Yodchanan freezes TCAS fees to expand equal admissions access

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Yodchanan Wongsawat has given policy directions on higher education, science, research and innovation to the Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT), setting guidelines for higher education institutions to align their missions with the national strategy and the ministry’s policies. 

Yodchanan said discussions with CUPT had resulted in a joint conclusion on building a more equal Thai University Central Admission System, or TCAS, covering three main areas. 

First, TCAS examination application fees will remain at the current rate for another year, despite an earlier plan to increase them. Budget support will also be provided so applicants can sit the Thai General Aptitude Test (TGAT) and Thai Professional Aptitude Test (TPAT) 1-5 free of charge. 

Students will also be entitled to sit up to seven A-Level subjects free of charge. The support is worth 100 baht per subject, or up to 700 baht for seven subjects. Applicants will also continue to be able to apply for seven choices in Round 3, or the Admission round, free of charge as before.

In addition, Portfolio-round application fees will be reduced by 25% for students in the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) system, in order to expand access to the selection process on a more equal basis.

Second, the Portfolio selection process will be improved so it better reflects applicants’ real potential and reduces inequality through “TCASFolio”, a central standard for preparing and submitting portfolios. The move is aimed at reducing the unnecessary burden of preparing excessive portfolios and discouraging the commercial hiring of portfolio preparation services.

It will be carried out alongside the development of “TCAS Verified”, a system that allows source agencies to directly certify activity records. This is intended to increase the credibility of information and prevent the submission of details that do not match the facts. 

Yodchanan has also asked universities to balance the number of seats offered in the Portfolio round, with a target average of no more than 30%, to preserve opportunities for applicants from all groups. 

Universities have also been asked to review selection criteria that create an excessive burden or inequality, such as requiring published research papers or activities that involve high costs. Instead, selection should focus on assessing potential in ways that are relevant to each field of study. 

Third, a systematic risk-management mechanism will be supervised at every stage, from exam paper preparation and quality checks to score processing and public communication. This is to ensure that operations are accurate, transparent and able to build public confidence. 

The existing practice of listening to and considering objections after examinations will also remain part of the quality-control process. Information and observations received will be reviewed together with experts to check the accuracy of exam questions, answer guidelines and scoring criteria in a comprehensive manner before official scores are announced. 

This is to ensure that assessment results reflect students’ true potential as fairly as possible. 

Wilert Puriwat, President of Chulalongkorn University and chairperson of CUPT, said the council was currently gathering data on the proportion of Portfolio-round admissions at each faculty in order to formulate a joint policy in the future. 

He said there was also an idea to adjust the sequence of the admissions process by possibly holding central examinations first, before considering portfolios afterwards. This would provide motivation and create fairer options for students who focus on written examinations. 

For TCAS 70, the system will open on July 15, 2026. Applications for the Portfolio round will begin on August 15, 2026. The Quota round will open on March 13, 2027.

Applications for the Admission round will be open from May 7-11, 2027, with an additional application period on May 12-13, 2027. The Direct Admission round will run from May 29 to June 15, 2027.

The TGAT/TPAT examinations will be postponed to January 2027 to reduce the risk of flood-related problems in some areas, allowing all candidates nationwide to sit the exams at the same time.