Alabama has become the first state in the country selected by Taiwan to launch a government-funded technology scholarship for American students studying abroad, with five awards set to go out in 2027 covering tuition and housing. The agreement was signed Sept. 30 at the Alabama Commission on Higher Education's Montgomery office, pairing the state with Taiwan's Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in a deal officials describe as a first for any U.S. state.
According to AL.com, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta partnered with the Alabama Commission on Higher Education to fund scholarships for students studying in Taiwan, with the money coming from Taiwan's Ministry of Education at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ACHE will award the first five scholarships in 2027 to help cover tuition and housing for students pursuing undergraduate or master's degrees in high-tech fields in Taiwan. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta describes the arrangement on its own site as building a high-tech talent pipeline while deepening Taiwan-U.S. subnational partnerships.
Who Signed, and Who Showed Up
ACHE executive director Jim Purcell signed the agreement with Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Director-General Jared Lin at the Montgomery ceremony, the outlet reports. Alabama Board of Education Superintendent Eric Mackey attended alongside state Reps. Mike Shaw, who represents Jefferson County, and Andy Whitt, who represents Madison County in the Alabama House, per the same account.
The memorandum highlights talent's role in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and advanced manufacturing, the station's report notes. Lin said Alabama students studying in Taiwan will bring back knowledge, networks, experience and a deeper understanding of the island, and suggested they could become engineers, entrepreneurs, researchers and leaders contributing to future Taiwan-Alabama cooperation. Students interested in pursuing an undergraduate or master's degree in a high-tech field in Taiwan are directed to contact Stephanie Dolan, ACHE's director of planning and policy, at (334) 353-9153.
Part of a Bigger Semiconductor Push
The Alabama-Taiwan scholarship lands amid a wider wave of Taiwan-linked tech workforce investment reaching the state. A $500,000 National Science Foundation grant reported Aug. 3, 2026, will help three historically Black Alabama community colleges prepare students for careers in the growing semiconductor industry, with the project set to run from Oct. 1, 2026, according to 256 Today. Drake State Community & Technical College will lead that initiative in partnership with Lawson State Community College and Trenholm State Community College, expanding STEM education and creating pathways into semiconductor manufacturing and other advanced technology careers.
Taiwan has been courting similar partnerships elsewhere. As reported by the Taipei Times, Taiwan and the United States have been expanding joint talent cultivation in semiconductors and microelectronics, highlighted by a workforce summit that drew about 150 participants from both countries. The American Institute in Taiwan has separately announced a US$20 million grant to the University of Arizona and a Fulbright Semiconductor Scholarship funding two master's students at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University.
Other States Making Similar Moves
Arizona Western College announced its own memoranda of understanding on Sept. 30 with three Taiwanese universities — Asia University, Lunghwa University of Science and Technology, and National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology — aimed at creating student and faculty opportunities in semiconductor manufacturing, engineering and artificial intelligence, according to KAWC. Asia University has run a semiconductor education program for more than 15 years and has worked with TSMC, Siliconware Precision Industries and Micron, the outlet reports, and Arizona Western students could eventually complete two years at the Arizona campus before transferring to a Taiwanese partner school for specialized coursework. College President Reetika Dhawan said the partnerships could eventually provide students with full scholarships and paid internships at technology companies.
Taiwan's government has also funded smaller study-abroad scholarships before. Since 2016, Taiwan's Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office has provided financial support to more than 260 U.S. students in American Councils Taiwan language programs, and Taiwan's Ministry of Education separately announced scholarship support of up to $8,000 for participants in the Tradition and Modernity in Taiwan program at Tamkang University, according to American Councils. Those awards are based on academic merit and financial need. Alabama is the first state selected to launch this particular technology scholarship.
