Mahasarakham University

• Location: Maha Sarakham, Thailand
• Year of foundation: 1967
• Language of instruction: Thai, Khmer, English
• Number of students: more than 40 000
• Type of education: mixed.

Mahasarakham University (MSU) is a public higher education institution in the province of Maha Sarakham, about 470 km. from Bangkok. This university is the only one that offers postgraduate programs in paleontology, Bachelor of Arts in Khmer.

MSU was founded in 1967 as Mahasarakham College of Education. In 1994, the institution was awarded the title of university. In its subsequent history, its Faculty of Education was recognized by the National Board of Education as the best educational department in Thailand in 2010.

At the moment, the university is multidisciplinary: it consists of 17 faculties, two colleges, an institute and a school. Education is presented in the form of 177 programs: 87 areas of bachelor's degree, 57 specializations of master's degree, 33 specialties of doctoral studies. In recent years, the number of students exceeds 40,000 people, about 1300 highly qualified specialists in various fields work in the teaching staff.

The three main directions of the faculties are:

• Humanities, social sciences
• Applied Sciences, Technologies
• Health Sciences.

Residential buildings are located on the territory of all campuses. They are inhabited by both teachers and students with the distribution of women's and men's dormitories.

Due to the high demand for accommodation on campus, there are rarely available places. Students from other cities and countries are primarily represented for settlement.

Most of the housing is presented in the form of apartments with single, double rooms, private showers and toilets. The average price of accommodation ranges from $ 93 to $ 170 per month, excluding the payment for electricity and water - in addition, about $ 30-45 per month will be required.

Various types of residential buildings with a monthly payment have been built on campuses:

• Dormitories: rooms for 2-4 people for $ 60-292, $ 0.5-3 for utilities
• Eight men's, 16 women's dormitories: $60-$197.

The university has dozens of student clubs of interest: theater, music, sports, science, fine arts. There are performance areas on every campus. MSU has created an outdoor amphitheater that students can use for their cultural performances: theatrical performances, plays, music concerts.

Among the students are popular sections of swimming, basketball, tennis, football.

• 22nd State University of Thailand by date of foundation
• About 150 international students from China, India, Japan, USA, UK, South Korea and other countries
• More than 150 public relations projects have been implemented
• The first Thai higher education institution to be ranked by the QS Stars System for Excellence in Education
• MSU is among the 20 best universities in Thailand in the Webometrics ranking
• The university is recognized as one of the fastest growing universities in Thailand
• Cooperation has been established with universities from 28 countries: Belgium, Mongolia, Australia, Russia, USA, Great Britain, etc.

Mahasarakham is home to two universities, five colleges. The total number of students living in the province exceeds 63,000 . The city is known as the "Great Education Square" as the Center of Buddhist Wisdom and Culture in the region.

Mahasarakham is located 475 km from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. MSU has two campuses in the city:

• Central "Old" campus – 145.5 acres, on which faculty buildings, dormitories, administrative offices are erected
• Campus Kham Riang, or "New" - is located in the north-west of the city, 7 km from the center. It occupies an area of 513 acres, where new buildings are located for education, practice, sports activities.

With MSU , the following work:

• College of Music
• College of Politics, Management
• Institute for Botanical Research
• Research Institute of Northeast Art (RINAC) with Thai architecture, which houses many original Isan artifacts, exhibits of traditional way of life, culture. RINAC forms the basis of the Faculty of Cultural Studies, which offers courses and degrees in the field of Isan beliefs, arts, traditions, folk knowledge
• The Information Center is a historical reference library of Isan culture. It houses traditional collections of original life-size artifacts, magazines, scientific research and digital images.
• Agricultural Technology Transfer Center
• University Museum
• Museum of Natural Medicinal Mushrooms
• Paleontological Research, Educational Center
• The Silk Innovation Center researches, creates, and markets innovative silk products in collaboration with the Kyoto Institute of Technology in Japan
• The Palm Leaf Inscription Center deciphers, catalogs, digitally records historical documents on palm leaves, and conducts seminars and workshops on ancient Isan alphabets.

The university provides its students with medical care in specialized points and clinics, meals in canteens and cafes, the opportunity to develop their talents at sports facilities, laboratories, studios and concert halls.

There are several semesters in the academic year:

• Autumn: August 3-December 14
• Spring: January 4-May 9
• Summer session: 23 May-25 July.

One semester = 16 weeks of study. Holidays are held in late December and mid-summer.

Additional costs:

• Accommodation, meals, utilities
• Books, consumables
• Medical care
• Transport
• Personal expenses
• Annual contributions.

Applicants entering the bachelor's program:

• Completed application form with photo
• Registration fee – 300 baht ($9.25), cash only and in local currency only
• Official high school or college transcripts
• School/College Certificate
• Official TOEFL or IELTS test
• Two letters of recommendation
• Learning Purpose Statement
• Letter of financial support/bank statement
• Organization of health insurance.

Requirements for admission to master's and doctoral programs:

• Completed application form with photo
• Registration fee – 300 baht ($9.25), cash only and in local currency only
• Official transcripts of the previous stage of education
• University/College Certificate
• Official TOEFL or IELTS test
• Three letters of recommendation
• Learning Purpose Statement
• Copy of master's thesis or research paper
• Letter of financial support/bank statement
• Health insurance system.

Foreign applicants will need a student visa, a valid foreign passport, medical insurance.

Application dates:

• Bachelor's degree: April 30, September 30
• Master's, doctoral studies: any time.

Each year, MSU offers a limited number of scholarships for international students:

• Scholarship for full tuition or accommodation
• Scholarship for internship at MSU – monthly payments of $ 338 (11,000 baht).

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision