Understanding the Education System of Thailand

Thailand’s education system connects preschool and a six-plus-three-plus-three school ladder with vocational certificates, university degrees and research. The route becomes much clearer when school completion, national assessment and university selection are read as separate processes.

Checked on 19 October 2026. This guide follows the actual curriculum cohorts, published assessment originals and named programme requirements. It distinguishes the voluntary early-primary reforms from continuing curricula, and current study from prospective 2027 tests and admissions.

Original AI-generated editorial illustration; imagined learning spaces, not a photograph of an actual institution.

Thailand education at a glance

Stage or question	Short answer
School ladder	Preschool, P1–P6 primary, M1–M3 lower secondary and M4–M6 upper secondary.
Compulsory stage	Nine basic-education years; the Act refers to entering the seventh through entering the sixteenth year, unless lower secondary is already completed.
Curriculum transition	The 2025 early-years and P1–P3 curricula apply to participating schools; verify the school and cohort.
School and university tests	RT, NT and O-NET assess school learning; TCAS admissions use programme-specific requirements and tests.
Vocational route	Por Wor Chor is a vocational certificate; Por Wor Sor is a higher vocational certificate with a different entry point.
First degree	Four-year bachelor’s programmes have a national minimum of 120 credits; longer and continuing routes have different minima.
Graduate study	Master’s and doctoral routes differ in final work, admission and dissemination requirements.
Thai dates	B.E. 2569 corresponds to 2026; B.E. 2570 corresponds to 2027.

Choose your reading route

Start with the school ladder, follow the current reforms, compare named university routes, or jump to recognition and practical questions.

1. The school ladder and Thai year labels

Thailand’s school ladder comprises six primary years, Prathom 1–6 (P1–P6), followed by three lower-secondary years, Mathayom 1–3 (M1–M3), and three upper-secondary years, Mathayom 4–6 (M4–M6). Preschool precedes primary, commonly across ages three to six. In international grade numbering, M1 is Grade 7 and M6 is Grade 12. The Ministry’s education statistics distinguish general and vocational provision beyond lower secondary; a vocational route should therefore be identified by its actual award rather than casually called another school grade. Ministry education statistics.

Thai documents commonly use Buddhist Era dates. Subtract 543 to obtain the corresponding Gregorian year: 2568 means 2025, 2569 means 2026 and 2570 means 2027. An academic-year label and the calendar date of an examination can differ. In particular, a notice advertising TCAS70 concerns a future university-entry cycle, while a curriculum labelled 2568 can still govern a child studying in 2026.

Back to reading routes · Next: Compulsory schooling and publicly funded education

2. Compulsory schooling and publicly funded education

The Compulsory Education Act covers the first nine years of basic education. Its age clause refers to children entering their seventh year through entering their sixteenth year, unless they have already completed lower secondary. The Act also provides a regulated route for earlier entry or postponement on a parent’s request. Read this together with the actual school intake notice; a birthday range is more useful for an individual application than a rounded age label. Compulsory Education Act.

Section 54 of the 2017 Constitution requires the State to provide twelve years of quality education without charge, from preschool through completion of compulsory education. This constitutional wording describes the State’s provision duty, rather than making all preschool and upper-secondary years compulsory. Constitution, section 54.

The Office of the Education Council’s 2025 account describes the broader fifteen-year free-education policy through M6 or the third vocational-certificate year. Support covers instructional funding, textbooks, learning materials, uniforms and learner-development activities. This does not establish that every private-school charge, special programme, meal or transport cost is covered. Ask for an itemised school statement showing the subsidy and the family’s remaining charges. Education in Thailand 2025.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Primary entry: read the actual birth-date rule

3. Primary entry: read the actual birth-date rule

Ban Kang Pla School’s 2026 intake gives a concrete example. Its P1 notice accepted children born from 1 January through 31 December 2019, or children who had completed Anuban 3, the final kindergarten class. A child in that calendar-year group turns seven during 2026 but may still be six when classes begin. The same notice required primary completion for M1 entry and identified birth, household, parent/guardian and previous-school documentation. Its February application dates belonged to that particular intake; they are not a national annual deadline. Ban Kang Pla 2026 entry.

