Number of University Students in Japan Tops 3 M. for 1st Time

On 26 August 2026, university students in Thailand faced a crisis as they were denied loans from the Student Loan Fund, threatening their ability to continue higher education. Senator Parinya Wongcherdkhuan, deputy chair of the Senate committee on education, higher education, science, research and innovation, received a petition signed by affected students at Parliament.

The fund's budget for 2027 was rejected, with only 5 billion baht allocated instead of the requested 9 billion baht. The Student Loan Fund struggled to recover repayments, with outstanding debt at 220 billion baht.

The government's decision to withhold loans for current students could push many more young people out of the education system, with far-reaching consequences. Senator Parinya urged the government to find a solution for collecting repayments, rather than holding current borrowers hostage. Palathip Phimsuwan, a student at Uttaradit Rajabhat University, shared her frustration, stating that students had sought help from various agencies, but received no clear answers about their ability to borrow for the current semester.

A nationwide survey of 1,600 students facing loan problems or the risk of dropping out found that 47% were in danger of leaving their studies. Some had resorted to taking loans from informal lenders, pawning gold, or even dropping out altogether.

A parent who joined the petition expressed tears of despair, explaining that one of her three children had relied on the Student Loan Fund since secondary school but could no longer access it in their first year of university. She lamented her lack of options to keep her child in education. The article concluded with the plea for assistance from adults and relevant agencies, as the situation seemed beyond the capacity of affected students.