By mid-January, numerous universities unveiled their provisional admission plans for 2026. Many of these institutions convert international English language certificates, primarily IELTS, into English subject scores. These scores are often combined with two other subjects for admission consideration.
Nine universities have released detailed conversion rates. Nguyen Tat Thanh University (Ho Chi Minh City) converts an IELTS score of 4.5 – the lowest accepted band – into 8 English points. However, to achieve a perfect 10, candidates must score an IELTS 8.0 or higher, mirroring the requirement at University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH).
Most other universities convert IELTS scores from 5.0-5.5 into 6-8,5 English points.
IELTS score conversion rates for 9 universities in 2026:
| No. | University | IELTS Score Conversion | |||||||
| 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 8.0-9.0 | ||
| 1 | National Economics University | 8 | 8,5 | 9 | 9,5 | 10 | |||
| 2 | Hanoi University of Science and Technology | 8,5 | 9 | 9,5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| 3 | University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH) | 7 | 7,5 | 8 | 8,5 | 9 | 9,5 | 10 | |
| 4 | Academy of Journalism and Communication | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9,5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| 5 | Thang Long University | 8,5 | 9 | 9,5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| 6 | University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University | 8,5 | 9 | 9,5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | ||
| 7 | Ho Chi Minh City Open University | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| 8 | Nguyen Tat Thanh University (Ho Chi Minh City) | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9,5 | 9,5 | 10 |
| 9 | Nha Trang University | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
Other institutions, including those within Vietnam National University, Hanoi – such as the University of Law, Vietnam Japan University, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Science, and University of Economics – also plan to convert IELTS scores but have not yet released specific rates.
Beyond score conversion, some universities offer bonus points to candidates with IELTS certificates. For example, Ho Chi Minh City Open University grants 0,5-2 additional points for certificates with a band score of 6.0 or higher.
A look back at 10 years of IELTS in university admissions
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Students in Ho Chi Minh City take the 2025 high school graduation exam. Photo: Thanh Tung |
Last year, over 70 universities converted IELTS scores into English subject points for combined admission with high school graduation exam results or academic transcripts, accepting scores from 4.0 upwards.
The Ministry of Education and Training recently indicated plans to limit bonus points for candidates with foreign language certificates, to a maximum of 1-2 points. This aims to prevent scenarios where admission scores significantly exceed exam scores. Last year, the maximum bonus was 3 points.
According to experts, this adjustment is a reasonable approach to regulate the use of foreign language certificates in university admissions. It promotes fairness among candidates, especially given the challenging and highly differentiated nature of the high school graduation English exam.
Duong Tam
