I have resolved some concerns about Chulalongkorn University Thailand in this complete review. Rankings, cost of studying in the school, scholarships for international students, history of the institution and how to apply for admission.
About Chulalongkorn University
The university was originally established at the Grand Palace of Thailand during the reign of King Chulalongkorn as a school for the training of royalties and civil servants in 1899 (B.E. 2442).
It was later transformed in 1917 to a national university, making it Thailand’s oldest higher education institute.
The Royal Pages School became King Chulalongkorn’s Civil Service College during the reign of the son of Chulalongkorn, King Vajiravudh.
In helping the college establish its academic base, the Rockefeller Foundation was instrumental. It was King Vajiravudh who later renamed the college “Chulalongkorn University” on 26 March 1917.
Chulalongkorn University is a university which is extensive and research-intensive. In various surveys, student quality, study quality, quality in particular subjects, university reputation, environmental management systems, it is ranked as the best university in Thailand.
CU is ranked 245th in the world, 45th in Asia, 1st in Thailand, and 201-250 in the world graduate employability ranking, according to the QS World University Ranking 2017. It is also ranked by different organizers such as the Center for World University Rankings, Round University Ranking, Academic Ranking of World Universities as Thailand’s No. 1 university.
The University of Chulalongkorn is one of the National Research Universities and is funded by Thailand’s Office of National Education Standards and Quality Assessment. In addition, CU is the only Thai university that is a member of the Pacific Rim Universities Association (APRU).
Admission to CU is highly selective, and elevated test scores are required for applicants. For study at CU, applicants who rank in the top 10 national scores are selected.
CU consists of nineteen faculties, three universities, ten institutes and two other institutions, a School of Agriculture. In downtown Bangkok, its campus occupies a large area. Usually, graduates earn their diplomas from the King of Thailand, a practice initiated by King Prajadhipok (Rama VII).
History of Chulalongkorn University
The reforms of King Chulalongkorn, aimed at transforming Thai society into a modern state, needed qualified officials specializing in different areas. The King established the “Civil Service Training School” near the Royal Palace’s north gate in 1899.
They will become royal pages for those who graduated from the school. As royal pages, by working closely with the king, they learned how to run organisations, which was a conventional way of joining the Siamese bureaucracy. They will then serve in the Mahattai Ministry or other government ministries after serving as Royal Pages.
The king renamed the school on 1 April, 1902 from Royal Pages School King Chulalongkorn Civil Service College to Civil Service College of King Chulalongkorn Royal Pages School.
The King subsidized the building of a university campus and organized Chulalongkorn into numerous schools across the city.
The university provided eight majors taught by five colleges, including;
- School of International Relations in the Royal Palace
- School of Teacher Training at Baan Somdet Chao Phraya
- Royal Medical College at Siriraj Hospital
- School of Legal Studies
- School of Mechanical Sciences at Windsor Palace
King Rama VI realized that education should not only be provided to bureaucrats, but to all individuals. The university was renamed to ‘Chulalongkorn University’ on 26 March 1917 and the schools were converted into four faculties namely, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Public Administration, the Engineering faculty, and Faculty of Medicine.
The Rockefeller Foundation reorganized the Faculty of Medicine’s curriculum. The Faculty of Medicine became the first faculty in 1923 to recognize graduates from high school (Mattayom). Then suit followed the remaining faculties. The People’s Party wanted legal and political studies to be separate from “royalists” after the 1932 Revolution, so in 1933 they transferred the Faculty of Law and Political Science to the new Thammasat University.
Chulalongkorn University’s Preparatory School was established in 1938 to provide students with pre-collegiate education. Before moving on to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, those who wanted to enter the university had to spend two years in the Preparatory School.
However in 1947, the Preparatory School ceased to be a preparatory school owned by the university and became the autonomous Triam Udom Suksa School. Later, as a laboratory school for primary and secondary education for the Faculty of Education, the university founded Chulalongkorn University Demonstration School (CUD).
Is Chulalongkorn University good?
Chulalongkorn University is a university which is extensive and research-intensive. In various surveys, student quality, study quality, quality in particular subjects, university reputation, environmental management systems, it is ranked as the best university in Thailand.
