Chiang Mai University (CMU; ; ) is a national public research university in northern Thailand founded in 1964.

After the end of the war, the people of Chiang Mai, led by Ki and Kimhaw Nimmanhaeminda, called for the provision of higher education in the regions and urged the government to establish a university in Chiang Mai Province. This movement gained strong momentum, and one form of public expression during the campaign was the dissemination of printed cards conveying opinions and demands, which were distributed among students and the general public. There are 18 housing complexes located on campus for students attending the university. Seventeen of them are on the main campus and one is on the Mae Hea campus

Suan Sak Campus (main campus)

The main university campus, known as Suan Sak campus () or Cherng Doi (), lies about five kilometres west of the city centre. Set against Doi Suthep, the campus occupies a site, bounded on three sides by main shopping streets and on the fourth by the Chiang Mai Zoo. The campus includes the university's administrative centre; the science, engineering, humanities, social science, political science and public administration, law and graduate school, all of the campus resource facilities and services and major sports facilities. An attractive feature of this campus is the Ang Kaew Reservoir. Constructed to supply water for the university, it is also a recreational area for campus residents and the local community. In the 1960s, the area was still forested. With conservation in mind, university buildings were constructed between the trees, with the result that the campus still retains much of its original setting.

left|thumb|Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, Suan Dok campus

Suan Dok campus

Near the main campus, and closer to the city, opposite Wat Suan Dok, the health sciences complex, the Suan Dok campus (), occupies a site which includes faculties of medicine, associated medical sciences, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, known locally as Suan Dok, the largest teaching hospital in northern Thailand.

left|thumb|Science and Technology Park, Mae Hia campus

Mae Hia campus

About 5 km south of the main campus, the Mae Hia (or Mae Hea) campus () is home to the faculties of veterinary medicine and agro-industry. The Energy Research and Development Institute (ERDI), the university centre for renewable energy (mainly biogas and biomass), and the energy efficiency improvement centre moved from the main campus to the Mae Hia campus in January 2009. This centre is a national "biogas centre of excellence", emphasising biogas activities, especially biogas on swine farms.

Si Bua Ban campus

The university's latest acquisition is the Si Bua Ban campus () in Amphoe Mueang Lamphun, Lamphun Province, about 55 kilometres south of Chiang Mai, on a site close to the Lamphun industrial centre.

Academics

Chiang Mai University is a large, highly residential, research university, with a majority of enrollment coming from graduate and professional students.

Faculty

thumb|Language Institute

Chiang Mai University has a total of 20 faculties, 3 colleges, 2 institutes and 1 graduate school.

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; Science and Technology

  • Faculty of Agriculture
  • Faculty of Agro-Industry
  • Faculty of Architecture
  • Faculty of Engineering
  • Faculty of Science
  • College of Arts Media and Technology
  • International College of Digital Innovation

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; Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

  • Chiang Mai University Business School
  • Faculty of Economics
  • Faculty of Education
  • Faculty of Fine Arts
  • Faculty of Humanities
  • Faculty of Law
  • Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration
  • Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Faculty of Mass Communication
  • School of Public Policy
  • Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary School

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; Health Science

  • Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences
  • Faculty of Dentistry
  • Faculty of Medicine
  • Faculty of Nursing
  • Faculty of Pharmacy
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
  • Faculty of Public Health
  • Biomedical Engineering Institute

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<gallery mode="nolines">

File:Statue of Mahidol Adulyadej CMU 1.jpg|Faculty of Medicine

File:SCB2.JPG|Faculty of Science

File:คณะทันตแพทยศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยเชียงใหม่.jpg|Faculty of Dentistry

File:คณะศึกษาศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยเชียงใหม่.jpg|Faculty of Education

File:Architecture Faculty building Chiang Mai University.jpg|Faculty of Architecture

File:คณะอุตสาหกรรมเกษตร มหาวิทยาลัยเชียงใหม่.jpg|Faculty of Agro-Industry

File:Human building.jpg|Faculty of Humanities

</gallery>

Rankings

Chiang Mai University ranks 3rd in academics and 5th in research according to the Office of the Higher Education Commission. Quacquarelli Symonds ranked the university 88th in Asia in 2023. Chiang Mai University Ranking has been going up recently giving it 601–605 place by QS TOP UNIVERSITY RANKINGS in 2023

Research institutes

  • Energy Research and Development Institute-Nakornping (ERDI)
  • Research Institute for Health Sciences (RIHES)
  • Social Research Institute (SRI)

Non-university schools

  • Language Institute Chiang Mai University (LICMU)
  • Chiang Mai University Demonstration School (K-12)

University operations

The university requires students to wear school uniforms. The Student Development Division, in 2022, supported the dress code.

Notable people

Alumni

  • Chaturon Chaisang, Deputy Prime Minister from 2002 to 2006
  • Sompop Jantraka, activist
  • Apirak Kosayothin, 14th Governor of Bangkok
  • Yingluck Shinawatra, 28th Prime Minister of Thailand
  • Samruam Singh, author, scholar and activist
  • Suthep Thaugsuban, Deputy Prime Minister from 2008 to 2011
  • Kasem Wattanachai, Privy Councilor from 2001–present
  • Jitaraphol Potiwihok, an actor and a doctor
  • Purim Rattanaruangwattana, an actor and a singer

Lecturers

  • Roger A. Beaver, biologist
  • Minfong Ho, writer

References

  • Chiang Mai University Official website (English)