This policy is part of the Prime Minister's decision on credit for students pursuing STEM fields, announced on the night of 29/8.
Specifically, the maximum loan amount for a student includes the full tuition fee as confirmed by the school, plus up to 5 million VND per month for living and other study expenses.
The Social Policy Bank will agree on the specific loan amount with each student.
Compared to the draft proposal in April, the loan amount is higher. At that time, the Ministry of Finance proposed a maximum loan of 5 million VND, 1 million VND more than students in other fields. However, this amount included both tuition and living expenses.
Tuition fees at 130 universities
The government also decided to lower the loan interest rate for STEM students. In the draft, the Ministry of Finance proposed a rate of 6.6% per year, equal to the lending rate for poor households at the Social Policy Bank. This was also the lowest rate among the bank's credit programs. However, according to the official decision, the interest rate students must pay is only 4.8% per year.
To qualify for a loan, first-year students must have achieved good or excellent academic performance throughout their three years of high school, or an average score of 8 or higher in math, physics, chemistry, and biology in their 12th grade. Students from the second year onwards must have an average grade of good or excellent in the previous academic year. This condition is stricter than the previous proposal, which only required satisfactory academic performance. Master's and doctoral students must have recognition from their universities.
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Students gain practical experience at the Clean Room, Nano and Energy Center, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, a training and research center for semiconductors. Photo: Giang Huy |
Students gain practical experience at the Clean Room, Nano and Energy Center, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, a training and research center for semiconductors. Photo: Giang Huy
According to a survey of universities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City by the Ministry of Finance, STEM tuition fees are currently around 30-50 million VND per year for regular programs. The fees for advanced or international cooperative programs are 50-70 million VND, and up to 200-300 million VND for international joint programs. The basic living expenses for students in these two cities are about 3-5 million VND per month.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the average loan demand for students in these fields is about 9.5 million VND per month, including 5 million VND for living expenses and 4.5 million VND for tuition and related costs.
Currently, the maximum loan for students is 4 million VND per month, but this only applies to orphaned students, those from poor or near-poor households, or households with an average standard of living as defined by law. The loan interest rate is 6.6% per year.
According to Decree 81, the tuition fee ceiling for public universities that have not yet achieved autonomy for the next academic year is 15.9 to 31.1 million VND (10 months), of which STEM fields are 17.1-18.5 million VND.
Autonomous universities (those that manage their own salaries, allowances, and facility maintenance) can charge up to two to two and a half times the above amount, depending on their level of autonomy. For training programs that have achieved quality accreditation according to Ministry standards or international standards, universities are allowed to determine their own tuition fees.
Duong Tam
