I got my pink ID card a few years ago when my sons were eligible to get theirs.

 

I recently applied to study at a university here. The price difference between local fees and international student fees are 5 figures THB per semester. 6 figures THB over the duration of the course. It isn't a privately owned or operated university. 

 

During the application process they asked if I will register with my passport or my Thai ID card, and confirmed that doing so with the pink ID card excludes me from having to pay the international student fees, but also means I cannot get a student visa, which I don't care about anyway.

 

So if you are going to study here and don't require a student visa, get a pink Thai ID card first and you should only have to pay the local student rates. 

First "real" benefit I have seen from having the pink card