Chulalongkorn University is Thailand?s oldest and one of the country?s most prestigious universities. It was officially established on March 26 1917 by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) and named after his father King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) as he initiated a policy to promote education so the country to adapt to the developing world and avoid colonization. Chulalongkorn University opened with four faculties, Medicine, Public Administration, Engineering, and Arts and Sciences and an enrollment of 380 students. The first commencement ceremony took place on October 25, 1930 when King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) conferred degrees to the first and second classes of medical students. Today, the university consists of 18 faculties, three schools, three colleges and six institutes with a total enrollment of more than 32,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Chulalongkorn University has presented honorary degrees to a number of international dignitaries and heads of state including former US Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Bill Clinton, the late Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, former South African President Nelson R. Mandela and H.M. King Don Juan Carlos de Bourbon of Spain. In 2006, Chulalongkorn University was ranked ?Excellent? in both academics and research by the Commission of Higher Education. It also has been top...
