As Taiwan's campuses opened for the new semester, gaps in dormitory facilities drew fresh attention, with critics noting that living conditions differ sharply between new and older buildings even within the same institution.

At one National Pingtung University dormitory, ageing fixtures, broken windows and wall mould were reported. Photographs taken by students spread online, widening the discussion.

Ageing dormitories are not confined to one school. Many buildings date from the 1980s and 1990s, and cases where plumbing and waterproofing have reached the end of their service life appear at several universities.

Repair budgets and academic calendars also work against each other. Large-scale work must be concentrated in vacation periods, and with limited windows available, projects are often split into phases.

Raising dormitory fees to fund the work bears directly on students' costs, which makes agreement between improving facilities and sharing the burden hard to reach.

For students from Korea and from Sinophone families in Korea studying in Taiwan, dormitory assignment is a major variable in a first semester. Procedures exist to inspect facilities after receiving an assignment and to request adjustment through university counselling desks if needed.