allowed to study at local universities for up to one year on student exchange programs. The total of undergraduate, graduate students and doctoral candidates cannot go above 1,000.

    Fewer than 300 mainland students are studying at local universities or colleges around Taiwan at the present time.

    Local universities plan to offer scholarships to attract mainland students, but the education affairs department will ban local public academic institutions from financing the grants with public funds.

    As a result, some prestigious schools, such as National Taiwan University (NTU) and National Cheng Kung University, are planning to raise funds from private donors or alumni for scholarships they hope will lure top-notch students from the mainland.

    To enhance NTU's competitive edge in the world, its chief secretary Liao Hsien-hao said Sunday, it is important that the university attract outstanding students, including those from the mainland, to study at NTU.

    "To realize that goal, we have to raise funds from the private sector to set up scholarships for mainland students, as financial incentives could be an important appeal."

    Regardless of the incentives local schools offer, they will not be able to allow mainland students to enroll for full-time study until next September.

    The education affairs authorities have referred to the Legislative Yuan a draft package of amendments to the University Act that would pave the way for mainland students to pursue academic degrees in Taiwan.

    But even if the Legislative Yuan passes it in the present legislative session, the government would still need another six months of preparations before the doors could be opened to mainland students pursuing a degree.

    According to education affairs officials, the mainland has about 10 million senior high school graduates intending to enroll in colleges or universities, but its tertiary education institutions can accommodate only about 5 million hopefuls.

    As a result, South Korea and Japan have launched all-out efforts to attract Chinese mainland students and many local schools are following suit.

    Education affairs officials said mainland students now account for 60 percent of foreign students in Japanese tertiary institutions and 70 percent of foreign students in South Korea.