Education in Thailand

One of the misconception about Thailand is their education standard. Generally the cost of living in Thailand, when compared to western countries, are 2, 3 fold cheaper. As such, a common misconception is that their education standard is nowhere near where the western countries are. However, Thailand’s education standards have been recognised by international examination bodies since over a decade ago.

Higher education in Thailand adopts the European and American models in terms of the curriculum, educational methods and educational system.

In particular, Thailand’s universities specialise in Engineering, Tourism, Industrial and Commercial Administration, Medicine, Media arts, and most university degrees have been recognised by universities in developed countries.

Due to Thailand’s inherit of the Commonwealth education for more than 150 years, the internationalisation of education is quite high. Study environment, education level and quality of education are considered some of the leading level in the world.

“Chinese students in particular, attend undergraduate courses at private universities. Only small number of public students attend public universities”, said Ms. Peng Li of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand.

Thai education advocates innovative thinking, free and open academic atmosphere and the focus of the cultivation of students’ abilities and characters. It is no wonder that even some of the educators from Europe and the United States would consider obtaining a degree in Thailand but returning to their home country to teach instead.

In Thailand, there are 66 private universities. The number has taken over the number of public universities due to the alleviated demand of education, not only from the locals, but also internationally. Chinese students in particular, attend undergraduate courses at private universities. Only small number of public students attend public universities, said Ms. Peng Li of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand. This is partly because public school entrance exams are more rigorous and many Chinese students are struggling to get good enough scores to be eligible for public universities.

In Thailand, where 12 years of compulsory education has been enshrined in the constitution. Education spending in Thailand is 20.3% of GDP (4.3% of China’s education expenditure in 2014), and parents in Thailand do not have to pay any fees to school, tuition, textbooks, stationery, school uniforms and extracurricular activities (including camping, education, military training, computer classes, etc.). The good news is that whether it is public school or private school, all of the above mentioned items are free of charge.


When Thais reach their school age, they can enjoy formal education with regular curriculum. In addition to knowledge, students also learn the basic social skills and higher level social values. As they make their way through schools, they develop their skills and make their due contribution to society.