For a transfer, put the child’s date of birth, completed class, present curriculum and intended class on one page before contacting the receiving school. Ask which document proves completion and how the school handles an early-entry exception. A family moving between school calendars should obtain a written placement decision rather than assume that a familiar grade number guarantees admission.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Language, English programmes and school choice

4. Language, English programmes and school choice

A school’s English label needs a curriculum check. Anuban Ubon Ratchathani School’s January 2026 notice describes an English Program for Kindergarten 2 and P1 that teaches the Ministry’s curriculum in English. Its ordinary early-years and P1 admission rules do not permit an academic-ability examination, while special programmes can assess suitability under their published arrangements. Thus English-medium provision can sit within a Thai curriculum; it does not automatically confer a foreign school-leaving qualification. Anuban Ubon 2026 admission.

When comparing a Thai programme, an English programme and an international programme, ask for the actual subject-by-subject language timetable, the awarding curriculum, Thai-language support and the transfer record supplied on departure. Also ask whether English support is included in tuition. A fluent conversational speaker may still need help reading science instructions or writing assessed explanations; classroom language and the eventual qualification deserve separate checks.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Why several curriculum generations coexist in 2026

5. Why several curriculum generations coexist in 2026

The 2025 kindergarten and P1–P3 curricula began with schools that were ready and volunteered to use them. An OBEC, or Office of the Basic Education Commission, report dated 31 March 2026 described further development and trial work, including P4–P6, and an intended extension to more than 4,000 ready, voluntary schools in academic year 2026. The official upper-primary portal still labels its material as a draft. These documents support a school-and-cohort transition, not a claim that every Thai class switched simultaneously. OBEC March 2026 curriculum update, Upper-primary curriculum portal.

For a current pupil, ask the school to name the curriculum year used by that class and provide its assessment handbook. Two schools can legitimately use different reporting formats during this transition. Keep the child’s actual report alongside the relevant curriculum version when transferring; translating a performance level into a percentage without the school’s conversion rules can misrepresent what the child has achieved.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Kindergarten learning and developmental assessment

6. Kindergarten learning and developmental assessment

The new 2025 curriculum for participating schools addresses children aged three to six. Its developmental areas include physical well-being; emotional, mental and social development; citizenship and Thai identity; and intellectual development. Assessment is continuous and individual, using observation, behaviour records, conversation, interviews and children’s work. It specifically advises against using tests, encourages parent involvement and requires the evidence to inform further learning. A portfolio of everyday development is therefore more faithful to this curriculum than treating kindergarten as a miniature examination class. 2025 kindergarten curriculum.

A useful parent discussion asks what the child can now manage independently, how they communicate with peers and which activity will support the next step. Ask to see an example of recorded progress, rather than only a ranking. These questions also help distinguish genuine developmental assessment from a worksheet score presented without context.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Early-primary competence and P3 completion

7. Early-primary competence and P3 completion

For participating P1–P3 classes, the 2025 curriculum reports eight capabilities using four levels: beginning, developing, proficient and expert. Annual progression follows school criteria, with support plans available when a learner progresses despite remaining gaps. Completion of P3 requires the prescribed capability records; reading, writing and numeracy must reach at least proficient, while applying foundational learning in daily life must reach at least developing. Desired characteristics and learner-development activities must also satisfy school criteria. This is completion of the early-primary segment, not the end of six-year primary education. 2025 early-primary curriculum.

If a report shows proficient reading but developing numeracy, ask the teacher to identify the actual number task causing difficulty and the support planned. Do not average the labels into a made-up overall percentage. A learner’s report should tell the next teacher which capability needs attention, rather than merely announce promotion.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Primary completion, reading checks and numeracy

8. Primary completion, reading checks and numeracy

Under the 2008 core curriculum, primary completion requires the prescribed courses and activities, satisfactory course assessment, and school-set standards for reading, analytical thinking, writing, desired characteristics and learner-development activities. Course marks alone are not the complete graduation record. 2008 core curriculum.

OBEC’s January 2026 assessment notice explains two earlier checkpoints. The P1 Reading Test, or RT, examines oral reading and reading comprehension. The P3 National Test, or NT, assesses Thai and mathematics, helping schools identify foundational learning needs and inform the next year’s teaching. The notice scheduled these academic-year-2025 assessments in February 2026. They are useful diagnostic evidence; a parent should discuss the skill profile and the resulting classroom support rather than interpret a national test name as a separate school diploma. OBEC reading and numeracy tests.

