Reflecting on the 2025 university admissions cycle, Director Nguyen Tien Thao of the Higher Education Department (under the Ministry of Education and Training – MoET) revealed some troubling statistics.
During the main admissions period, a full 14 out of more than 500 higher education institutions reported procedural errors. These weren’t minor hiccups; they were significant enough to impact the admission results of approximately 1,000 candidates, predictably causing considerable anxiety and frustration for students and their families.
He explained that the root causes appeared to be a combination of institutional complacency, critical errors in data entry, and a failure to strictly adhere to regulations when establishing and announcing admission criteria, such as subject combinations and minimum entry scores. The MoET, he assured, worked swiftly to rectify the situations and safeguard the students’ rights.
A persistent issue, the MoET noted, is the complex web of admission methods used by some universities. Many employ a multitude of approaches and subject combinations without a clear framework to ensure they are genuinely assessing student competencies on an equivalent basis.
This, in turn, creates a muddle when it’s time to establish fair score conversion rules. Furthermore, there’s been an overreliance on bonus and priority points at certain institutions, leading to absurdly and unreasonably high admission scores for some majors.
Consequently, the MoET has mandated that all universities must announce their proposed admission methods for the 2026 academic year no later than this coming October. They are also tasked with issuing a comprehensive admissions scheme for 2027 and clarifying regional priority policies, particularly in light of recent provincial and city mergers.
The ministry made it clear that it will continue to support and rigorously supervise institutions to ensure compliance. Key on the agenda is amending the current Admissions Regulations for 2026 and developing a completely new framework for 2027. This effort will involve collaboration with local authorities to comprehensively review and rebuild the regional priority point system.
A survey distributed at the conference directly addressed one of the most debated topics: the future of admitting students based on their high school academic records. Participants were asked whether this method should be maintained or abolished, and also to weigh in on limiting the number of application choices, with options for a maximum of 5, 10, or no limit at all.
Director Nguyen Tien Thao provided some context, noting that in 2025, there were 17 distinct admission methods in play. Statistics reveal that admission based on high school transcripts was the most popular, used by 42.4 percent of candidates. This was followed closely by the national high school graduation exam scores at 39.1 percent, with all other methods comprising the remaining 18.5 percent.
Throughout the 2025 admissions season, a growing number of major universities have already said “no” to academic-record-based admissions, a trend that appears to be accelerating. “This method has been in place for a long time”, he remarked. “It’s time for a comprehensive reassessment to decide if we should continue using high school transcripts for university admissions going forward.”
He stressed, “We need to put our major admission methods under the microscope. Those that prove their quality will be maintained and enhanced; the rest will have to go. This is directly tied to one of the core objectives of the Politburo’s Resolution 71, which calls for modernizing education to ensure a high-quality workforce. Admissions is a critical piece of that puzzle.”
University representatives advocate for a more nuanced approach. Chairman Nguyen Thanh Chuong of the University Council at the University of Transport and Communications argued that a blanket policy isn’t necessary; some programs can still use academic records, while highly specialized fields could reduce or eliminate this method.
Separately, President of Van Lang University Tran Thi My Dieu addressed technical issues, stating that limiting application choices would streamline the overloaded admissions system. She noted that in 2025, application numbers surged from nearly 4 million to over 7.6 million, forcing the system to run significantly more “virtual filtering” processes than initially planned to manage the volume.
Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son reassured attendees that the 2026 admission process will remain largely stable. Looking ahead, the plan is to gradually transition the national high school graduation exam to a computer-based format by 2027. The MoET intends to work closely with organizations that currently administer computer-based competency tests to establish standardized principles and criteria, ensuring consistency and fairness.
“Sweeping Reorganization” of universities on horizon
The conference also tackled the monumental task of reorganizing the higher education system. According to Minister Nguyen Kim Son, Politburo Resolution 71-NQ/TW explicitly calls for the urgent restructuring of universities.
This includes merging or dissolving institutions that fail to meet standards, eliminating intermediate administrative layers, and potentially transferring some universities to local management. “The education sector is at a crossroads, facing a golden opportunity for a breakthrough”, the minister declared. “A sweeping reorganization of higher education institutions is imminent.”
The MoET is planning a sweeping reorganization expected to affect approximately 140 public universities, excluding police, military, and private institutions, aiming to overcome the current fragmented system that has hindered development.
Several scenarios are under consideration, including transferring centrally managed universities to local authorities, merging institutions, and dissolving smaller schools that fail to meet standards. The ultimate goal is to create a stronger, more cohesive system.
The Education Minister stated that while the ministry will consult with university leaders, the final decisions on mergers will be firm directives, similar to the process of merging provinces.
The MoET will develop a specific “scenario” for each institution, complete with personnel appointments, to manage the transition effectively. A steering committee has already drafted a comprehensive plan and submitted it to the Prime Minister, now awaiting final direction to proceed with this massive undertaking.
