DPST Scholarship for Science and Math Students: Funding from High School to PhD
By Muntasir • Published Sep 18, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Scholarships & Funding, Study in Southeast Asia
DPST (พสวท.) identifies Thai students strong in science and math in upper-secondary school and funds them without a break through bachelor's, master's and doctoral study, in Thailand or abroad. In return, recipients owe 10 years of work in approved science, technology or education organizations.
🎓 Runs from high school through PhD as one continuous track, no reapplying at each level.
💵 Monthly stipends: 7,152 baht in high school, 9,400 baht for bachelor's, 10,700 baht for master's, 12,000 baht for PhD.
⏱️ 10-year return-service bond in science, technology or education roles after graduation.
📩 Around 140 new scholarships are offered nationally each intake, placed across 10 partner universities.
What DPST is
DPST, known in Thai as พสวท. (Development and Promotion of Science and Technology Talents Project), is a long-running scholarship track built to grow Thailand's supply of scientists and researchers. The Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST, or สสวท.) runs it, working with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation. Rather than funding one degree at a time, DPST picks students while still in upper-secondary school and carries them, without a gap, through to a doctorate.
How the pipeline works
Students enter DPST in upper-secondary school through a nationwide selection process aimed at those with strong science and math ability. Once accepted, a student stays inside the DPST system for the rest of their education, moving from high school into a bachelor's degree at one of around 10 partner universities across Thailand, then into master's and doctoral study. Undergraduate study leans toward pure sciences, while graduate study shifts toward applied sciences and research, matching what Thailand's research institutions and universities say they need.
Roughly 140 new scholarships open up at the entry (upper-secondary) level each intake round, according to IPST's own recruitment announcements. Not every scholar studies entirely inside Thailand. Graduate-level DPST students often continue their research abroad at partner institutions once their supervisor and project call for it, though placement depends on the specific field and university partnership in a given year.
How to enter the pipeline
Entry happens at the upper-secondary level through a nationwide test in math and science, followed by further rounds for the strongest scorers, run by IPST each year. Schools nominate students or students apply directly depending on the announcement, then successful candidates are placed at one of the DPST-affiliated schools to complete their final years of secondary education inside the program before moving on to a partner university. Because DPST recruits before university, students who only find a strong interest in science once they reach university age cannot join the pipeline through this entry point and instead need to look at separate university-level science scholarships.
Life inside the DPST pipeline
Once inside the system, a DPST student is not simply left to study alone. IPST tracks academic progress at each stage, assigns students to specific partner universities and, at graduate level, to specific research supervisors and institutes matched to a student's field. This structure gives DPST scholars a research mentor and a lab placement from early in their studies, which is part of why the program produces a steady pipeline of academics and researchers rather than only funding individual degrees.
What the scholarship pays
DPST covers tuition plus a fixed monthly personal allowance that rises with each level of study, in place since the 2564 (2021) academic year according to IPST .
| Level | Monthly allowance |
|---|---|
| Upper-secondary school | 7,152 baht |
| Bachelor's degree | 9,400 baht |
| Master's degree | 10,700 baht |
| PhD | 12,000 baht |
On top of the monthly allowance, DPST pays tuition fees, textbooks, computer costs, and research funding through to doctoral completion. Total support across the full pipeline runs into the millions of baht per scholar by the time someone finishes a PhD.
The 10-year bond
DPST is not a no-strings scholarship. Recipients commit to 10 years of work after graduation with organizations IPST approves, which in practice means Thai universities, public research institutes, and other science and technology bodies in the government sector. This is a longer bond than most other Thai government scholarships, reflecting how much the government invests across a full high-school-to-PhD pipeline rather than a single degree.
Who fits DPST
DPST suits a student who decides early, around the end of lower-secondary school, that they want a research or academic career in a science, math or technology field, and who is comfortable with a long-term commitment to a Thai institution afterward. Because the pipeline locks a student in from upper-secondary school onward, it is not a good fit for someone who might change direction toward a non-science field partway through, since leaving the pipeline mid-way can trigger repayment obligations for the years already funded. It also suits families who want a single, continuous funding track rather than reapplying for separate scholarships at each stage of education, since DPST removes the funding gap between finishing a bachelor's degree and starting a master's or PhD that many other students face.