Chulalongkorn University (Thai: จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, RTGS: Chulalongkon Mahawitthayalai, ) (CU), nicknamed Chula (Thai: จุฬาฯ), is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn’s reign as a school for training royal pages and civil servants in 1899 (B.E. 2442) at the Grand Palace of Thailand. It was later established as a national university in 1917, making it the oldest institute of higher education in Thailand.