fbpx
Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
27th Feb 2019

Thai universities working to attract more Chinese students

Mark Thailand down as the latest Asian market to step up its efforts to attract greater numbers of Chinese students. And the underlying reason is a familiar one: total tertiary enrolment in Thailand has flattened and even begun to decline over the last several years. Since 2012, total higher education enrolment in the country has dropped from 2,430,000 students to just over 2,410,000 as of 2017. Thai universities are increasingly looking to China to help offset those declining domestic numbers, and the number of Chinese students in Thai higher education is on the rise as a result. Drawing on figures from the Asia Research Center for Migration at Chualongkorn University, Reuters reports that nearly 8,500 Chinese students were enrolled in Thai higher education as of 2017, roughly double the number from 2012. Many of those students are drawn from China’s southern provinces, and for them Thailand represents a chance to pursue a relatively high-quality higher education along with new career opportunities in the bustling Thai economy. The affordability of Thai universities is a key consideration for Chinese students as well. Average tuitions range around US$3,700 per academic year, but this compares to tuition rates of US$8,000 per year in a more established regional destination such as Singapore, or as much as US$60,000 in the United States. “If I work here I will have more opportunities than where I came from,” Chinese student Cherry He Ting, who first arrived Thailand as an exchange student several years ago and is now wrapping up a master’s degree in history. For their part, Thai universities are responding to Chinese demand by laying on additional programmes and services targeted to Chinese students. But some also see the influx of visiting students from China – which has been accompanied as well by growing numbers of Chinese academics taking up post in Thai higher education and even by Chinese investments in private universities in Thailand – as part of a broader effort to expand China’s influence in Southeast Asia. China’s massive “One Belt One Road” foreign investment framework is squarely aimed at building trade, diplomatic, and academic links between China and Southeast Asia (along with many other markets along the traditional Silk Road trade routes). Among many other initiatives in the region, it has provided for additional scholarship support for Chinese students in Southeast Asia. For additional background, please see:

Most Recent

  • US warns of expanded travel ban that could affect key African markets Read More
  • Breaking: US resumes student visa processing Read More
  • Is Canada valued more as a “pathway to immigration” or as a destination for education? Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

US warns of expanded travel ban that could affect key African markets “The United States is considering restricting entry to citizens of an additional 36 countries in what would be...
Read more
Breaking: US resumes student visa processing On 18 June, the US State Department sent a cable to all US diplomatic posts abroad instructing them...
Read more
Is Canada valued more as a “pathway to immigration” or as a destination for education? During a 12 June 2025 webinar presented by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and IDP, IDP...
Read more
Japanese outbound numbers reached 90% of pre-pandemic levels in 2024 An annual survey of Japanese education agents finds that outbound student numbers from this key sending market are...
Read more
UK: Study visa applications up by nearly a third year to date The early data we are seeing so far this year makes a couple of things clear. First, there...
Read more
Real-time insights on shifting international student interest in the US ICEF and NAFSA co-hosted a featured webinar on 11 June, and the session showcased some important data reflecting...
Read more
What are the latest developments for international students in the United States? An update like this needs a time stamp as the events reported are unfolding quickly. It was first...
Read more
ICEF Podcast: Live from NAFSA 2025 Listen in as ICEF’s Craig Riggs and Martijn van de Veen recap a busy week at the annual...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links