22 certificates exempting foreign language exams for 2026 high school graduation

Students with IELTS 4.0, along with 21 other foreign language certificates in English, Russian, French, Chinese, German, Japanese, and Korean equivalent to level 3/6 or higher, will be exempt from the foreign language exam for high school graduation consideration.

The Ministry of Education and Training announced new regulations on 11/3, detailing the 2026 high school graduation exam. This year's list of eligible foreign language certificates for exemption has expanded by two compared to previous years.

For the first time, students holding a TOPIK Korean language certificate at level 3 will be exempt from the foreign language exam. Additionally, the international English certificate Versant English Placement Test (VEPT) with a score of 43 has been added to the list. These additions stem from the Ministry's recent recognition of these two certificates as equivalent to the levels defined in Vietnam's 6-level foreign language competency framework.

Similar to last year, this exemption applies solely to high school graduation consideration and does not convert into 10 points for university admissions. Students intending to apply to universities through graduation exam scores, especially for programs requiring a foreign language, must still take the exam.

The full list of 22 certificates approved for foreign language exam exemption for the 2026 high school graduation consideration is as follows:

Students in Ho Chi Minh City (TP HCM) taking the 2025 high school graduation exam. Photo: Quynh Tran

The 2026 high school graduation exam is scheduled for 11-12/6, two weeks earlier than in previous years. Annually, approximately one million students take this exam, with over 50% using their scores for university admission. The Ministry stated it will announce specific timelines this month. The exam structure, proportion, and differentiation level for 2026 will remain consistent with 2025, thus no sample exams will be released.

IELTS conversion table for universities in 2026

Each year, tens of thousands of students are exempt from the foreign language exam for high school graduation consideration. For example, in 2024, this figure was nearly 67,000. However, since last year, the number of exemptions has significantly decreased in many localities. This reduction is attributed to foreign language becoming an elective subject under the new general education program. The Ministry has not released nationwide data on this decline.