First Global Community College.

FGCC at a glance

First Global Community College (FGCC) was established in Nong Khai in 1995 as a pilot project to bring one American-style community college to each of Thailand's four regions, and opened its doors to its first students in 1996. It remains, by its own account and independent sources, Thailand's only community college run on that American two-year model -- distinct from the country's vocational colleges and from the later Rajabhat/Rajamangala university systems.

FGCC's office and instructional building sit in the Old Provincial Hall area behind the Prap Ho Monument in central Nong Khai. The college's academic focus is English-language training, computer and information technology, and the natural and social sciences and humanities, and it serves as a genuine open-access option for rural students from Nong Khai and neighbouring Udon Thani who might not otherwise reach a Thai entrance-exam-gated university.

Notable facts

• Established in 1995 as a pilot project modelled on the American community college system, one of four such pilots planned for Thailand's regions; opened to students in 1996.
• Widely described as Thailand's only community college of this specific American two-year model, based at the Old Provincial Hall area behind the Prap Ho Monument in central Nong Khai.
• Focuses on English-language training, computer/IT, and the natural and social sciences and humanities, primarily serving rural students from Nong Khai and Udon Thani.

Sources & References

• Ministry of Education, Thailand

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