The development of Mahasarakham University can be traced back to 1963, when it was known as "Mahasarakham Teacher's Training College". On 27 March 1968, it was established as Mahasarakham College of Education for strengthening and expanding higher education in the Northeastern region (
Isan) of the nation. Located in the outer north area of
Maha Sarakham province, a small town right at the center of the region, the college has been responsible for developing quality educators to serve educational institutions of all levels. In 1974, the college's status was elevated when it became a regional campus of
Srinakharinwirot University. At that time, there were four academic faculties: education, humanities, social sciences, and science. In 1994, the college gained its statutory status through the Thai Higher Education Act and became
Mahasarakham University, the 22nd public university of Thailand Mahasarakham University has since expanded rapidly in academic infrastructure, facilities, and relevant services. It became a comprehensive university, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in three academic clusters: social sciences; pure and applied sciences; and health sciences. In 1988, the Kham Riang Campus, known as the New Campus, was established, approximately seven kilometres from the Old Campus. With 17 faculties and two colleges, the university has been recognized as one of Thailand's fastest growing. The total student enrolment has increased from thousands in its earlier years to about 40,000 students in 2016. To extend its academic services to remote communities, MSU has had 15 academic service centers in the northeastern region, later reorganized into two centres in
Nakhon Ratchasima province and
Udon Thani province. As a regional education center,
Maha Sarakham is known as the "
Taxila (or Takshashila) (a Hindu and Buddhist centre of learning in ancient India) of
Isan". ==Budget==