Perspectives on higher education in Taiwan are presented, based in part on the views of a sample of Chinese scholars. After briefly reviewing the origins of Chinese higher education, attention is directed at the current system. The nine layers in the contemporary educational structure in Taiwan are identified. Chinese students seeking college studies must take the annual national competitive entrance examination. The most popular fields of study in Taiwan in recent years have been medicine, the pure sciences, languages, library science, business and management, and teaching. The faculty of Taiwan's colleges and universities has four ranks, and teaching loads are prescribed at the national level by the Ministry of Education. Universities show no sex discrimination in any programs, although some fields tend to have unequal proportions of men and women. In the last 10 years, scholarly research has played a larger part in Taiwan's education. Although higher education administration differs greatly from the U.S. system at the national level, it is similar to the U.S. systems at the state levels, as well as the French, Swedish, German, and British systems. Appendices include profiles of colleges, along with information on: local and national examinations, school organization and the organization of the Ministry of Education, high school teaching subjects, and number of college teachers and degrees held. (SW)