Mahidol University
Mahidol University (Mahidol) is an autonomous public research university in Thailand. It had its origin in the establishment of Siriraj Hospital in 1888. Becoming the University of Medical Science in 1943, it has been recognized as the country's fourth public university. The university was later renamed in 1969 by King Bhumibol Adulyadej after his father, Prince Mahidol of Songkhla, the "Father of Modern Medicine and Public Health of Thailand". The university originally focused on health sciences but expanded to other fields in recent decades. It hosted Thailand's first medical school, the Siriraj Medical School. Today, Mahidol offers a range of graduate (mostly international) and undergraduate programs from natural sciences to liberal arts with remote campuses in Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Sawan, and Amnat Charoen provinces. There are a total of 629 programs offered from 17 faculties, 6 colleges, 9 research institutions and 6 campuses. In terms of fiscal budget and portion of budget spent on research programs, the university receives the highest budget of any public university in Thailand: $430 million in 2019, most of which is granted for graduate research programs. Mahidol had an acceptance rate of 0.4% for Medicine as of the 2016 academic year. Mahidol University was ranked Thailand's #1 university in 2011 by QS Asian University Rankings. History The first Siamese medical school, the Bhatayakorn School () was founded under the royal decree of King Chulalongkorn in 1888 situated on the former Palace or today's Bangkok Noi campus at Siriraj Hospital and taught medicine as a 3-year medical certification course. After a visit by King Chulalongkorn and Queen Saovabha Phongsri, the medical school was renamed as the Royal Medical College (). The medical school was merged with Chulalongkorn University organized by Vajiravudh's decree on 6 April 1917 as the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University (now the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University). However, the government of General Phibunsongkhram then separated the Faculty of Medicine (Siriraj Medical School), Departments of Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Science from Chulalongkorn University and re-organized them into the University of Medical Sciences (). The university was officially founded on February 2, 1943, and new schools and departments have been established since then. In 1959, the Medical Science Preparatory School (now Faculty of Science) was moved to Phaya Thai area, thus beginning the Phaya Thai campus. During the 1960s the university focused its development on the Phaya Thai campus. In 1965, another medical school was established – the Faculty of Medicine of Ramathibodi Hospital at Phaya Thai. The first medical school outside Bangkok was also set up as Faculty of Medicine Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital in Chiang Mai Province, until 1964 when it was transferred to Chiang Mai University. Before being transferred In 1968, the university established pharmacy and dentistry schools at a new campus apart from those received from Chulalongkorn University. On February 21, 1969, King Bhumibol Adulyadej declared the name of the university to be changed to Mahidol University () in honor of his father Prince Mahidol of Songkla. The university