By 24/8, all universities had announced their admission scores. Contrary to initial predictions after the Ministry of Education and Training released the exam score distribution, most programs saw an increase in entrance requirements.

Education programs reach peak scores

4 of the 6 programs with a perfect 30/30 admission score belonged to the education field. These were English Language Education and Chinese Language Education, both at the University of Foreign Languages (Hue University) and the University of Foreign Languages (Vietnam National University, Hanoi).

However, this is not the sum of three exam subjects. The scoring formula for both universities is quite similar, both based on a 40-point scale (foreign language subject multiplied by 2), plus 1-3 bonus points (for certificates, excellent student awards, etc.) then converted to a 30-point scale. Even so, to achieve 30 after conversion, candidates needed to score 9-10 on each exam subject - an excellent result according to many teachers' assessments of this year's graduation exam.

At other education universities, the highest admission scores were all above 29, approaching 30. The History-Geography Education program at the University of Education (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) had a cutoff score of 29.84. Many other education programs required over 28 points.

At Hanoi National University of Education, 18 out of 28 teacher training programs had admission scores above 26, the highest being History Education at 29.06. Ho Chi Minh City University of Education's Chemistry Education program had a cutoff of 29.38, Literature Education 29.07, and several others above 26.

A similar trend was observed at many other universities. Among 9 universities and institutes under Da Nang University, Literature Education had the highest admission threshold at 28.84, followed by History Education at 28.76. Other programs with scores above 27 included Biology Education, Chemistry Education, Physics Education, and Mathematics Education.

At Thai Nguyen University, only education programs had admission scores above 27, higher than even medicine and pharmacy. History Education reached 27.94. At multidisciplinary universities like Da Lat University, education programs also led with admission scores around 27-28, a difference of 5-10 points compared to other programs.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thanh Nam, Vice President of the University of Education (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), attributed this to the increasing number of applicants to education programs while the allocated quota remains limited. He cited the University of Education as an example, where the total quota is around 1,600 but they received over 50,000 applications, double last year's figure.

"The quota for the History-Geography Education program is 70, and the university accepted nearly 90 students to compensate for 'virtual' applications (students who apply but don't enroll), yet the admission score remained very high at 29.84," Nam said.

According to Nam, teacher training programs are attracting more students due to tuition waivers and a monthly living allowance of 3.6 million VND. Recent state policies, such as the Teacher Law, have established the status of the teaching profession in society, with the highest priority in the administrative and public service salary system.

High school graduation exam candidates in Da Nang, June. Photo: Nguyen Dong

High school graduation exam candidates in Da Nang, June. Photo: Nguyen Dong

Technology and engineering admission scores continue to rise

Among the programs with the highest admission scores in previous years, technology and computer science-related fields maintained their popularity. Many universities kept their admission scores between 26 and 28, with some even increasing.

The highest admission score in this field belonged to Computer Science (advanced program) at the University of Science (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City), with 29.92 for the A00 combination (Math, Physics, Chemistry), an increase of nearly 1.5 compared to last year. The university's Artificial Intelligence program also had an entrance requirement above 29 for most combinations.

Contrary to initial predictions, the admission score for Artificial Intelligence at the University of Information Technology (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City) jumped by more than 1 point to 29.6, despite already being high last year (28.3).

Hanoi University of Science and Technology showed a similar trend. Two programs with scores above 29 were Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (advanced program) and Computer Science. Several programs approached 29, including Computer Engineering, Cyberspace Security, Information Technology, and Control Engineering - Automation. Last year, the highest admission score at this university was 28.53.

The Information Technology program at the University of Engineering and Technology (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) had a cutoff score of 28.19, an increase of 0.39 compared to last year.

Engineering and basic science programs also saw an upward trend. Microchip Design Engineering, Engineering Physics, and Chemical Engineering Technology at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education all had admission scores above 28. Some basic science programs had admission scores above 27.

At Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, Mechatronics Engineering Technology and Automation had the highest admission scores at 26.5, surpassing economics and law, and increasing nearly 2 points compared to last year.

"These are all highly attractive fields. Even with predictions of lower high school graduation exam scores, I still anticipated a rise in admission scores for these programs," said Chu Duc Trinh, President of the University of Engineering and Technology.

Associate Professor Dr. Le Hieu Giang, President of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, noted that technology and engineering programs already had high admission standards. This year, student interest continued due to policies and key training projects focused on these fields. The Ministry is also drafting policies to provide scholarships and monthly living allowances for students pursuing basic science, key engineering, and strategic technology programs.

"These policies will create a boost for students. These fields will maintain their appeal in the coming years," Giang said.

Additionally, Master Hoang Thanh Tu, Deputy Head of the Information and Communications Department at the University of Science, suggested that the high admission scores are also due to the limited quota for these programs. Moreover, although the average high school graduation exam score decreased, the number of high scores increased, with hundreds of perfect scores in Math. Students with high scores often apply to highly sought-after programs.

Medicine and pharmacy admission scores plummet

Admission scores for medicine and pharmacy programs decreased this year, ranging from 0.5 to nearly 6 points, across most programs and universities, including top institutions.

For medicine programs at 15 major medical universities across the country, admission scores dropped from 0.46 to 2.55 points. The University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Da Nang University) saw the most significant decrease. Only the University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) saw an increase, but it was negligible (0.28 points).

Several programs like Nursing, Public Health, Preventive Medicine, Midwifery, and Nutrition saw significant drops at all universities, typically between 3 and 5.94 points.

At Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy and Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Nutrition experienced the most significant drop in admission scores, around 5 points. At Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Preventive Medicine saw a sharp decline from 22.7 to 17. At Hanoi Medical University, the admission score for Nursing at the Thanh Hoa campus and Preventive Medicine was 17, a decrease of 3.25 and 5.94 respectively compared to the previous year.

The decline in medicine and pharmacy admission scores was predicted by experts due to the increased difficulty of the high school graduation exams in Math, Chemistry, and Biology (the B00 combination, the primary selection criteria for medical schools). The average score for these three subjects also saw the largest decrease compared to last year.

An admissions officer from a northern medical university pointed to another reason: many universities in this field maintained or increased their quotas compared to last year, but the applicant pool decreased. Only nearly 70,000 students chose to take the Biology exam this year, compared to over 340,000 last year. The number of Chemistry exam takers also decreased by over 100,000 compared to last year.

The Ministry of Education and Training anticipated this and adjusted the minimum score for healthcare programs to 17-20.5, a 2-point decrease from last year and the lowest ever.

Le Nguyen - Duong Tam - Thanh Hang