The "Impossible Triangle" of Studying in Thailand
Academic Excellence + Easy Admission + Low Tuition — Why These Three Can Never Coexist
Many parents ask: “Is there a school that is academically excellent, easy to get into, and affordable?”
The realistic answer: It doesn’t exist.
This isn’t an opinion — it’s a fundamental operational logic in international school education.
1. Academic Excellence Is Built on Budget
Take NIST as an example. Each year, it publicly releases its IB results (available as a PDF on its official website).
This is a key signal: only schools with truly strong academics dare to publish their performance data.
To achieve this level, schools must invest continuously in areas such as:
• Annual IB/AP program authorization fees
• Teacher professional development and IB-mandated training hours
• Maintaining competitive foreign teacher salaries (typically 150,000–260,000 THB/month)
This isn’t about “wanting to save money” — it’s about the financial reality of sustaining a high-performance academic system.
Thus: stronger academics → higher operating costs → inevitably higher tuition.
It’s not that “expensive equals good,” but that “true excellence cannot be cheap.”
2. The Easier the Admission, the Lower the Academic Ceiling
In education, the academic level of the student body determines how far teaching can go.
Top international schools typically assess:
• Previous report cards
• Writing samples
• MAP percentile scores
Why the screening? Because if student levels vary widely, teachers must slow down to accommodate weaker learners — lowering the pace and depth of instruction for the entire class.
It’s not a matter of teaching attitude, but of classroom management reality.
Therefore, the easier it is to get in, the harder it is to maintain academic rigor.
3. Low Tuition Inevitably Limits Academic Infrastructure
Across the world, 70%–80% of international school budgets go to teacher salaries, professional development, and curriculum licensing — not marketing or campus beautification.
Thus, when a school’s annual tuition is only 170,000–220,000 THB, it simply cannot afford:
• Multiple rounds of IB teacher training annually
• Dedicated curriculum coordinators
• External exam moderation and review systems
This isn’t “unwillingness to invest,” but an unavoidable result of cost structure.
Low-tuition schools lack the resources to build a transparent, sustainable academic system.
The “Impossible Triangle” Is Objective Logic — Not Opinion
Strong schools → publish data and let results speak.
Weak schools → avoid academic data, focusing instead on colorful campus life.
This isn’t a matter of style, but of capability.
So, the “Impossible Triangle” follows an unbreakable logic:
To have strong academics → accept high cost → thus, higher tuition.
To have easy admission → accept lower academic standards.
To have low tuition → accept lack of transparent academic results.
You can never have all three at once.
Final advice to parents:
Choosing a school isn’t about finding a “perfect all-rounder.” It’s about understanding which corner you’re willing to compromise on. Once you grasp this truth, school selection becomes clearer — and marketing gimmicks lose their power.
Thailand now offers a mature and diverse international education ecosystem. The goal isn’t to find “the best school,” but the one most aligned with your child’s needs.
