Set against Doi Suthep, the campus occupies a 725-acre (2.93 km2) site, bounded on three sides by main shopping streets and on the fourth by the Chiang Mai Zoo.

Constructed to supply water for the university, it is also a recreational area for campus residents and the local community.

With conservation in mind, university buildings were constructed between the trees, with the result that the campus still retains much of its original setting.

Near the main campus, and closer to the city, the health sciences complex, the Suan Dok campus (Thai: สวนดอก), occupies a 110-acre (0.45 km2) site which includes faculties of medicine, associated medical sciences, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, known locally as Suan Dok, the largest teaching hospital in northern Thailand.

[8] Chiang Mai University ranks 3rd in academics and 5th in research according to the Office of the Higher Education Commission.