There would not appear to be any flexibility regarding any split between the amount of income and the deposit in a Thai bank so e.g. if your income is 1m baht per annum and had a 2m baht bank deposit, that wouldn't be sufficient. The detail on the website you posted also indicates that you still need to attend at immigration every year in order to establish that you continue to qualify, so although they tout it as a 5 (+5) year visa, the reality means that the differential between that and a traditional visa is even more marginal.

Only need a flight out to board if no visa

Can convert tourist to nonimm for many categories (not business I believe) in Thailand

Wrong. Visa means no requirement for onward flight

Steve Steven is that for any ED course, or just for formal University study (or full time school if under 18 etc.)? As I mentioned above in another reply, I studied at CMU on 1 year course, and was told that I would have to leave Thailand for new visa.

@狭*

I had a course at Chiang Mai University, but not a formal (e.g. diploma or degree course) and was told that I had to leave Thailand for ED visa, even though I had a SETV. Possibly they don't know, or possibly, it is only available for a formal University course.

I have never heard of anyone doing a conversion of a tourist to a non-immigration visa for ED before. Only for retirement. Possibly a few others, but pretty sure not for ED purposes. Every school I have dealt with has told their students that they must get a new non-immigrant ED visa outside of Thailand, for which, they obviously must have their paperwork (although they don't need to be in Thailand to get their paperwork - it can, and regularly is, posted out)

@Tod ********

TM30s have been a big issue (and source of funds) for immigration up in Chiang Mai

@Tod ********

TM30 also would mean that someone should be logged into the database at a particular address. For most extensions these days, they seem to be checking that the TM30 has been filed