Academic Exchange at a Record High

This year has seen record numbers of academic exchanges between Thailand and Germany, according to data published by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

he number of Thai students enrolled at German universities has reached a record of 1,052 students, most of them following programmes in engineering sciences. This doesn’t come as a surprise given the excellent reputation of German education in Thailand. There i s also a similar number of German students enrolled at Thai universities, many of them in the field of business studies, but also engineering and cultural studies.

Information is the Key to Success

We spoke to the director of the DAAD office in Bangkok, Dr. Georg Verweyen. He pointed out a few facts that are not so well-known to the public in Thailand. German universities have opened up to international students, offering nearly 2,000 international programmes taught in English. That’s probably why Germany is the most popular study destination in continental Europe and among the top-5 world-wide. Today one in eight students at German universities comes from abroad. Moreover, costs of tuition in most of the programmes are covered entirely by the German state, both for German and international students. Dr. Verweyen suggests that anyone interested in studying abroad or research co-operation should visit the DAAD Information Centre i n Sathorn for a personal consultation, or visit the DAAD Thailand website to get an idea of the opportunities.

Scholarships for Master’s Degrees and Research

“Many students and researchers do need additional funding for going abroad,” Dr. Verweyen admits. Therefore, scholarship programmes, fellowships and travel grants are awarded to the best applicants. In 2017 alone the German Academic Exchange Service sponsored a total of 311 Thai students, young researchers, scholars, university administrators and delegates visiting German universities. While DAAD is the biggest contributor to academic scholarships world-wide, governments, other non-government organisations, and private companies, also play important roles. First and foremost, various Thai ministries are sending civil servants to Germany for master’s degree programmes and postgraduate training. In addition, the Royal Golden Jubilee Programme, under the Thai Research Fund (TRF), is supporting young researchers to do part of their PhD research at German research institutions. TRF and DAAD are also closely co-operating in a jointly funded DAAD-TRF researcher mobility programme. Senior researchers are encouraged to apply for funding through the Humboldt Foundation which has a network of 70 fellows in Thailand.

Academic Exchange is a Two-Way-Street

Academic scholarships are sometimes seen as a threat to a country, luring the elite away and leading to brain-drain. The German Academic Exchange Service is well aware of this worry and actively promotes exchange and return of scholars. “Our scholars are entirely free to move after the supported period, and scholarships do not come with any obligation to stay and work in Germany,” Dr. Verweyen underscores. Some students stay for a while after graduation, but t he vast majority of Thai students return to Thailand within three years. The policy of well-balanced exchange is also reflected in the high number of 305 German students and scholars who came to Thailand on a DAAD ticket in 2017. DAAD staff can be reached on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at their office in Soi Goethe, off Soi Sathorn 1. Together with Goethe Institute and several German universities they will also be present at the OSCS International Education Fair in November.