Thammasat University

Thammasat University (Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์; RTGS: Mahawitthayalai Thammasat; ), or in brief TU (Thai: มธ.), is the second oldest institute of higher education. Officially established to be the national university of Thailand on 27 June 1934, the university was originally named by founder Pridi Banomyong, The University of Moral and Political Sciences (Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยวิชาธรรมศาสตร์และการเมือง; RTGS: Mahawitthayalai Wicha Thammasat Lae Kan Mueang), reflecting the political fervor of Thailand. It started out as a university with 7,094 students enrolled in its first academic year studying law and politics. The guiding philosophy of the university was “to teach students to love and cherish democracy”. The university later had the name shortened to the present name by the Revolutionary Council. Nevertheless, Thammasat University has always been involved in Thai national politics, while having most of all Thai politicians graduated from Thammasat University. Its first campus, Bangkok Campus, or literally Tha Phra Chan, was the site of the 14 October 1973 uprising and the 6 October 1976 Massacre.

In 1960, the university ended its free-entry status and has thus became the first university in Thailand to require the national entrance examinations for admission. Currently, Thammasat University offers over 240 academic programs in 23 different faculties and colleges located on four campuses. Over the 75 years since its founding, Thammasat University has evolved from being an open university for law and politics to a prestigious international university offering all levels of academic degrees across a broad spectrum of fields and disciplines. It has graduated more than 300,000 undergraduate and graduate students who have greatly contributed to the development and progress of Thai society and the nation. The university’s alumni have included most of all Prime Ministers, leading politicians and government figures, Bank of Thailand governors, Supreme Court presidents, judicial officers, as well as most of the city’s governors.

The university's original campus, Bangkok Campus, or Tha Phra Chan, is located in Phra Nakhon, Bangkok which is in close proximity to many tourist destinations in Bangkok. The Rangsit campus, where most undergraduate programmes are currently held, is in Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani. Thammasat has smaller regional campuses in Lampang, Pattaya, Narathiwat, and Udon Thani. It is ranked No.447 in the world by QS.