On 14/7, the final day for university applications, a parent was surprised when their child's admission application to Hanoi University was rejected. The university cited the absence of a foreign language score as the reason. This incident, posted on social media, drew attention for two days, and Hanoi University confirmed that over 130 other candidates faced similar disqualification.

The parent explained that their child, applying to the university's combined admission method under group 2, possessed an SAT certificate of 1230 and IELTS 7.0. The student also met other criteria, including high school graduation and an average foreign language transcript score, along with a total of three subjects (math, literature, English) of 7 or higher each semester. Under Ministry of Education and Training regulations, the child was exempt from the English high school graduation exam, taking only math, literature, and history as an elective.

Hanoi University's message notifying the rejection of an admission application, 14/7. *Photo: Supplied*

Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung, Vice Rector of Hanoi University, clarified to VnExpress on 16/7 that candidates must distinguish between graduation consideration and university admissions. While the Ministry of Education and Training uses IELTS certificates to exempt students from the foreign language subject in the high school graduation exam, their use for university entrance depends on each institution's specific rules. Hanoi University's combined admission regulation, issued on 30/3, explicitly states: "The university does not use converted foreign language proficiency certificate scores as foreign language exam scores for admission." Candidates with certificates like IELTS only receive incentive points.

Mr. Dung added that the university calculates its admission threshold—the minimum score required to submit an application—as the total score of three graduation exam subjects, which this year is 22/40 (one subject multiplied by a factor of two). Applicants for combined admission must simultaneously meet all criteria announced by the university.

Universities currently operate with autonomy in admissions, guided by Ministry of Education and Training regulations. This year, for methods involving IELTS certificates, universities are restricted to either converting scores or adding bonus points for candidates, but not both, a change from previous years. Professor Nguyen Tien Thao, Director of the Higher Education Department, affirmed at the Admissions and Career Counseling Fair organized by Tuoi Tre newspaper on 8/3 that while IELTS can exempt students from the English graduation exam, its use to replace this subject in university admission combinations is at the discretion of each university.

Khanh Linh