For a P6 transfer, request both the completion document and the detailed learning record. Ask the receiving secondary school which language or mathematics preparation it expects. A diagnostic result can help plan support, but it cannot by itself describe all the courses, activities and classroom work a pupil has completed.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Lower and upper secondary: choosing a study plan

9. Lower and upper secondary: choosing a study plan

Municipal School 1 Kittikhachon publishes a 2026 curriculum explicitly based on the 2008 core and 2017 revisions. Its M1–M3 pupils share one lower-secondary plan; at M4, students choose among twelve upper-secondary plans. The published options include dual-study arrangements in digital business technology and electrical work. Its timetable is thirty-five periods a week, but that is this school’s published design, not a nationwide timetable promise. The example shows why checking the actual school’s course and credit tables matters. Kittikhachon 2026 study plans.

When choosing at M4, compare the plan with the prerequisites of likely university or vocational destinations. Ask which mathematics and science courses are compulsory, what additional subjects are available and whether a dual arrangement produces a separate recognised vocational award. The attractive name of a plan does not establish its full qualification outcome. Also check whether switching plans later would leave missing courses that must be made up.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Secondary completion and the O-NET policy change

10. Secondary completion and the O-NET policy change

For the 2008 curriculum, lower-secondary completion requires at least 77 earned credits, including 66 basic and at least 11 supplementary credits. Upper-secondary completion also requires at least 77 earned credits, but with 41 basic and at least 36 supplementary credits. Both stages additionally require satisfactory reading, analytical thinking, writing, desired characteristics and learner-development activities under school criteria. The approved programme can contain more study than these minimum earned-credit totals. 2008 core curriculum.

A Ministry order signed 15 September 2021 abolished the use of O-NET scores as a component of graduation assessment from academic year 2021 onward. It revoked the earlier notices, including the February 2021 notice that had still preserved the upper-secondary weighting. The signed original survives in a public school’s reproduced official-document pack. Readers using older explanations should therefore not carry forward the former M6 school-score/O-NET combination. September 2021 O-NET order.

School completion, a national assessment result and competitive university admission answer different questions. Obtain the school’s current completion checklist and the destination programme’s admission criteria; success in one process should not be assumed to complete the others.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: O-NET’s current subjects, formats and dates

11. O-NET’s current subjects, formats and dates

The National Institute of Educational Testing Service, or NIETS, continues to organise the Ordinary National Educational Test, O-NET. Its academic-year-2026 manual schedules P6 paper testing on 30 January 2027, M3 digital rounds on 1–8 February 2027 and M6 digital rounds on 10–13 January 2027. It also provides for a P6 digital pilot at suitably equipped centres. M3 covers mathematics, Thai, science and English; M6 adds social studies, religion and culture. These are scheduled future sittings as of October 2026. The manual’s digital arrangements should not be confused with older paper-based schedules. NIETS 2026 O-NET manual.

Confirm the assigned sitting, test centre, identification requirements and any approved support directly with the school and NIETS. A range of round dates does not mean an individual candidate attends every round. For preparation, use the correct level’s current blueprint and familiarise the learner with the relevant interface, especially where written responses must be entered digitally.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Vocational certificates and higher vocational study

12. Vocational certificates and higher vocational study

The vocational certificate, Por Wor Chor (ปวช.), follows M3 or equivalent. Nakhon Si Thammarat Vocational College describes its normal route as three years; its reproduced 2024 curriculum requires 100–110 credits. The higher vocational certificate, Por Wor Sor (ปวส.), admits vocational-certificate or upper-secondary/equivalent graduates and normally takes two years, with 80–90 credits. Both require all prescribed credits, cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.00/4.00, occupational-standard assessment or accepted equivalent, and satisfactory extracurricular activities each semester. Both include a four-credit project. Higher vocational study normally includes at least one semester of workplace experience; dual training provides at least two regular workplace semesters. Entrants from another field or general schooling may need foundation subjects. NVC vocational handbook.