Chulalongkorn University Tuition Fees
It is relatively inexpensive to study bachelor’s at CU – just 1,000 USD per year. The student would pay approximately 1,000 USD per year to earn a master’s degree.
Chulalongkorn University Scholarships for International Students
Research scholarships
- The 90th Anniversary of Chulalongkorn University Scholarship
- CU.Graduate School Thesis Grant
- Overseas Research Experience Scholarship for Graduate Student
- Overseas Academic Presentation Scholarship for Graduate Students
- Overseas Academic Presentation Scholarship Option II for Graduate Student’s and Postdoctoral Fellow’s Publication
- Domestic Academic Presentation Scholarship for Graduate Student
- Postdoctoral Fellowship
Education scholarships
- The 100th Anniversary Chulalongkorn University for Doctoral Scholarship
- H.M. King Bhumibhol Adulyadej’s 72nd Birthday Anniversary Scholarship
- Thainess Study Scholarship for Graduate Students
60/40 Support for Tuition Fee - Teaching Assistant Scholarship
- Research Assistant Scholarship
- Tuition fees Scholarship for Master to Doctoral
- ASEAN Scholarship
- Scholarship for International Graduate Students
What documents are required to apply for Scholarship in Chulalongkorn University
- Full application form (Undergraduate, Masters, Ph etc
- A recent Curriculum Vitae / CV
- Academic Transcript
- A graduate degree certificate, if available.
- Passport photograph Scanned
- An international passport
Consult the school via the link at the end of this article for more information.
Chulalongkorn University Rankings
National and International Rankings
- QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020; in 20 disciplines, Chula was number one in Thailand.
- 2016 in the QS Asia University Rankings. In Asia, Chulalongkorn was ranked as the top Thai university and 45th.
- 2017/18 in the QS World University Rankings. In Thailand, Chulalongkorn is ranked 1st and 245th in the world.
- 2016 in the QS graduate employability rankings. Chulalongkorn is Thailand’s No. 1 university and the world’s No. 151 – 200 university.
- Chulalongkorn is ranked as the number 1 university in Thailand and 308th in the world rankings in 2017 in the Center for World University Ranking or CWUR, considered by alumni, scholars, curriculum quality and instructors.
- 2017, in the Round University Ranking. In Thailand, Chulalongkorn is ranked 1st and 398th in the world.
In the World University Rankings 2016 RUR Study Results. The University of Chulalongkorn is No. 1 in Thailand and No. 424 in the world. - 2016 in the CWTS Leiden Ranking. In Thailand, Chulalongkorn is ranked first and 432nd in the world.
2016 in THE World University Rankings. In the world, Chulalongkorn is ranked 601–800. - 2016 in the RUR Credibility Rankings. Chulalongkorn is Thailand’s No. 1 university and No. 182 in the world.
- In the Ranking of SCImago Institutions, which lists international university researchers. In the 2016 world rankings, Chulalongkorn is ranked 475th, up six places from last year.
- In the World Universities’ Academic Ranking 2017. Chulalongkorn is Thailand’s No. 1 university and No. 401-500 worldwide.
- Affiliations of high-quality scientific publications in the Nature Index. In 2016, Chulalongkorn was ranked first in Thailand.
- Based on the prestige of the university, media, citations, foreign cooperation, and the number of PhD students, US News ranked Chulalongkorn 522nd in the world.
- Chula was ranked 126 in the 2018 Times Higher Education Emerging Economies Ranking.
Other Rankings
This top institute was ranked 1st in the national rankings and 15th in the world ranking of Setting and Infrastructure, Energy and Climate Change, Waste, Water, Transportation and Education in the UI Green Metric-City Core.
The Webometric ranking demonstrates the quantity and consistency of the medium of the university, which is considered by Google Scholar’s search engines, online papers, and citations. Chulalongkorn is ranked 548th in the world.
How to Apply
You can surely apply for admission and even scholarship at Chulalongkorn University. Read my guide on study abroad application tips before going to this official website to get specific course admission requirements and apply accordingly. You can also find out how to study in Thailand at cheap universities for international students.
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