Junior high school graduates or those with high school equivalent, are qualified to be admitted to senior high schools; standards of identifying high school equivalent shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

To develop multiple intelligences and cultivate innovative graduates, senior high schools shall adopt the diversified entrance program for its student recruitment. The diversified entrance program focuses on open admission; schools certified by the competent authorities may conduct specialty enrollment subject to certain quotas.
The quotas for open admission in each school district shall account for more than 75% of the total number for authorized entering class in the school year of 103, and shall be gradually phrased to its increase throughout the years; until it reaches more than 85% of entering class in the school year of 108.
The total quotas of open admission includes direct admission quota for graduates from the affiliated junior high school division; regulations governing the quotas for direct admission are as follows:
1. Public senior high schools’ quotas for direct admission: no higher than 35% of the number of graduates from the affiliated junior high division in the same year.
2. Special municipal or county（city）senior high schools’ quotas for direct admission: stipulated by the municipal or county（city）competent authority.
3. Private senior high schools’ quotas for direct admission: no higher than 60% of the schools’ total number of authorized entering class for the school year of 103. However, if a school’s number of students in its affiliated junior high school division is less than that of the school’s authorized entering class, the quotas for direct admission may not be higher than 60% of the number of graduates from its affiliated high school division in the same year; the percentage shall be gradually phrased down throughout the years, until it reaches（no higher than）50% in the school year of 108.
4. If regulations governing the percentage of direct admission stipulated by each school district are more restrictive than this Act, such regulations shall be followed instead.
If private senior high schools violate acts and regulations by using examination or special screening device to admit students to their junior high and elementary divisions and such cases have been confirmed by the corresponding competent authorities, the authorized quotas for direct admission stated in Subparagraph 3 of the previous Paragraph for those schools shall be deducted from the following school years based on the percentage of violation cases.
The percentage of open admission offered by each school for the school year of 103 may not be lower than 25% of the school’s total quotas for authorized entering class, subject to review and adjustment in the following years.
Private senior high schools that are not established through the government grant and do not receive incentives and subsidies from government based on Article 59 of the Private School Act, and its tuitions are not co-paid by government based on Article 56, may formulate curriculum plans, reasons of applying for independent entrance, as well as entrance scope and implementation, and conduct independent enrollment without being restricted by the enrollment regulations of this Act, after reporting to and certified by the corresponding competent authorities, subject to an open admission quotas that is no lower than 15% of each school’s total quotas for authorized entering class. Schools that conduct direct admission based on Paragraph 3 shall follow the procedure and ranking regulations stipulated by Paragraph 4 of Article 37 to settle for a tie when quotas have been exceeded. Each junior high school shall help its students in their self-realization and exploration, providing them with adaptive counseling depending on their ability, inclination, and interest, and shall advise them on further education choices and help them securing admission to the senior high schools.

If private senior high schools’ admission programs are not formulated and implemented in accordance with the regulations of this Act, and are not reported and certified by the competent authority, the tuition-waiver regulation in Article 56 will not be applicable to their students.
Private senior high schools shall support the implementation of 12-year national education based on the following principles:
1. Cultivating students to achieve balanced development in five aspects of education;
2. Hiring sufficient qualified teachers to teach based on their expertise;
3. Providing students with counseling for adaptive development;
4. Implementing normalization of teaching consistently.

Students may apply to senior high schools through the exam-free admission program without taking the entrance examination.
Under the exam-free admission program, all applicants can be admitted as long as the number of applicants does not exceed the limit set by the competent authority.
If the number of applicants under the exam-free admission program exceeds the limit set by the competent authority, the final enrollment number shall be determined by the competent authority at the special municipal/county（city）level along with the competent authority of each school district, and reported to the central competent authority for future review. Skill-based and specialty-based senior high schools may not be subject to such requirement as they have special recruitment needs. They can establish their curriculum plans, enrollment plans, quota and exam-free admission procedure, while reporting relevant information to the corresponding competent authorities for approval.
In the context of the preceding paragraph, the fact of whether or not a student received a passing grade for his or her performance in health and physical education, arts, integrative activities, and technology may be used to settle a tie. Performances in other learning areas shall not be counted as tie breakers.
The competent authority at the special municipal/county（city）level shall announce the principles, procedures and other relevant matters for regulations regarding the tie settlement mechanism of the exam-free admission program in cases where quotas have been exceeded one year prior to a new academic year.
Paragraph 4 without the amendment to this Article made on May 11, 2021 still applies to junior high school students enrolled before the 2019 academic year.

Senior high schools that conduct specialty enrollment shall select their students through academic subject exams, or through special screening process such as technical subject performance.
The corresponding competent authorities shall declare specialty enrollment’s requirements and quotas based on senior high schools’ evaluation results, yearly enrollment performances, student performances, and curriculum plans, etc.
Senior high schools may conduct its specialty enrollment after formulating plans and quotas according to the announcement stated in the previous Paragraph, and report to the corresponding competent authorities for approval; each competent authority shall review the application on a school by school and class by class basis, and state the reasons of its approval.
The content of the plans mentioned in the previous Paragraph shall include specialty enrollment’s goal, curriculum and teaching plan, as well as career and employment plan for students.
Specialty enrollment that select students through academic subject exams stated in Paragraph 1 shall be conducted after the open admission. The remaining quotas after the open admission may not be transferred to specialty enrollment.

Municipal or county（city）competent authority shall work independently or jointly with other competent authorities by taking into account of each school’s source of new students from（and outside of）an administrative district, common living area among different districts, access to transportation, and school type and distribution; to plan on school districts in the previous two Articles, and report to the central competent authority for approval before announced.
Before approving matters based on the previous Paragraph, the central competent authority may invite relevant municipal or county（city）competent authorities, junior high and senior high school representatives as well as scholars and professionals for relevant discussions.

Regulations regarding matters of the following and other matters to be followed mentioned in Article 35 to Article 39 shall be stipulated by the central competent authority jointly with the municipal or county（city）competent authority: the diversified entrance program and its target students, implementation district, range and approaches, and application deadline; quotas and percentage of each entrance program; ways of examination and special screening for specialty enrollment; principles and procedure of dividing school districts; each competent authority’s and school’s organizations and responsibilities; private senior high schools whose admissions are not subject to restrictions, its range, as well as their ranges, applications and procedures.

The following students are not restricted by the previous Article’s operational guidelines in terms of their admission; their identity, quotas, application method, schedule, principles of enrollment, and other important matters regarding admission shall be stipulated by the central competent authority:
1. Students with disabilities;
2. Indigenous students;
3. Students from major disaster-stricken areas;
4. Children of governmental expatriate employees;
5. Students with outstanding performances in international competitions of academic or technical subjects;
6. Students with outstanding performances in skill-based competitions;
7. Students with outstanding performances in sports;
8. Veterans;
9. Overseas Chinese students;
10. Mongolian and Tibetan students;
11. Foreign students;
12. Students certified and placed via special cases due to humanitarian concerns, international support, or other special channels;
For students listed in Subparagraph 1 and Subparagraph 2 of the previous Paragraph, regulation for their entrance admission（affirmative action）shall be stipulated by the Special Education Act and the Indigenous Peoples’ Education Act.