Ask a college to explain who arranges the workplace placement, how performance is assessed and what happens if a placement is interrupted. For progression to a bachelor’s degree, obtain a written credit-transfer decision. Similar course names do not establish that every vocational credit will count towards a university award.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: TCAS70: university applications for 2027 entry

13. TCAS70: university applications for 2027 entry

The Thai University Central Admission System, TCAS, publishes four principal TCAS70 rounds: Portfolio, Quota, Admission and Direct Admission. TCAS70 concerns academic year 2027. Universities set programme-specific requirements within the relevant round, while the central system handles important acceptance and confirmation steps. Applying to a university and confirming an offered place are separate actions. The published rules also restrict relinquishing an accepted right to the permitted window and number of occasions. Keep the programme’s instructions beside the central calendar; submitting a portfolio alone does not complete every later confirmation requirement. TCAS70 official guidance.

Build an application worksheet with one line per programme: accepted school qualification, required subjects, test codes, minimum results, portfolio format, interview, application date and confirmation date. This prevents a strong applicant from preparing the wrong test or overlooking a separate acceptance step. Check whether an international or special route has its own application process before assuming the general TCAS calendar governs it.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: TGAT, TPAT, Thai A-Level and an international route

14. TGAT, TPAT, Thai A-Level and an international route

The current TCAS blueprints distinguish the Thai General Aptitude Test, TGAT, from subject or professional-aptitude assessments. TGAT covers English communication, reasoning and future-work competencies. Published Thai Professional Aptitude Test (TPAT) blueprints include fine arts, science/technology/engineering, architecture and education. Thai A-Level tests assess specified school subjects; the name does not mean the British General Certificate of Education A-level qualification. For example, TGAT1 English uses sixty multiple-choice questions in sixty minutes, divided between communication scenarios and reading. Its communication component should not be mistaken for a live speaking interview. TCAS test blueprints, TGAT1 English blueprint.

Mahidol University International College’s overseas route provides a different, bounded example. It is for Thai or foreign applicants living abroad who have never studied in Thailand. For business administration, the published school-award options include three different UK A-level subjects at C or above. This route also requires accepted English and mathematics results: examples are IELTS Academic 6.0 overall and in writing, plus SAT Mathematics 600 or ACT Mathematics 25. The signed 2026 rules require scores issued within two years of application, and shortlisted applicants undergo an interview. These are this route’s requirements, not national admission minima. MUIC overseas admission.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Bachelor’s entry, credits and national completion standards

15. Bachelor’s entry, credits and national completion standards

Thailand’s 2022 bachelor curriculum standard requires upper-secondary education or an equivalent qualification for ordinary entry. Four-year programmes have at least 120 credits, five-year programmes at least 150, and six-year-or-longer programmes at least 180. A continuing bachelor’s programme has at least 72 credits and admits holders of a related higher vocational certificate, associate qualification or equivalent under university rules. Graduation requires the approved curriculum, cumulative GPA at least 2.00/4.00 or equivalent, and the programme’s learning outcomes. These are national floors; the approved programme determines the full work a particular student must complete. 2022 bachelor standards.

Before accepting an offer, compare the programme’s total credits with its semester plan. Ask which credits are compulsory, which are electives and whether an internship or project must be completed in a particular sequence. For a transfer or continuing degree, obtain the individual exemption decision rather than subtracting previous study from the advertised duration yourself.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: A current digital-science bachelor’s example

16. A current digital-science bachelor’s example

Mahidol University’s Bachelor of Science in Digital Science and Technology illustrates a four-year, 120-credit programme. Its revised 2026 study plan moves from programming and mathematical foundations into specialist digital study, two summer internships, a six-credit cooperative placement and a six-credit final-year capstone. Completion requires the approved courses and activities, English proficiency, GPA at least 2.00 and completion within eight years. The current programme page advertises 2027 admissions, which remain prospective. Its portfolio route includes relevant upper-secondary/equivalent backgrounds and vocational applicants with at least fifteen computer-related credits. Applicants should check the exact route and intake rather than treat one portfolio condition as the whole selection process. Mahidol digital-science degree.

