Walailak University’s Commitment to Gender Equality: Tracking and Supporting Women’s Graduation Rates
Walailak University is committed to promoting gender equality, where women, men, LGBT individuals, and others live in harmony and peace, free from any form of discrimination. In 2024, Walailak University issued a policy on Gender Equality, Non-discrimination, and Anti-harassment, B.E. 2567 (2024). The policy serves as a statement of Walailak University to demonstrate its commitment to gender equality.
Walailak University recognizes the importance of diagnostic measurement and tracking of women’s likelihood of graduating compared to men’s, and implements schemes to close any gaps. Tracking the graduation likelihood among female students is one of the elements demonstrating good stewardship of gender equality and ensuring equal academic outcomes between female and male students.
Walailak University has distinctive organizations that are responsible for measuring and tracking the graduation likelihood among female students and providing schemes in place to close any gaps.
Measurement and Tracking of Women’s Graduation Likelihood at Walailak University
The Center for Educational Services (CES) is the core organization at Walailak University responsible for measuring and tracking female students’ graduation likelihood compared to men.
The CES is divided into 5 Divisions, including:
- General Administration Division
- Registration Division
- Education and Examination Division
- System Analysis and Information System Division
- Admission Division
The Registration Division is responsible for student admission and selection, as well as calculating the number of female students enrolled at Walailak University each year. The Registration Division is responsible for registering female students into the information systems developed by the System Analysis and Information System Division.
Information Systems for Tracking Female Students’ Graduation Likelihood
The Center for Educational Services, through the System Analysis and Information System Division, has developed 2 websites publicly showing the number of current female students, and the numeric data about female graduates, and other related numeric data.
WUIQE Website
The Walailak University Inclusive Quality Education Policy Website (WUIQE) is the website developed by the System Analysis and Information System Division, displaying numerical data, including the number of female graduates and total female students from 2021 – 2024. The website also tracks additional data related to SDG 5 and other SDGs. Each year, the CES publicly tracks and publishes the data on female graduates. This website allows for the CES for comparison with male graduates and provides transparency in tracking female students’ graduation rates. The CES staff can see the trends of the female student population, whether it increases or decreases, by comparing the data between 2021 – 2024. The WUIQE Website can be reached at https://ces.wu.ac.th/registrar/refer/sdg2.asp?d=&y=2567&lang=#designers
Figure: The WUIQE Website showing data on female graduates and others
Figure: The data on female graduates and other related issues on the WUIQE Website in 2024
Figure: The data on female graduates and other related issues on the WUIQE Website in 2023
Figure: The data on female graduates and other related issues on the WUIQE Website in 2022
CES Database Website
The CES Database Website is an information system developed by the System Analysis and Information System Division to show the number of current students across the campus of both female and male students. This website helps the CES staff from the Registration Division to keep monitoring the increase or decrease among current female students, as the division is responsible for students’ deregistration from the database.
The data includes the number of current female students and male students from each field of education or discipline from schools from first-year students to fourth-year students or beyond fourth year.
The CES staff can utilize the number of current female students from the website to compare with the number of female graduates in the future, whether it increases or decreases. The CES Database Website can be publicly reached at https://ces.wu.ac.th/registrar/student_total2.asp
Figure: An example of the data on the number of current female students compared to male students from the School of Liberal Arts in all disciplines, which is shown in the CES Database Website
Developing Schemes to Close Gaps Causing Attrition Rate among Female Students
The Division of Student Support and Development is the main organization at Walailak University that is responsible for organizing schemes and initiatives to tackle all the factors that potentially cause attrition rates among female students to ensure that all female students can graduate, as male students to improve educational equality for all.
The Division of Student Support and Development has been working with the Center for Educational Services to develop schemes, interventions, or targeted mentoring programs designed to improve female students’ academic success and graduation outcomes and close all potential gaps causing the attrition rate.
The Center for Educational Services, through the Registration Division, is tasked with sending the data and statistics, and others, to the Division of Student Support and Development to collaboratively analyze the situations of the graduation likelihood among female students and the trends of increase and decrease of female students’ graduation. Upon receiving the data from the Center for Educational Services, the Division of Student Support and Development will discuss and set strategies for implementing schemes to close gaps preventing graduation among female students.
