News and Events

A dash for university seats has begun among both failed candidates and enrolled students following the Ministry of Education and Training’s announcement of new admission regulations that give advantages to specific applicants.

Vietnamese universities annually enroll candidates based on their performance on a set of three particular MoET standardized tests, which vary from discipline to discipline.

They are often banned from recruiting applicants who score below the so-called ‘pass threshold’ the ministry sets, ranging from 13 to 14.5 (out of a total 30 points) this year, depending on each major.

But MoET issued a ruling last week that allows higher learning institutions in three designated areas – namely the Northwestern, Central Highlands, and Mekong Delta regions – to accept local candidates who meet certain residency requirements and scored at most 1 point below the threshold on the tests administered by MoET in July.

Phan Cam Tu, one of the beneficiaries of this policy, said it came to her as a great surprise at a time when she was ready to go to cram school for next year’s tests after failing the most recent ones.

Tu added that her application has just been accepted by Tien Giang University, located in the Delta, through this positive discrimination.

“So I don’t have to wait until next year,” she said.

Another candidate, Huynh Thanh Liem, who could have lost a place at university thanks to his poor test results, said he has recently managed to get into the same school in the wake of the ministry’s ruling.

Those who are already enrolled in vocational and junior college courses have also joined the race to university.

Hundreds of students who are following occupational courses at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry have asked for their personal portfolios back to apply to universities in the designated regions, according to Pham Thai Son, the university’s deputy chief of academic affairs.

“We have given the documents to a score of them so far,” Son said.

A large number of applicants eligible for the affirmative action plan have eyed places in six degree courses at Tien Giang University, Dr Ngo Tan Luc, the school’s president, said.

Most of the students who are now enrolled in junior college programs at Tien Giang would like to move to university courses as they are all qualified for the new admission scheme, Huynh Tan Loi, director of the education quality assessment center, said.

“We have received a dozen applications from them,” Loi said. “Seventy candidates outside the university are seeking acceptance as well.”

Local universities are allowed to recruit new students until the end of November.