A capstone and a workplace placement serve different purposes. For this type of programme, ask how supervision, assessment and placement availability are organised, and whether a failed prerequisite delays later work. This is a more useful planning exercise than comparing universities only by their advertised four-year duration.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Master’s qualifications: thesis and professional routes

17. Master’s qualifications: thesis and professional routes

The 2022 graduate standard requires a bachelor’s degree or equivalent for master’s entry and at least 36 credits. Academic Plan 1 includes a thesis of at least twelve credits, or a thesis-only route; professional Plan 2 includes three to six independent-study credits. Required coursework must reach GPA 3.00/4.00. Academic completion involves an open thesis defence and discoverable dissemination under university rules. Professional completion includes a written and/or oral comprehensive examination and an open final oral examination of the independent study. University councils set programme duration. 2022 graduate standards.

A professional master’s therefore needs more careful reading than the label “coursework-only” suggests. Ask for the actual study plan, the final assessment and the kind of written work expected. If later doctoral study is a goal, check the intended doctorate’s research-preparation requirements before choosing between a thesis and an applied independent study.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: A two-year educational-leadership master’s

18. A two-year educational-leadership master’s

Payap University’s international Master of Arts in Educational Leadership is a two-year, four-semester, 36-credit example, approved in 2025 and described on its July 2026 programme page. Entry requires a recognised bachelor’s degree, an interview and the stated English readiness, with conditional language provision available. The academic option contains eighteen core credits, six elective credits and a twelve-credit thesis. The professional option instead has eighteen core, twelve elective and six independent-study credits. The same award title therefore accommodates materially different final work. Payap educational-leadership MA.

An applicant working in a school might compare a research question requiring sustained investigation with an applied leadership problem that suits independent study. Before choosing, discuss access to evidence, supervision and the expected assessment with the programme. Do not assume that professional experience automatically substitutes for the formal bachelor’s or language requirements.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Doctoral entry, duration and research completion

19. Doctoral entry, duration and research completion

The national graduate standard allows doctoral entry from a master’s or an excellent bachelor’s/equivalent qualification, with university-set English requirements. Doctoral completion includes a qualifying examination, dissertation, open final defence and plan-specific dissemination. Research-only and coursework-plus-research plans differ; a single publication count should not be imposed on every doctorate. 2022 graduate standards.

Mahidol’s Computer Science doctorate makes those distinctions concrete. Plan 2.1 normally takes three years and 48 credits, including a 36-credit dissertation. Relevant master’s applicants need GPA 3.00, English proficiency and a computing publication or at least three years of relevant research/product-development experience, subject to stated exceptions. Plan 2.2 is a normal four-year route for eligible bachelor’s graduates with specified research/publication preparation, comprising 24 taught credits and a 48-credit dissertation. Coursework-route graduates need GPA 3.00, the qualifying examination, English proficiency and a public final oral defence. The programme also requires qualifying journal publication/acceptance or an approved patent, innovation or creative output; relevant non-publication outputs require external evaluation. These are named programme conditions, not a universal Thai doctoral timetable. Mahidol computer-science doctorate.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Adult learning and a separate curriculum transition

20. Adult learning and a separate curriculum transition

The Department of Learning Encouragement, DOLE, reported on 4 May 2026 that its newer 2024 basic-qualification curriculum was operating in a pilot expanding from ten to twenty-two provinces. The older 2008 route still contained many unfinished learners. The department announced that new entrants would move fully to the newer curriculum from the first semester of academic year 2027. That was a future intake policy, not evidence that every existing adult learner had already transferred. DOLE May 2026 transition.

A separate February 2026 DOLE report describes electronic make-up arrangements for learners who missed the Non-Formal National Educational Test, N-NET, on 14–15 February. This illustrates an operational assessment route, but does not make a missed sitting automatically excused. A returning learner should ask the local learning centre which curriculum applies, what earlier credits can transfer and which remaining assessments and learning activities are required for the intended qualification. DOLE N-NET follow-up.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: School access, documentation and learning support

21. School access, documentation and learning support

A February 2026 Ministry explanation of the 2025 admission notice addresses learners without civil-registration evidence or Thai nationality. Schools can use an educational G Code where a learner lacks the ordinary thirteen-digit identification number, while collecting available evidence and coordinating the relevant registration process. The Ministry explicitly distinguishes this education identifier from citizenship or a change in immigration status. Families should therefore ask about the education-document pathway rather than assume that absence of a Thai identity number settles school eligibility. Ministry school-access guidance.

