Thailand is often associated with white beaches and colorful temples, but behind this tourist image lies a country that is working hard to develop knowledge and innovation. Universities play a key role in this. From medical schools in Bangkok to top agricultural schools in the north: Thai higher education is constantly evolving.
How does this relate to the established academic world of the Netherlands and Belgium? And what role do Thai universities play in the region and beyond? In this article we take a look at the opportunities, challenges and international position of the Thai university landscape, with concrete comparisons with Western Europe.
Regional Engines: A Survey of Thailand's Top Universities
Thailand has dozens of universities that are of great importance both nationally and regionally. Here are the most influential:
- Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok)
The oldest and most prestigious university in Thailand, comparable to the position of the University of Amsterdam or KU Leuven in their national context. Chulalongkorn is strong in medicine, law and engineering. Its alumni often hold top positions in politics and business. - Thammasat University (Bangkok)
In terms of role, Thammasat could be compared to Ghent University or the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: socially committed, strong in law, economics and social sciences and with a long tradition of political activism. - Mahidol University (Bangkok & Nakhon Pathom)
In the field of medicine and health sciences, Mahidol is a leader, comparable to the Amsterdam UMC or KU Leuven's Faculty of Medicine. The university trains a large part of Thailand's doctors and medical researchers. - Kasetsart University (Bangkok)
Kasetsart is the agricultural specialist, somewhat comparable to Wageningen University & Research. The focus is on agriculture, food security and environmental innovation. - Chiang Mai University (Chiang Mai)
The largest university in Northern Thailand has strong regional roots, with a focus on agriculture, health care and social issues. In terms of role and profile, Chiang Mai is reminiscent of a university like the University of Groningen, which invests strongly in regional development in addition to national development. - King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (Bangkok)
The technical university of Thailand, comparable to Delft University of Technology or KU Leuven's engineering faculty. Here the emphasis is on engineering, computer science and innovation.
How do Thai universities perform internationally compared to the Netherlands and Belgium?
If we look at international rankings such as the QS World University Rankings, we see a clear difference. The best Thai universities (Chulalongkorn, Mahidol) are usually between places 250 and 400. In the Netherlands, universities such as Delft, Amsterdam and Utrecht are usually between the top 50 and 150 worldwide. KU Leuven often features in the top 100.
This difference is not only in the level of education, but also in the international orientation. Dutch and Belgian universities offer almost all master's programmes in English. Thai universities have only accelerated in recent years, which means that international visibility and cooperation are still limited.
Financing and research: who invests more?
The Netherlands and Belgium invest considerably more resources in scientific research. Public investment in R&D in Thailand amounts to around 1% of GDP, while the Netherlands and Belgium fluctuate around 2 to 2,5%. This difference is reflected in the number of international scientific publications, patents and collaboration projects with industry.
While universities such as TU Delft and KU Leuven run large-scale international research programmes with multinationals and research institutes worldwide, Thai universities mainly have regional partnerships and collaboration with the government.
Teaching experience: cultural differences and student experience
Another distinguishing point is the student experience. In Thailand, education is traditionally quite hierarchical: teachers are seen as authorities and discussion during lectures is less common than in the Netherlands and Belgium. There, education is generally more interactive, with a lot of emphasis on independent and critical thinking.
On the other hand, Thai universities offer a unique cultural experience. Students in Chiang Mai or Bangkok combine their studies with the rich Thai hospitality and cultural traditions, which international students often find very valuable.
SWOT analysis in a European perspective
Strengths compared to the Netherlands/Belgium:
- Strong regional orientation: close ties with local economies and communities.
- Affordable education: Tuition fees and living costs are significantly lower than in the Netherlands or Belgium.
- Niche specializations: top in agriculture and tropical medicine.
Weaknesses compared to the Netherlands/Belgium:
- Limited international visibility: Few Thai universities make it into the global top 200.
- Less English-language education: The Netherlands and Belgium have made further progress in this regard.
- Smaller research budgets: impact on international scientific output.
Opportunities:
- Growing cooperation with ASEAN countries: Thailand has the potential to become a regional knowledge centre within Southeast Asia.
- Digitalization and EdTech: Online courses make it easier for Thailand to attract foreign students.
Threats:
- Competition from region: Countries like Malaysia and Vietnam are investing heavily in their universities.
- Brain drain: Just like in Belgium/the Netherlands, many talents move to Anglo-Saxon countries for PhD and research positions.
Regional leader with international ambitions
Thailand is strong in its regional context, but still looks up to the 'knowledge giants' of Western Europe. The gap with universities in the Netherlands and Belgium is mainly visible in research funding, international rankings and English-language programmes.
Yet there is movement. Thailand is investing in internationalisation and cooperation within ASEAN. If the country continues to focus on this and increases its research budgets, it can position itself more firmly in the international academic world in the long term.
Those who choose a Thai university choose a growing knowledge institution with strong ties to Southeast Asia, but with room to grow to the top of the world.
Small addition to the last photo: the Mae Fa Luang University shown is one of the two universities of Chiang Rai.
my daughter studies at Mae Fah Luang.
a beautiful Uni in the hills of Chiang Rai.
All studies are taught in English and there are also many students from neighbouring countries.
my daughter preferred a quiet environment instead of Bangkok.
Dear,
Now my children are still young. But what does it cost to study in Thailand?
regards
Quite a lot if you choose the right schools and tutor schools needed to get into a good university… high school 100.000 – 200.000b per year university +/- 100.000 – 150.000b per year.
