See what our scholarship recipients are saying about us:
“It is a great honour to have been selected for this unconditional scholarship. I will aspire to strive ceaselessly, and unconditionally, to support the society.”
“Three years ago, when I heard news that I would be receiving the CTF scholarship, I remember feeling extremely fortunate and pleased. It was by no means just about the monetary value of the award, but rather a privileged opportunity to interact with and be inspired by some of the most prominent figures in Thailand such as Khun Anand Panyarachun. Now that I am in my final year at Cambridge, I cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunities given to me by CTF. It has been a trying and difficult three years; but perhaps precisely because of that, it has also been the best three years of my life.”
“Without the support of the CTF scholarship, I would not have been able to attain the position where I am today. The opportunity given to me by the CTF allows me to thrive academically and succeed professionally. It also inspires me to be compassionate to others, especially those in need. Realizing that my achievement is greatly due to the scholarship, I will always be grateful, and will do my best to show my gratitude by helping others and society as much as I can. ”
Scholarships
The award of a scholarship, whether partial or full is a momentous and significant occasion in the career of any student. In particular, the scholarship often opens up an opportunity for study which would not otherwise have been possible. This is especially so in the case of the Cambridge Thai Foundation and its scholars: in a recent survey of Cantabs, of the respondents who received scholarships in one form or another, 50% stated that they would not have been able to attend Cambridge at all without the financial support received and a further 26% believed it made their time in Cambridge much more comfortable
In total, the value of scholarships awarded to date is an impressive 70 million Baht. This derived from the accrued interest from the endowment of 30,812,396.37 Baht received from our generous sponsors between the years 1990-2008, and the contributions from COT of over 44 million Baht.
Indeed, scholarships have undoubtedly contributed to the increase in the number of Thai students attending Cambridge. Up until 1990, the year of the establishment of the CTF, Cantabs numbered about 110 in total. Since then, the total has increased to over 400 and, of these, an estimated 75% received financial support of some sort. Since its inception, The Cambridge Thai Foundation itself has awarded 101 scholarships and bursaries, thereby being involved in supporting about one third of all Thai students who have attended Cambridge since 1990 and almost half of those who were sponsored. The size and number of awards varied by year depending on the number of candidates as well as the type of award with the maximum of 9 awards being reached in 2005.
In terms of the scholarships awarded, over half were for courses of study leading to the M.Phil degree. There were also 25 Ph.D awards as well as 7 for Bas'. The largest single subject area was Law (LLM degree) with significant representation in Engineering, Development Studies and Management. Not surprisingly, postgraduate colleges featured strongly in terms of matriculation, but overall, CTF scholars have attended 27 out of the 31 Cambridge colleges.
As CTF scholarships are non-binding, most CTF scholars have the enviable choice of being able to select their workplace after graduation as they wish. From the latest available information, the largest area of employment for CTF scholars is the private sector, accounting for around 40% of the total. However, there is a strong presence of CTF scholars in the public sector in various Thai ministries (Bank of Thailand, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Commerce, Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NECTEC), NGOs' (Mae Fah Luang Foundation) and international organizations (World Bank, UNDP, ADB) as well as in educational institutions (Chulalongkorn, Thammasat, Kasetsart, Silapakorn and Cambridge). This latter fact is particularly impressive given that most public sector and university institutions also have their own scholarship programmes. Furthermore, a significant proportion of scholars are gathering experience either working or studying overseas. Finally, it is also encouraging that there are 17 CTF scholars still studying or just arrived in Cambridge. This gives an indication of the strong commitment to provide support for Thai students that the Foundation continues to do to this day.
Application for the CTF Scholarship
To apply for the Cambridge Thai Foundation scholarship, no separate application is required except for the application form for your course of study, which includes a section for scholarship application. Please refer to www.cambridgetrust.org and http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/funding for further details.