According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Education, a record number of college students, over 54,000, are postponing graduation for the 2011 school year.

According to the top three universities, National Taiwan University, National Tsing Hua University and National Cheng Kung University, the main reason for postponing graduation is ‘due to an unsatisfactory academic performance’. These students failed some courses and they need another year to retake their exams.

However, there are also some students who postponed their graduation for other reasons, including: ‘needing one more year to prepare for their graduate school entrance exams’; ‘avoiding military conscription’; ‘spending one more year to complete their double major degrees’; ‘personal career plan’; and ‘economical situation’. 

The statistics state that in 2000, the graduation postponement rate was 2.5 per cent, 3.6 per cent in 2007 and 4 per cent in 2010 and 2011. In these ten years, the postponement rate for male students has doubled compared with female students, with 5.1 per cent for male students and 2.9 per cent for female students in 2011.