This paper examines the expansion of higher education in Taiwan from 1950 to 1994, looking first at the patterns of the expansion and, secondly, attempting to account for these patterns. Higher education in Taiwan is defined as general universities and colleges, institutes of technology, and junior colleges with governance of the system under the control of the Ministry of Education. The study reviewed major historical events and examined documents and the literature concerning patterns of expansion in the number of institutions, in the number of students enrolled, and in expenditures. The study then reviewed the state's stated reasons--economic concerns, educational quality, social demands, and equal distribution of resources--for regulating expansion of higher education, and compared these reasons with other models of educational expansion and with the actual results achieved. The paper concludes by taking issue with the state's official position and suggests that the primary reason for its controlling growth was to keep unemployment rates among college graduates low. Further studies to examine educational policy making and educational supply and demand models are suggested. Appendices illustrate the structure of the Taiwan school system, list historical events related to higher educational expansion, list official documents reviewed, and provide graphical displays of trend data. (Contains approximately 100 references.) (CH)