Mahidol, Chulalong-korn and Chiang Mai were ranked as the top national universities for teaching and research, the Higher Edu-cation Commission announced yesterday.

The commission conducted rankings of the top 50 universities for the first time, and while some rectors disagreed with the criteria, it announced the results by dividing the universities into five levels.

The first group of teaching universities, that scored 75 or more marks from a possible 80, were Mahidol, Chulalongkorn, Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen.

The second group, with 70-74 marks, included Kasetsart, Suranaree, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thon Buri and Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep.

Those in the last group, with fewer than 60 marks, were mostly provincial Rajabhat universities.

The criteria used to rank the universities with excellent teaching were student ratios, faculty resources, financial resources, "internationality" and quality of education.

Universities ranked best for research work included Mahidol, Chulalongkorn, Chiang Mai, King Mongkut's and Suranaree.

The second group included Kasetsart, Khon Kaen, Naresuan and the National Institute of Development Administration.

Those in the last group were campuses of Rajamangala and Rajabhat universities.

The commission also ranked the top 50 faculties, divided into seven fields: science, technology, biomedical sciences, humanities and arts, social science, agriculture and education.

Mahidol's Faculty of Science ranked first in the science field and its Faculty of Medicine at Ramathibodi Hospital topped the biomedical sciences sector. Chulalongkorn's Faculty of Engineering was ranked first for technology.

For the first year of rankings, only 51 out of Thailand's 138 universities sent information for the commission to consider.

Thammasat sent information but was not in the list because the rector did not want it to be graded, said Pavich Tongroach, the commission's secretary-general.

Asked about some universities vowing to reject the rankings, Pavich said: "No problem. I can say the results are reliable. Even if we didn't do the rankings, other countries have always ranked for us. Isn't it better that we conduct the rankings ourselves?"

Pavich said the ranking would reveal information about universities to the public. It would also help high-school students choose a university.

Professor Pornchai Matangkasombat, president of Mahidol University, said he had been confident for a long time that it was the top national university.

"The ranking is not for competition but aimed at the improvement of all the universities in Thailand," he said.

Prof Dr Virun Tungcharoen, rector of Srinakharinwirot University, which was in the fourth group for teaching standards, said he found it hard to believe all the results.

"If the information considered by those who conducted the rankings is accurate, the university shouldn't be in this group," he said.