Cryptography Engineering Academy for the first time considers competency and critical thinking assessment scores

After many years of only admitting students based on high school graduation exam scores, the Cryptography Engineering Academy (KMA) this year is adding four types of scores from competency and critical thinking assessment exams.

The Cryptography Engineering Academy (KMA) has announced a significant change to its admissions process for 2026, incorporating competency and critical thinking assessment scores for the first time. This marks a departure from its long-standing practice of relying solely on high school graduation exam results for student intake.

The academy revealed its projected admissions plan on 13/2. Under the new guidelines, KMA will now accept scores from specialized examinations administered by Vietnam National University, Hanoi; Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City; Hanoi University of Science and Technology; and Hanoi National University of Education.

Despite these new additions, KMA will continue its traditional admission method, accepting high school graduation exam scores. This applies to six subject combinations: A00 (mathematics, physics, chemistry), A01 (mathematics, physics, English), X26 (mathematics, English, informatics), X06 (mathematics, physics, informatics), X07 (mathematics, physics, industrial technology), and K01 (mathematics, literature, physics). Notably, X07 and K01 are new combinations introduced this year. The academy has confirmed that there will be no score discrepancies between these subject combinations.

In addition to the standard admissions, candidates can also benefit from priority points. Those holding an IELTS certificate of 5,5 or higher will receive a bonus of 0,5 to one point. This bonus has been reduced by 0,5 points compared to last year's policy. Furthermore, candidates who have received provincial-level excellent student awards in mathematics, physics, or informatics will be granted an additional bonus of 0,5 to 1,5 points on a 30-point scale across all admission methods.

Bonus points	Certificate
0,5	IELTS 5,5-6,0, TOEIC 650-749, TOEFL iBT 65-79
one	IELTS 6,5-7,0, TOEIC 750-849, TOEFL iBT 80-94
1,5	IELTS 7,5, TOEIC 850, TOEFL iBT 95 or higher

Students of Cryptography Engineering Academy on graduation day, 1/2026. *Photo: School Fanpage*

This year, KMA will continue to enroll students in three key majors: information security, information technology, and electronic and telecommunications engineering. At its Hanoi campus, the information security major has the highest enrollment target with 240 students, while the other two majors will each admit 140 students. Graduates from the Hanoi campus will receive an engineering degree.

For its Ho Chi Minh City campus, KMA will admit only 80 students, exclusively for the information security major, with graduates receiving a bachelor's degree. The academy's total enrollment target for this year is 600 students.

Last year, no major at the Cryptography Engineering Academy had a benchmark score below 23 points. The information security major at the Hanoi campus recorded the highest benchmark score at 24,42 points.