The ministry will screen the list of schools and the number of Chinese students each is allowed to enroll next month, following a decision by parliament last year to open local universities to mainlanders, it said.

The bill had provoked heated debates and scuffles in parliament, with opposing lawmakers warning that an influx of mainland youth could pose a threat to national security and worsen unemployment.

It was eventually passed with a number of restrictions in place, such as barring Chinese from working while studying in Taiwan and from applying for state scholarships to protect the rights of locals.

Taiwan's universities hope that Chinese students will help ease an intake shortage caused by the island's dwindling birth rate and a trend towards aspiring Taiwanese graduates enrolling at mainland institutions.

According to forecasts, more than a third of Taiwan's 164 universities would be shut down by 2021 because they cannot get enough students.

Taiwanese students have been enrolling at mainland universities for years, attracted by China's rising international clout and relatively low tuition fees.

Officials on both sides have pledged to promote cultural and educational ties after a series of measures to boost trade links in recent years.

China and Taiwan split in 1949 after a civil war, but Beijing still considers the island part of its territory to be taken back by force if necessary.

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