The Compulsory Education Act also provides for suitable education and support for learners with disabilities, disadvantaged learners and those with exceptional abilities. The practical question is what the receiving school can arrange for the individual learner. Request a discussion of accessibility, communication, assessment adjustments and continuity of support before transferring, and keep the agreed arrangements with the child’s learning records. Compulsory Education Act.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Checking programmes and foreign qualifications

22. Checking programmes and foreign qualifications

For Thai higher-education status, start with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, MHESI. Its Commission on Higher Education Standards checks university-council-approved curricula, decides certification and publishes outcomes. Ask about the exact award, programme, campus and curriculum version, rather than relying only on the institution’s name. Higher-education certification roles.

The current Curriculum Information System for Higher Education Accreditation, CISA, handles new and revised programmes under the 2022 standards. The ministry’s August 2026 circular confirms the current submission process. The notice for its legacy curriculum-compliance system, CHECO, allows already-entered transition cases to finish there. Consequently, absence from the older CHECO system alone is not proof that a new programme lacks certification; seek the current ministry record where necessary. Current CISA submission process, CHECO transition notice.

For TCAS applicants with foreign school qualifications or the GED high-school-equivalency credential, the current guidance distinguishes a school-qualification equivalence certificate and a grade point average equivalence certificate. Applicants still awaiting completion can seek the specified provisional certificate. Check the receiving programme’s timing as well as the equivalence service. TCAS70 official guidance.

Foreign university degrees have a separate MHESI equivalence service through the Office of the Permanent Secretary’s Division of Higher Education Quality Enhancement. Follow its current application guidance for the particular award. Academic equivalence, programme admission and permission to practise a regulated profession should each be checked with the competent receiving body. Foreign-degree equivalence service.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Three practical pathway examples

23. Three practical pathway examples

A family choosing P1: start with the actual birth-date window and the school’s treatment of prior kindergarten completion. Then ask which curriculum the child’s class will use, how progress is reported and which languages are used for assessed work. A useful comparison sheet includes these answers alongside fees and travel time. It is more informative than a simple ranking of school names.

An M3 learner considering technology: compare a general M4 study plan with a vocational-certificate route by looking at their actual courses, practical work and next-entry requirements. Ask a prospective college to explain assessment and placement responsibilities. If a bachelor’s is the eventual aim, work backwards from the intended degree’s accepted qualifications and credit-transfer process rather than assume that every route connects automatically.

A graduate planning research: compare the master’s final-work options with the intended doctorate’s entry expectations. Prepare a short research-interest statement, identify the methods you need to learn and ask how supervision is allocated. Separately calculate tuition, living costs and the time required for fieldwork or laboratory access. An advertised duration is a planning baseline; the award still depends on completing the required academic work.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Next: Frequently asked questions

24. Frequently asked questions

Does P3 mean primary school is finished? No. It is the end of the early-primary segment; primary continues through P6. When reading a new-curriculum P3 completion statement, keep the full primary ladder in view.

Is an English Program automatically an international qualification? No. The named school example uses the Thai Ministry curriculum in English. Ask which curriculum and awarding documents the particular programme actually provides.

Does a school-leaving qualification guarantee a university place? No. Compare the receiving programme’s qualification requirements, subject prerequisites, tests and selection procedure, and complete any separate offer-confirmation step. A national school assessment and an admissions test serve different purposes.

Are Thai A-Level tests the same as British A-levels? No. The Thai tests belong to a university-admissions framework. A foreign school qualification must be considered under the destination’s published qualification and equivalence requirements.

Is every master’s a two-year thesis programme? No. National standards distinguish academic and professional final work, and universities determine duration. The Payap example offers two different study plans within one named award.

Which date should a family trust? Use the notice for the correct academic year, school, level and application route. Preserve the original document and note any later amendment. For this guide, dates in 2027 remain prospective as of the 19 October 2026 research check.

Back to reading routes · Previous chapter · Sources

Sources and current-rule checks

Primary sources include signed regulations, ministry and testing-agency publications, and the named institutions’ curricula. A few official pages remain available through indexed text when direct retrieval fails. The September 2021 O-NET order is cited as an original reproduced in a public school’s document pack. Always check later amendments and the notice for the relevant school, cohort and intake.

Continue exploring education systems

This guide belongs to eduKate’s planned 195-country education-system series. Compare the Bhutan education-system guide for a different school and qualification structure, or browse the country guides in the Education Hub.