Thammasat University is one of the oldest universities in Thailand, located in the historical and cultural center of Bangkok on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. It was founded in 1933 as a university of arts, and in 1934 it was approved as an "open university" in law and political science. 1952, it officially became the National University of Thailand, and in 1960 it ended its history as an open university, becoming a formal university with strict admission requirements and passing entrance exams.