The Ministry of Education and Training announced on the morning of 15/7 that over 874,811 candidates had submitted their aspirations to the system, an increase of nearly 25,000 compared to last year.

The total number of aspirations registered by candidates exceeded 7.18 million, with an average of over eight aspirations per student. This figure was close to 9 last year. This reduction may be due to the Ministry's new regulation this year, limiting candidates to a maximum of 15 aspirations, unlike the unlimited number previously allowed. Consequently, the practice of candidates registering hundreds of aspirations has ceased.

Thus, over 387,000 students, representing nearly 29.56% of the total and an increase of 2.76% from last year, have forgone university admission this year. There are several reasons for this. For instance, this year the Ministry implemented a minimum score of 15 points for a three-subject combination for candidates to be eligible to register. Additionally, many candidates chose to study abroad, pursue vocational training, seek overseas employment, or enter the workforce immediately.

This year also marks the first time the Ministry has announced the number of candidates applying to STEM fields. The total number of candidates in this group is nearly 467,600, with approximately 2.37 million aspirations. Candidates can pay their application fees online from tomorrow until 5 PM on 21/7. The schedule for university application fee payments is available across 34 provinces and cities.

University admission cut-off scores will be announced by institutions after the final virtual filtering round, which is after 5 PM on 10/8. Admitted candidates must confirm their enrollment on the system before 5 PM on 21/8. Subsequently, universities will conduct supplementary admissions if needed. Information on tuition fees for 120 universities is also available.

Candidates completing high school graduation exam procedures at the Le Quy Don test site, Ho Chi Minh City, on the afternoon of 10/6. *Photo: Thanh Tung*

Duong Tam