The United Kingdom is the most popular destination for Thai higher education students, according to the British Council and the British embassy in Bangkok.
Uraiwan Samolee, head of education services at the council, said there were 6,880 Thai university students in the UK during the 2018/2019 academic year.
She said the figure represents 45% of a total of 15,457 Thai students furthering their studies in English speaking countries that year. She said the US was in second place with 5,451 students (35%) followed by Australia 2,528 (16%), and Canada 598 (4%).
Their figures show that the top five most popular subjects among Thai students in the UK are business management (60%), law (10%), engineering and technology (6%), social studies (5%), and creative arts and design (3%).
Ms Uraiwan recently presented the figures at a press briefing to introduce education in the UK to Thai students. "We still believe the UK remains the number one higher education destination for Thai students despite the pandemic," she said. "The UK's academic and research are world-class.
"All universities are working hard to welcome international students and have action procedures in place to keep students, staff and local communities safe," Ms Uraiwan said. "This year, there are 28 GREAT Scholarships [GREAT Scholarships offers 28 scholarships from UK universities] for master's degree students, with a minimum approximate value of 412,000 baht each and more than 11,500,000 baht available in total."
Alexandra McKenzie, deputy ambassador of the UK, said despite challenges facing the world because of the pandemic, the UK is still in favour of international students joining UK universities.
"We are taking a close look at the situation and plan to react where necessary with measures for the benefit of all international students furthering their studies in the UK," she said.
Helga Stellmacher, director of the council, said: "The British Council is an international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and Thailand through arts and culture, education and the English language."