1.3.2 Bottom financial quintile student success
Metric: University anti-poverty programmes
Graduation/completion targets for students who fall into the bottom 20% of household income group (or a more tightly defined target) in the country.
Prince of Songkla University (PSU) is committed not only to widening access to higher education for students from financially disadvantaged households, but also to ensuring that these students are able to remain in university and successfully complete their studies.
Through the Ton Kla Prince of Songkla University Scholarship Programme, PSU provides continuous financial, academic and student-support assistance to students from poor and vulnerable families across the 14 southern provinces of Thailand. The programme supports students from upper-secondary education through undergraduate study at PSU.
Graduation and Completion Target
PSU has established a target for at least 95% of students supported under the Ton Kla Scholarship Programme to successfully complete their university studies.
This target reflects the University’s commitment to reducing the risk of delayed progression or withdrawal caused by financial hardship, academic disadvantage or difficulties in adjusting to university life.
Academic and Student Support towards Successful Completion
PSU recognises that financial support alone may not be sufficient to ensure successful degree completion. The University therefore provides a structured system of academic preparation, peer support, mentoring, counselling and student monitoring throughout the educational pathway.
Key support mechanisms include:
- Academic preparation before university entry: The “Ton Kla Mentoring and Academic Preparation Programme” provides tutoring and academic preparation for scholarship students before entering higher education. This helps reduce learning gaps that may affect students’ readiness for university study.
- Peer mentoring and subject-specific tutoring: Senior Ton Kla Scholarship students support junior students through peer mentoring and tutoring in specific subjects, helping them strengthen academic skills and adjust to university-level learning.
- Support from programme alumni: Alumni of the Ton Kla Scholarship Programme contribute to tutoring and university-entry preparation activities, creating a continuing support network across generations of scholarship recipients.
- Systematic academic and student-life counselling: PSU provides ongoing monitoring and counselling for scholarship students. Student development officers at both campus and faculty levels are assigned to provide support for students experiencing academic, financial or personal difficulties that may affect their continuation or completion of studies.
These mechanisms complement the financial support provided under the scholarship programme and are intended to reduce the risk of dropout, delayed progression and non-completion.
Graduation Outcomes in Academic Year 2025
In Academic Year 2025 (B.E. 2568), 20 Ton Kla Scholarship students reached the stage at which they were expected to complete their undergraduate studies.
Of these students:
- 16 students successfully graduated, representing an overall graduation rate of 80%;
- 1 of 3 male students graduated, representing 33.33%; and
- 15 of 17 female students graduated, representing 88.23%.
Although the overall graduation rate of 80.0% was below PSU’s target of 95%, the University continues to monitor student progression and strengthen targeted academic, financial and welfare support for students who may be at risk of delayed completion.
Continuous Improvement
PSU regularly reviews the progression and graduation outcomes of Ton Kla Scholarship students in order to identify barriers to successful completion and improve support interventions.
The University will continue to strengthen:
* early identification of students at risk of delayed graduation;
* academic tutoring and peer mentoring;
* individual counselling and student-life support;
* financial and welfare assistance; and
* follow-up mechanisms for students who require additional academic or personal support.
Through these measures, PSU remains committed to improving the successful completion rate of students from financially disadvantaged households and to achieving its institutional target of at least 95% graduation or completion among Ton Kla Scholarship recipients.
Contribution to SDG 1: No Poverty
By combining financial assistance with academic preparation, mentoring, counselling and systematic student monitoring, PSU seeks to ensure that students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds are not only able to enter higher education, but are also supported to remain enrolled and successfully complete their university studies.