As a foreigner (Not Thai citizen) born and raised here, and graduating from school here when applying to Local Uni's will I be charged International student rates or local rates ?

honestly this is one of those things where the answer is super inconsistent across unis, even between faculties at the same uni. i know a few filipino and myanmar kids who grew up here and some got local rates at kasetsart and chula's intl programs while others got charged international at thammasat just because of passport. your best bet is to actually call the admissions office directly and ask for the "student type" criteria, don't just rely on the website. also bring up the thai birth certificate and the pink card when you talk to them, some admins don't even know those exist

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ngl this is super uni specific but one thing i havent seen mentioned is that if your parents have a work permit or long term visa that can sometimes override the passport thing. i know a korean kid who got local rates at abac just cause his dad had a valid thai work permit even tho he was on a non immigrant visa. also some unis like silpakorn straight up dont care about anything except your passport so u might just have to accept paying more at those

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yeah this is a weird grey area honestly. i had a friend who was in almost the exact same spot - swiss passport but grew up here, went to bangkok patana - and chula's international program charged her the local rate because she had a thai birth certificate and her parent had a work permit. but then at mahidol they tried to put her as international until she literally walked into the admissions office with her documents. the key thing nobody tells you is that some unis have a "non-thai but local resident" category that's like 70% of the local rate instead of full international fees. ask specifically about that when you call, and mention you graduated from a school here. also check if your pink card has the 13-digit id number, some admins treat that differently than the old format

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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