Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam raises academic transcript review conditions

For 2026, the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) will continue to review academic transcripts, but only for candidates who achieve a minimum of 22 points in the national high school graduation exam and an average transcript score of 8,5 for two-thirds of their subjects.

According to the provisional admission plan announced on 26/2, the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam will maintain its four admission methods.

The first method involves reviewing academic transcripts combined with IELTS and other international foreign language certificates. Candidates must simultaneously meet four conditions: demonstrate excellent academic standing across six high school semesters (meaning six subjects achieved 8 points or higher, with no subject below 6,5, and good conduct); achieve a minimum three-year average score of 8,5 for two-thirds of the subjects in their chosen combination (excluding the foreign language subject); score at least 22 points across three subjects in the corresponding combination for the national high school graduation exam; and obtain an IELTS score of 6.0 or its equivalent.

The requirement for national high school graduation exam scores is a new addition this year, and the academic transcript score requirement has also increased. Last year, DAV only required candidates to have an overall average score of at least 8 for all subjects.

The second method combines international aptitude test certificates, such as SAT, ACT, A-Level, and IB, with IELTS and other foreign language certificates.

The minimum scores for these certificates are: 1200/1600 for SAT, 29/36 for ACT, a D grade for each A-Level subject, and 30/45 for IB. The scores from these certificates will be converted to a 10-point or 20-point scale, depending on the type. DAV will announce the detailed conversion table at a later date.

The academy will also continue to admit students based on national high school graduation exam scores and through direct admission, in accordance with the regulations set by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Candidates who have won awards in provincial-level or higher excellent student competitions will receive bonus points ranging from 0,2 to 0,8 added to their total admission score. The specific bonus point allocation is as follows:

Students attend a DAV admissions consultation session, 4/2025. Photo: DAV

The total quota for 14 majors is 2.200, consistent with last year. The number of subject combinations also remains stable at 13, including A00 (Math, Physics, Chemistry), A01 (Math, Physics, English), C00 (Literature, History, Geography), D01, 03, 04, 06, D2 (Math, Literature, English/French/Chinese/Japanese/Korean), D07 (Math, Chemistry, English), D09 (Math, History, English), D10 (Math, Geography, English), D14 (Literature, History, English), and D15 (Literature, Geography, English).

Details of the 14 majors, quotas, and admission combinations for DAV in 2026 are:

Last year, the cutoff scores for the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam ranged from 24,17 to 26,09. Chinese Studies had the highest cutoff, while American Studies had the lowest. These scores applied to 13 out of 14 combinations. The C00 combination had a cutoff score 3 points higher.