Number of applicants for medical schools dropping

The consortium's secretary-general, Dr Avudh Srisukri, said the application fees had been increased to Bt1,200 from Bt700 because the consortium also had to organise exams for ordinary subjects such as science, maths, English, Thai and social science over and above the specialised exams for enrolment in medical school.

The consortium, comprised of 12 medical and five dentistry schools, is allowing online applications from August 1 to 31. So far, 24,777 applications have been filed and 24,652 students have already paid the application fees, Avudh said.

Once the applicants' documents have been checked, exams on specific subjects would be held on October 31 and results will be announced in December, he said. The students will then be tested on ordinary subjects from January 23 to 24 and names of those who qualify for an interview and health check-up would be announced in March and the final result announced in April, he said.

He confirmed that the exams would be in line with the higher secondary level so applicants should not be too worried or feel the need to attend special courses in cram schools. He also warned that any student caught cheating would be disqualified right away.

To qualify for the application, students should have at least 60 per cent score in the Ordinary National Educational Test (O-Net). The exams on ordinary subjects would account for 70 per cent and specific subjects 30 per cent for the final enrolment grade.

In related news, two out of the 200 students seeking financial assistance from the Higher Education Commission Office were given Bt2,000 each for the student-orientation fees. This was a large drop from the 700 students who applied for financial aid last year, Avudh said, adding that this was because many universities were being lenient over registration and tuition fees for freshmen facing financial problems and offering advice on student loans.