The TCAS or Thai University Central Admission System is a central selection system for people to study in higher education institutions. It has started to replace the traditional entrance exam, also known as Admission since the academic year 2018 and has been used continuously until now. The highlight of TCAS is that the system allows students to go to higher education institutions as they wish. While still being able to sit in the classroom until graduation, “each child has only 1 right to accept the university”, therefore unable to keep the right to choose and with a system that is designed so that all participants are treated equally and fairly. TCAS is designed to have a good and fair mechanism that can ensure students who choose the university as their first choice will be able to study at this university, without having too many tests or examinations, such as:

  • TCAT (Thai University Test)
  • SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) which is the English version of TCAT
  • GPA (Grade Point Average) based on academic grades, which is calculated based on points obtained each year.

Here are some things you should know about TCAS:

TCAS does not require students to sit for any exam or test. Instead, the system requires students to submit documents that prove their eligibility and knowledge of higher education institutions they wish to study at before entering this application process. TCAS is a central selection system that covers both public and private higher education institutions in Thailand.

TCAS application starts on May 30th, 2019 for students to be able to study at the academic year 2019 – 2020 starting from July 2019 until June 2020. The deadline of TCAS applications was October 15, 2018 but has been extended due to some reasons.

TCAS application for this academic year is divided into two stages: TCAT and GPA. In TCAT, students will have a choice of “specialization” or major which they wish to study at the university selected from those who are registered as TCAS participants by October 2019. It should be noted that TCAS registration must be made before the TCAT application date.

In TCAT, students who wish to study at a public university can apply for up to 12 units / courses of their choice in order of highest preference until all seats are filled by qualified applicants or until October 31st 2018 if there is no more room left. If TCAT is not accepted, TCAS application will be invalid and the student must re-apply.