The hiso in Thailand only sends its children to foreign universities. They know why. As far as I know, no Thai university degree is accepted in BE and NE. The mostly ex cathedra education where no input or discussion is tolerated is partly the cause. When Trump was re-elected last year, I spoke to a second-year university student of 'international relations/politics & economics' to get his views on this. Unfortunately, Trump was completely unknown to him...
The best universities in Thailand cannot even come close to Delft, Ghent or Leuven, for example.
It is not without reason that most doctors in private hospitals all studied in America.
But.. how should I estimate the knowledge and skills level of a Thai Master compared to a NLe/B -e? At what level does a Thai Master enter a European university, for a follow-up study there, e.g. in Medicine?
MY experience: a Master in technology in TH is not even comparable to the old NLe HTS/HBO respectively a Bachelor is more like the old NLe HBS.
The https://www.nuffic.nl/ en https://www.idw.nl/ In the Netherlands, there are institutions that can tell you what a TH diploma is worth, what it can be compared to, and with which one to start an academic study in the Netherlands.
The knowledge of WHERE in NL a request for assessment can be submitted, says nothing about what the outcome of such an assessment has been. Do you have experience with this?
I can only look at what applied to me in the past and what my (business) relations were able to show afterwards in terms of knowledge. My experience: sad!
The doctors I know all have a few years of “Western” education and experience behind them. What I have encountered in technically and economically educated people: below standard. With a Dutch education in physical engineering (Ing) and business administration (Drs) I thought I could make some judgment. No direct hard experience in other fields.
That is difficult to estimate. And will have to be considered on a case-by-case basis. Thailand is crawling with 'universities'. The level is always low according to the world rankings. Many Thais leave their university without knowing a single word of English...
Dear,
Although my children are still young, does anyone have any knowledge of studying in Thailand?
I think of all the costs. For the sake of completeness, my entire family lives in Thailand.
Regards,
In Phuket a good kindergarten costs 12.000 thb per month. 🙂
The article offers a rosy picture of the Thai academic world. Looking wider, it says https://www.nuffic.nl/en/education-systems/thailand that a 'master's degree' from a Thai university is comparable to a final diploma from a Dutch HBO. So there is quite a difference in quality and content.
Chulalongkorn University and Mahidol University can still compete somewhat with international standards in the middle of international rankings, but in general the universities in TH differ greatly from each other. Academic research in Thailand is on a low burner. Some universities invest in research, but the general level is lower than in the Netherlands.
Dutch universities are strongly internationally oriented, with many English-language programs and a large population of international students. The international orientation of Thai universities in general is minimal.
Actually, there is no point in comparing NL and TH universities. TH still lacks good education quality, and that has not improved under the current, previous and earlier military regime.
An example of an international master's ranking is this one https://www.mastersportal.com/
NL: University of Amsterdam in position: 62, Delft in position 69, Groningen in position 86, and Leiden in position 90.
BE: KU Leuven in 59th place, Ghent University in 110th place; Antwerp in 231st place, and Brussels in 246th place.
NL scores better than BE, then nothing for a long time, and then TH, namely:
TH: Chulalongkorn at 440th place (!), Mahidol University at 484, Chiangmai at 727, Thammasat at 960.
In the world-leading ranking of https://www.topuniversities.com Chulalongkorn comes out on top of TH at 229th place. Those from NL and BE are all in the top 100, with NL of course doing better than BE. Delft comes in at 49th place, Amsterdam at 55th, Leuven at 63rd, Ghent at 169th.
(Please note: the top 100 worldwide includes universities from Japan, China and South Korea.)
In the list https://www.topuniversities.com/asia-university-rankings/south-eastern-asia there are 196 universities in the Southeast Asia region. Chulalongkorn is in this list at position 11, and Mahidol at 15. If Chulalangkorn is in the global ranking at position 229 and in the SEA at position 11, what does this say about the quality of education in the whole of ASEAN?
“The NL and BE are all in the top 100, with NL obviously doing better than BE.”
Why of course?
A little bit of megalomania perhaps? Or is the intention to provoke a discussion… you seem to have succeeded.
And actually this is about Thai universities and not about the comparison between BE and NL. A bit misplaced I think.
A relative studied English at university level, but with him I could hardly have a conversation halfway through, after 2 years. Study strongly focused on grammar, hardly on the actual use of the language and cultural/literary deepening.
Could it be that the cause of your impossible conversations also lies with you?
I find the farang's condescending attitude rather inappropriate.
This whole discussion is a striking example of how much we all like to highlight the poor quality of Thai education.
Rather, be grateful that we can enjoy excellent education in our native country without always compromising what Thailand has to offer.
How could it be otherwise. Thai is a world language and a 'prof' can hardly speak English himself…
My cousin is in his first year at King Mongkut's UniversityThey are forced to sleep at the boarding school.
Apparently this is a highly regarded institution where graduates are promised job security.
However, he complains bitterly that the accommodation blocks are in line with the runways of Suvarnabhumi Airport, which makes it very difficult for them to sleep at night. A very understandable remark. Not really conducive to a student.
Also the accessibility by car is a drama. Terribly busy. When his parents go to pick him up they always wait until late in the evening until it is a bit quieter.
Good or bad academic level? They still manage to design and construct tall buildings, build skytrains, build ports and run efficiently. So they do learn something, or better, they learn things that make it possible for a country to have everything in order.
In many cases, these involve foreigners or Thais who graduated abroad.