On 22/7, the Ministry of Education and Training released a comparison between high school graduation exam results and 12th-grade transcripts nationwide.
Across all 12 subjects, the average transcript grade was 0.12-2.25 points higher than the high school graduation exam score. Literature had the smallest difference, with an average transcript grade of 7.12, just 0.12 points higher than the average exam score.
The largest discrepancies were found in math and industrial technology. The average transcript grade for math was 7.03, 2.25 points higher than the exam score. In industrial technology, these figures were 8.05 and 5.79 respectively.
English followed, with the average high school graduation exam score being 1.57 points lower than the transcript grade.
This is the first time the Ministry has published the difference between transcript grades and high school graduation exam scores. According to the Ministry, if using transcripts for admissions, universities must use this data to convert scores accordingly.
The difference between transcript grades and the 2025 high school graduation exam scores are as follows:
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University tuition fees in 2025 - University benchmark score predictions
High school graduation exam scores and transcript grades are the two main university admission methods, accounting for over 90% of student enrollment annually.
The Ministry previously compared the total scores of three subjects in five traditional university entrance exam blocks (A00, A01, B00, C00, D00) in 2023 with students' average transcript grades and concluded that high school graduation exam scores are a better indicator of student ability.
Specifically, 60% of students admitted to university based on transcripts had a combined score of around 20 points on the three-subject exam. Meanwhile, 60% of students admitted based on exam scores achieved over 23 points. The difference between these two groups was 3 points. When considering transcript grades, 60% of students admitted based on exam scores had a transcript grade of 25, 1 point higher than the group admitted based on transcripts.
However, surveys at some universities, such as the University of Industry in Ho Chi Minh City and the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, show no significant difference in performance between the two groups after enrollment.
At Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, statistics from over 10,000 students admitted over three years (2021-2023) show that the group admitted based on transcripts consistently had a grade point average 0.11-0.25 higher than the group admitted based on exam scores.
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High school graduation exam takers in Ho Chi Minh City in 2025. Photo: Quynh Tran
Students can currently register and adjust their university applications an unlimited number of times until 5 PM on 28/7. Universities are gradually announcing their minimum admission scores and predicted benchmarks.
Students can visit VnExpress's University Search page to view admission information such as subject combinations, tuition fees, and benchmark score fluctuations over the years by major and university. The system also suggests majors and universities that had benchmark scores close to the student's score in each subject combination last year.
Students can submit application fees online from 29/7 to 5 PM on 5/8. Universities will announce benchmark scores before 5 PM on 22/8.
Le Nguyen
