March 12, 2014

Land of smiles awaits UOW students looking for new horizons

Thailand offers more than just a great holiday destination, with a host of academic opportunities on offer for Australian students and academics, the Australian Ambassador to Thailand, James Wise, said on a recent visit to the University of Wollongong.

Mr Wise visited UOW recently to outline opportunities for Australian students and academics to study at and collaborate with Thai universities.

“We look on Thailand as a terrific holiday destination but we need to look at it as more than a holiday destination,” Mr Wise said.

“It’s a terrific place for students and there are also wonderful opportunities for our researchers across the board.” 

“We’re not taking advantage of the opportunities for no other reason than we’re not aware of them.” 

Mr Wise said Thai universities attracted more than 20,000 foreign students per year and while the majority of those came from neighbouring nations, a sizeable portion, close to 2000, were from Europe and the United States. 

“The reason they’re attracting those students is because they have very good universities,” he said. 

Mr Wise said the Thailand’s key selling points included an uncomplicated visa process for students and academics, the host university would locate and arrange suitable accommodation prior to arrival, health care was “first class” and the academic standards were very high. 

“You don’t attract 27 million tourists a year if you’re not welcoming and friendly,” he said. 

“Everyone knows Thailand is welcoming but I can’t think of anywhere that has a more interesting and stimulating culture, it’s so different from ours and therefore gives you fresh perspectives that would never otherwise cross your mind.” 

The Federal Government’s New Colombo Plan (NCP), launched this year as a pilot program, makes available $4 million for universities to provide subsidies to Australian undergraduate students to participate in mobility programs in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan and Singapore. 

The full NCP will be implemented next year, with study opportunities available across the broader Indo-Pacific region and Mr Wise said UOW could be a leader in regional engagement. 

“UOW is one of the few Australian universities that is already engaging quite strongly with Thailand,” Mr Wise said. 

More information: Find out where you can go abroad to study if you are a UOW student on this Destination Map.