13 universities in Ho Chi Minh City shift to combined admissions

13 universities in Ho Chi Minh City are transitioning to a combined admission method, integrating academic transcripts and various exam scores instead of relying on single score types.

Originating from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM) in 2022, this multi-component admission method has been adopted by at least 14 institutions this year. With the exception of Banking Academy in Hanoi, all other institutions are located in Ho Chi Minh City.

The scores used include: academic transcripts, competency assessments, and high school graduation exam results. Van Lang University, however, employs a comprehensive evaluation of academic transcripts, a personal assessment aligned with the chosen major, and foreign language proficiency.

No.	University	Combined Score Components
1	University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City	Academic transcripts + high school graduation exam/competency assessment exam/V-SAT scores
2	University of Science, VNUHCM	Academic transcripts + competency assessment exam/high school graduation exam scores
3	University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNUHCM	High school graduation exam scores + competency assessment exam scores
4	University of Economics and Law, VNUHCM	Academic transcripts + high school graduation exam scores + competency assessment exam scores
5	University of Information Technology, VNUHCM	Academic transcripts + high school graduation exam scores + competency assessment exam scores
6	International University, VNUHCM	Not yet announced
7	University of Health Sciences, VNUHCM	Not yet announced
8	An Giang University, VNUHCM	Academic transcripts + competency assessment scores + high school graduation exam scores
9	Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, VNUHCM	Academic transcripts + high school graduation exam scores + competency assessment exam scores + other achievements
10	Ton Duc Thang University	Academic transcripts + high school graduation exam scores
11	Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education (HCMUTE)	Academic transcripts + high school graduation exam scores + competency assessment exam scores
12	Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry	Academic transcripts + high school graduation exam scores + competency assessment exam scores + other achievements
13	Van Lang University	Academic transcripts + personal assessment aligned with major + foreign language proficiency

Universities view this combined assessment as an inevitable trend for comprehensive evaluation, aiming to identify truly capable candidates, especially given ongoing debates surrounding academic transcript scores. This approach also helps universities avoid complications arising from score conversions between different admission methods.

Under the admission regulations for 2026, candidates applying solely with academic transcripts must achieve a minimum total score of 15/30 across three high school graduation exam subjects corresponding to their chosen admission combination.

Additionally, the Ministry of Education and Training has capped the number of university applications per candidate at 15, a change from the previous unlimited system. Candidates can only use foreign language certificates like IELTS to convert to an English score or receive bonus points, with a maximum of 1,5 points. Previously, this group could gain up to 3 points, or both convert and receive incentive points at certain institutions.