TAIPEI -- A total of 51 universities in Taiwan failed to meet their enrollment targets this year, with 14,493 places unfilled, the island's university admission authority has said.

The shortfall is much higher than a year earlier, due partly to a declining birthrate.

Only 11 universities in Taiwan, mostly top universities, completed their recruitment plans this year, while both public and private universities took a hit from the student shortfalls due to the low birthrate, said the authority.

Statistics showed that the number of college students in Taiwan dropped below 1 million in 2021 and is expected to fall to 847,000 by 2037.