Over the years, the Division of Student Support and Development has implemented various initiatives to close the graduation gap for female students. These initiatives include:
- WU Tutor Center – A dedicated center focused on enhancing the academic performance of female students, aimed at increasing their likelihood of graduation.
- Scholarship Services – A mission to provide financial aid and scholarships to female students from disadvantaged backgrounds, ensuring they have the necessary support to complete their studies and graduate.
- Smile and Smart Center – A center offering comprehensive consulting services to female students on university life, mental health, and other personal matters, helping to ensure their overall well-being and success throughout their academic journey.
- Faculty-Student Mentorship Initiative – A program designed to provide early-stage mentoring support for female students through guidance from female faculty members.
Faculty-Student Mentorship Initiative
The Division of Student Support and Development has implemented the Faculty-Student Mentorship Initiative to strengthen the role of faculty members as the primary mentors for female students during the early stages of their academic journey. This initiative equips faculty members with essential mentoring skills through various capacity-building approaches, including Problem-Solving Therapy, Psychoeducation, the Grow Model, and Satir Systemic Therapy.
Under this system, all students, including female students, are assigned faculty advisors. When a female student faces challenges such as stress, poor academic performance, financial difficulties, or other issues that may increase the risk of attrition, faculty members serve as the first point of contact. They provide counseling, identify underlying concerns, and offer immediate support. Where further intervention is necessary, the faculty member collaborates with the Division of Student Support and Development to coordinate additional resources and solutions.
Furthermore, female students who consider withdrawing from Walailak University are required to consult their faculty advisors beforehand. This step ensures that the reasons behind their decision are carefully examined. If the challenges are addressable, the university actively encourages and supports the student to continue their studies.
WU Tutor Center
The WU Tutor Center was established by the Division of Student Support and Development to close the graduation rate gap among female students by improving academic results. Recognizing that poor academic performance is one of the factors leading to higher attrition rates, particularly among female students, the division has organized targeted support measures through the center.
By providing comprehensive tutoring assistance and mentoring sessions, the WU Tutor Center ensures that female students with academic challenges receive personalized help that addresses their unique needs. This support system fosters a deeper understanding of course materials, reinforces retention, and boosts learning outcomes, which directly contributes to higher academic success and, ultimately, graduation rates.
Staffed by experienced lecturers and senior student volunteers, the WU Tutor Center engages female students and offers personalized tutoring sessions and academic guidance tailored to individual learning needs. This supportive environment not only enhances students’ subject comprehension but also fosters a sense of academic confidence and motivation.
Each year, over 1,500 female students benefit from the tutoring programs offered by the center. These programs focus on reviewing previous material, clarifying difficult concepts, and developing effective study strategies, all of which help female students overcome academic obstacles. As a result, the center has become a vital resource for female students seeking to enhance their academic performance and stay on track for graduation. Through its tailored approach, the WU Tutor Center has significantly contributed to reducing the educational performance gap, ensuring that female students can achieve the same graduation rates as their peers. Female students who want to receive academic tutoring services can directly contact the WU Tutor at its office or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wututorcenter
Figure: Female students participating in tutoring schemes at the WU Tutor Center
Life Mentoring Scheme
The Smile and Smart Center is responsible for supporting female students through mentorship, academic guidance, and personal development programs. The center provides tailored support and mental health services for students dealing with stress, depression, anxiety, or personal challenges, ensuring they have access to the right resources for a positive university experience. With a dedicated team of advisors and a psychologist, the center offers comprehensive assistance, addressing concerns related to academic performance, family issues, mental health, and social adjustment.
Figure: The Office of WU Smile and Smart Center at Thai Buri Building, Walailak University
Through its holistic support, the Smile and Smart Center plays a vital role in narrowing the graduation rate gap among female students affected by mental health challenges. Many female students face unique challenges that can impact their ability to complete their studies, such as balancing academic pressures with personal or family responsibilities, navigating mental health issues, or adapting to the social environment of the university. These challenges, if left unaddressed, can lead to higher dropout rates.
