By early April, most universities released their admission plans for 2026. Among them, sixty-four institutions published their conversion tables for international language certificates, primarily IELTS, into English subject scores. These scores are combined with high school graduation examination results or academic transcripts from two other subjects for admission consideration.

Eleven universities convert IELTS scores starting from 4,0. This is the minimum score, which also allows candidates to be exempt from the English high school graduation examination according to Ministry of Education and Training regulations. Saigon University and Yersin Da Lat University, for instance, assign 7,5 points for this threshold.

Universities converting from an IELTS score of 4,5 include Electric Power University, Hanoi Open University, University of Transport Technology, and Vietnam Aviation Academy, commonly assigning seven to eight English subject points.

Most other institutions require an IELTS score of 5,0 or higher. For candidates with an IELTS score of 7,0 or above, many universities, such as Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi University of Industry, and Thuongmai University, award ten English points.

Conversely, six universities only grant the maximum English subject score for IELTS scores of 8,0 or higher. Examples include Foreign Trade University, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, CMC University, University of Natural Sciences, TP HCM, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, TP HCM, and Nguyen Tat Thanh University.

The list of universities converting IELTS scores for 2026 admissions, as of early April, is as follows:

Candidates taking the Vietnam National University, TP HCM competency assessment exam in 2026. Photo: *Quynh Tran*

According to the admission regulations issued in mid-February, foreign language certificate conversion tables must feature at least five distinct score levels.

Beyond score conversion, several universities, such as Hanoi Architectural University, Hanoi University of Public Health, Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, TP HCM, Academy of Cryptography Techniques, and the Academy of Judges, award bonus points for candidates with IELTS certificates. However, the Ministry of Education and Training stipulates that candidates who convert foreign language certificate scores are ineligible for bonus points.

A look back at ten years of IELTS admissions in universities

Last year, more than 70 universities converted IELTS scores into English subject points for combined admission with high school graduation examination results or academic transcripts, also accepting scores from 4,0 upwards.

Duong Tam