Internationalization of higher education in Thailand: Promises and reality

For many countries, the mobility of international students is becoming
increasingly critical in the global trend of internationalization of higher
education and migratory patterns. This paper aims to: (1) review the concept
of internationalization of higher education from various perspectives;
(2) review the internationalization of higher education in the context of
ASEAN; (3) identify the success factors for internationalization from the
lessons learned from popular receiving countries; (4) discuss the case of
internationalization of higher education in Thailand; and (5) provide
recommendations for the same. The paper suggests that even though the number
of international students enrolled in Thai institutions increases over time, much
more can be done to attract international applicants. From the perspective of
Thai institutions, in a competitive environment of international education in the
ASEAN context, the Thai government policy and programs need to be improved
to attract and retain international students. The key success factors of
internationalization in higher education consist of the international environment
within the institution, the institution’s reputation for quality and cost of education,
and the institution’s capabilities to service and support international students.