Public can comment on proposed new TCAS university application system
Public hearings on improving the university application process will take place later this month.
The public will have an opportunity to give feedback on the proposal for improving the Thai University Central Administration System (TCAS) following an outcry over repeated problems in this year’s process.
“After hearing the opinions from all sides, we will announce next month what rules will apply for university applicants in the 2019 academic year,” said Council of University Presidents of Thailand’s president Suchatvee Suwansawat on Friday.
He was speaking after the council approved a proposal to improve the TCAS, which was used for the first time in the 2018 academic year and drew strong criticism.
According to the approved proposal, although TCAS would still have five rounds, the approval process will be reduced from 10 to just four months. Students would take part in the TCAS process between February and May next year. Successful candidates in each round would not be allowed to proceed to further rounds.
The proposal also seeks to have students pick their four choices of higher-educational programmes in order of preferences in the third round of the TCAS. This way, if their scores are high enough, they will be offered the best choice they can get – and not all four choices.
As well, the Consortium of Thai Medical Schools would no longer be treated as one choice.