About 2,000 Chinese mainland college students are expected to attend Taiwan universities in September and study with local students in same classes for a semester, an official with the China Senior College Exhibition Organization Committee (CSCEOC) said.

All the 73 private universities in Taiwan would be open to mainland students' applications, and the credits they earn in the autumn term are accepted by both sides of the Taiwan Strait, said Shan Yangzhong, director of Shanghai branch of the CSCEOC.

However, the students will have to return to the mainland to renew their visas after staying in Taiwan for six months, he said.

Early this month, CSCEOC signed a memorandum with the Taiwan Association of Private Universities and Colleges of Technology, allowing mainland college students to attend Taiwan private universities. Both sides also reached agreement in conducting exchanges of teachers and academic cooperation.