Many of these programs are struggling to meet their enrollment targets and are being compelled to consider extending their recruitment periods.
In response to this trend, several institutions have made the decision to suspend new student intake for these programs. Instead, they are redirecting their resources to enhance the quality of their domestic training programs, aiming to meet established accreditation standards.
Many international training joint programs discontinue their offerings
In 2025, Ho Chi Minh City Open University offered six international joint programs in collaboration with two Australian universities and one French university. Despite a minimum admission score of 15 from the high school graduation exam, the university still had to consider supplementary admissions for each major, with a quota of 20 students. This represents a significant reduction from previous years, when the university had as many as 13 such programs.
Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry previously had a joint program with Angelo State University (ASU) in the United States, structured as a 2+2 program (two years in Vietnam, two years in the U.S.), with a degree conferred by ASU. The program included eight majors, such as Business Administration, Marketing, and Computer Science. However, due to persistent enrollment difficulties since 2022, the university ceased new admissions for this program in 2024.
International University under Ho Chi Minh City National University has a portfolio of nearly 30 joint programs with international partners, including 2+2, 3+1, and 4+0 models. These programs allow students to study for two to three years in Vietnam before transferring to partner institutions in the UK, U.S., Australia, and New Zealand to complete their degrees. While students receive diplomas from institutions ranked within the top 30 in the UK and U.S., the university has consistently failed to fill even 50 percent of its nearly 1,500-student quota for these programs in recent years.
Similar enrollment difficulties are being reported at other institutions, including Hanoi National University, Foreign Trade University, Duy Tan University, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance, and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, where many international joint programs are unable to meet their enrollment targets and some majors have been suspended.
According to representatives from various universities, in the past, only a few major universities engaged in training partnerships with foreign institutions, and these partners were all reputable and high-quality schools. However, currently, under the Higher Education Law of 2018, universities have the autonomy to establish training collaborations with foreign entities, which has led to a surge in the number of institutions hastily launching international training programs, making it challenging to ensure quality.
Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) needs to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the conditions that ensure quality (infrastructure, faculty), and enhance the accreditation of collaborative programs. Programs that do not meet quality standards should be penalized by the MoET, and they should be required to cease enrollment.
A new report from the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Education and Training reveals that a significant number of joint training programs lack proper quality assessment.
Lack of quality assurance
According to data from June 2025, Vietnam has 423 joint training programs at the university level, spanning 67 fields of study. Economic and management majors constitute the largest share at 51 percent, while science, engineering, and technology programs make up nearly 20 percent. Additionally, 32 colleges offer 77 joint training programs.
However, a concerning 62.71 percent of these programs have not been officially ranked or evaluated for quality. This is compounded by issues in student admissions, including low scores from high school exams and inadequate foreign language proficiency.
Vice Principal Nguyen Quoc Anh of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology notes that international joint programs are now enrolling smaller class sizes, typically between 30 and 50 students. This marks a significant decrease from previous years, as students now have more diverse options for studying abroad, ranging from expensive destinations like the U.S., UK, and Australia to more affordable countries such as Japan, Korea, and China, which often offer scholarships.
The rise of high-quality, cost-effective domestic programs has also diminished the appeal of joint programs. Furthermore, the strong rebound of direct study abroad after the Covid-19 pandemic has drawn away students who once viewed joint programs as a stepping stone.
According to Head Nguyen Trung Nhan of the Training Department at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, financial factors are a major deterrent. Tuition fees for international joint programs are typically twice as high as those for domestic programs. For transfer programs (e.g., 2+2 and 3+1 models), tuition can be 4 to 5 times higher, and in some cases, up to 10 times higher than studying locally.
Additionally, countries and territories like Malaysia and Taiwan (China) are becoming more attractive to prospective students due to their lower tuition fees and generous scholarship programs. The foreign language proficiency requirement, particularly in English, also remains a significant barrier for many applicants.
According to representatives from various universities, previously only a few major universities engaged in training partnerships with foreign institutions, and their partners were all reputable and high-quality schools. However, currently, under the Higher Education Law of 2018, universities have the autonomy to establish training collaborations with foreign entities, which has led to a surge in institutions hastily launching international training programs, making it challenging to ensure quality.
Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) needs to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the conditions that ensure quality (infrastructure, faculty), and enhance the accreditation of collaborative programs. Programs that do not meet quality standards should face penalties from the MoET and be required to cease enrollment.