The center’s mentorship and counseling services not only support female students in overcoming these challenges but also empower them to remain actively engaged in their academic journey. This supportive environment encourages female students to thrive both academically and personally, reducing the likelihood of them leaving the university. By fostering a sense of belonging and resilience, the Smile and Smart Center helps close the gap in graduation rates, ensuring more female students complete their degrees and achieve their full potential. Female students can access mentoring services from the WU Smile and Smart Center by visiting the office or contacting them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SmileSmartCenter
Figure: Female students participating in mentoring activities at the Smile and Smart Center
Scholarships Services
Walailak University recognizes that scholarships play a vital role in promoting women’s access to higher education, ensuring that financial challenges do not hinder their academic journey. In 2024, the university, together with its partners, awarded scholarships to 1,401 students, amounting to 80,528,820 baht. Among these 980 female students were supported, enabling them to pursue their studies at Walailak University without financial burden. Beyond fostering women’s applications, acceptance, and active participation in higher education, these scholarships are designed to close the gap in women’s graduation rates, ensuring that female students are not only able to enter but also successfully complete their academic programs.
Importantly, the scholarships were not limited to Thai students but were also extended to displaced Burmese students as well as students from ASEAN and other low-income countries, including Vietnam, Uganda, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. Through this support, Walailak University not only removes barriers to higher education but also empowers female students from diverse backgrounds to contribute to their communities and societies, embodying the spirit of education as a driver for sustainable development.
Monitoring Women’s Graduation Outcomes
Walailak University systematically tracks the number of male and female students in each School. The data is organized by academic year, providing a clear picture of the trends in applicants, enrolled students, and graduates
Female Graduation Rate Compared to Male Graduation Rate (์Number)
2022
- Male Graduation Number: 390 (26.13%)
- Female Graduation Number: 1,102 (73.87)
2023
- Male Graduation Number: 599 (27.48%)
- Female Graduation Number: 1,581 (72.52%)
2024
- Male Graduation Number: 127 (6.44%)
- Female Graduation Number: 1,846 (93.56%)
Graduation trends at Walailak University from 2022 to 2024 reveal a consistently higher proportion of female graduates compared to male graduates. In 2022, male graduates totaled 390 (26.13%), while female graduates were more than double, reaching 1,102 (73.87%). A similar pattern was observed in 2023, with males at 599 (27.48%) and females at 1,581 (72.52%). By 2024, the gender gap widened substantially, as male graduates dropped to only 127 (6.44%), whereas female graduates rose sharply to 1,846 (93.56%). These figures highlight the dominance of female students in graduation outcomes, with the disparity between genders becoming most pronounced in 2024. The data indicates that in 2024, the number of female graduates in Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, Health Sciences, and STEM exceeded that of male graduates. In STEM, the difference was modest, while in the other two fields, the number of female graduates was significantly higher.
According to statistics collected by the Center for Educational Services (CES) over the past five years, the graduation rate of students at Walailak University is 97%, reflecting a high level of academic achievement across all programs. The consistently higher proportion of female graduates, particularly in Arts, Humanities, Health Sciences, and STEM fields, suggests both strong enrollment and retention of female students. This trend may indicate the university’s success in supporting female student participation and achievement. Additionally, the widening gender gap in 2024 highlights a potential area for further investigation, such as factors influencing male student graduation rates or program-specific enrollment patterns. Understanding these trends can help the university develop targeted strategies to ensure balanced opportunities and outcomes for all students in the future.
Each year, the CES website is updated with the latest data, reflecting Walailak University’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement. The statistics consistently show that female students make up the majority of applicants and enrollees, with their numbers steadily increasing year after year. This growth highlights the university’s success in advancing gender equity and creating an inclusive academic environment. Moreover, by openly sharing this data, Walailak University demonstrates its dedication to evidence-based decision-making and its role in supporting broader societal progress toward equal opportunities in higher education.
Related links:
https://cas.wu.ac.th/en/archives/37257
https://ces.wu.ac.th/registrar/refer/sdg2.asp?d=&y=2567&lang=#designers
https://ces.wu.ac.th/registrar/student_total2.asp
https://ces.wu.ac.th/reg52/chart_101.asp
https://dssd.wu.ac.th/?p=217916
https://dssd.wu.ac.th/?p=217618
https://dssd.wu.ac.th/?p=217889
https://dssd.wu.ac.th/?p=217565
https://dssd.wu.ac.th/?p=217648
Goal 5: Gender Equality
Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
Goal 4: Quality Education
Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals