Mahidol University

The first Thai medical school, Bhatayakorn School (Thai: โรงเรียนแพทยากร), was founded with a royal decree by King Chulalongkorn in 1888. At the former palace (the present-day Bangkok Noi campus at Siriraj Hospital), the school offered a three-year medical certification course. After a visit by King Chulalongkorn and Queen Saovabha Phongsri, it was renamed the Royal Medical College (Thai: ราชแพทยาลัย). The school was merged with Chulalongkorn University in Vajiravudh's 6 April 1917 decree as the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University (now the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University).

The government of Plaek Phibunsongkhram then separated the Faculty of Medicine (Siriraj Medical School) departments of dentistry, pharmacy, and veterinary science from Chulalongkorn University and re-organized them as the University of Medical Sciences (Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยแพทยศาสตร์). Founded on 2 February 1943, it has added schools and departments. In 1959, the Medical Science Preparatory School (the present-day Faculty of Science) was moved to Phaya Thai District and became the Phaya Thai campus. During the 1960s, the university focused its development on that campus. In 1965, another medical school (the Faculty of Medicine of Ramathibodi Hospital) was established at Phaya Thai. The first medical school outside Bangkok was the Faculty of Medicine Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital in Chiang Mai Province until 1964, when it was transferred to Chiang Mai University. Before being transferred In 1968, the university established pharmacy and dentistry schools at a new campus separate from Chulalongkorn University. King Bhumibol Adulyadej changed the school's name to Mahidol University (Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล) on 21 February 1969 in honor of his father, Prince Mahidol of Songkla. The university bought a large suburban area, known as Salaya, in 1971 for future development. During the following years, the former faculties of dentistry and pharmacy were returned to Chulalongkorn University.

King Bhumibol wanted Mahidol University to expand into the social sciences, and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities was founded in 1969. Construction of the Salaya campus began in 1975, but was delayed due to the political situation and financial constraints. The campus was opened on 23 July 1983, and all education for freshman-year students was moved there. Later development of the university, centered on the Salaya campus, diverged from the health sciences to meet Thailand's academic demands. The country's first internship college was founded at Mahidol in 1986. Ratchasuda College, devoted to the disabled, was established in 1999. Athasit Vejjajiva, the father of former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, was president of Mahidol from 1995 to 1999.

The university expanded to Kanchanaburi in 2002 to offer students more learning opportunities in rural communities. It expanded to Nakhon Sawan in 2004, accepting the first class of management students in 2004 and the first class of arts students in 2005. The university began construction of the Amnat Charoen Campus, which was completed in 2009.

MU is part of the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL) and is a national research university, designated by the Ministry of Education under Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. In 2009, MU joined the ASEAN University Network (AUN).