Sixteen nursing students from the 2021–22 scholarship cohort have graduated and are working in Bangkok hospitals. This is what a scholarship programme looks like and the scale of what it is part of.
In 2021–22, the Rotary Club of Bangkok funded scholarships for eighteen second-year nursing students at two universities: ten at Kuakarun Faculty of Nursing at Navamindradhiraj University, and eight at Mahidol University.
Nursing is a four-year degree. The scholarships were renewable annually, based on academic performance, covering the students' second, third, and fourth years. Each student received enough to cover a meaningful portion of course costs enough to relieve the financial pressure that causes nursing students from lower-income families to drop out before qualifying.
Three Years Later
In 2023–24, sixteen of those eighteen students graduated. Two had withdrawn from their programmes earlier for personal reasons. The sixteen who completed their degrees are now working in hospitals across Bangkok — including Siriraj Hospital, one of Thailand's most respected teaching hospitals — and are sitting their nursing licence examinations.
Sixteen trained nurses entering Thailand's healthcare system. From a scholarship programme that started with application forms and a committee meeting.
How the Selection Works
The process is deliberately thorough. Candidates submit written applications covering their academic record, family circumstances, their reason for choosing nursing, and a frank account of what the scholarship would actually mean for them.
Shortlisted candidates are interviewed by a panel from the Vocational and Youth Service Committees, with the Assistant Governor also present. The panel looks for two things that can't be seen on paper: genuine motivation to care for other people, and the resilience to complete a demanding professional degree under financial pressure.
The graduates of 2023–24 are the evidence that the selection works.
The Current Cohort
In 2024–25, four students at Kua Karun Nursing College received scholarships: Mr. Pisutpong Vikitpaisarn, Miss Yuwaree Wetwatcharakamjorn, Miss Suriyong Monsin, and Miss Sasithon Thongthab. Each receives 25,000 Baht per year for their second, third, and fourth years, renewed on academic performance.
They are the latest in a line of scholarship recipients going back several decades.
The Bigger Picture: A District-Wide Response
The Club's nursing scholarship programme sits within a much larger effort. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that Thailand needed significantly more health personnel to meet the demands being placed on its healthcare system. In response, Rotary District mobilised setting up a nursing scholarship initiative specifically to promote the profession and subsidise tuition for students in financial need.
The reach of this programme has been considerable. Scholarships have been awarded to students from all walks of life and from locations across the country, including communities along Thailand's borders. Over the period from 2020 to 2024, the District granted more than 700 scholarships at 10,000 Baht each. Alongside this, the Rotary Club of Bangkok sponsored more than 80 scholarships of its own. Every baht came from member contributions.
A Small Investment, a Real Return
Thailand's public healthcare system is chronically short of nursing staff. Rural hospitals operate with too few nurses; Bangkok hospitals absorb the graduates that rural areas need. Every trained nurse entering the system matters.
A Rotary scholarship doesn't fix that structural problem. But it does something concrete and traceable: it keeps a specific person — who has already shown the motivation and ability to become a nurse in education long enough to qualify. Multiply that by the dozens of students the Club has supported over the years, and the contribution to Thai healthcare is real.
We are proud to be part of this initiative. The benefits reach not just individual families, but communities and the country as a whole.
We funded their education. They are saving lives.
The nursing scholarship programme is funded through the Club's community service budget and member donations. Applications are accepted annually. Contact the Club's Vocational Service Director for information.