This directive was issued by the Prime Minister on 18/5 regarding the organization of the 2026 national high school graduation examination and university and vocational college admissions.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that recent examinations have become increasingly rigorous and largely meet the objectives of assessing general education quality and admission requirements. However, certain limitations persist. Specifically, some institutions have admitted more students than quality assurance regulations permit, and score conversion methods at several universities remain inconsistent.

The head of government instructed the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) and provincial/city authorities to develop plans and methods for organizing examinations and admissions. These plans must assign responsibilities according to six clear principles: clear personnel, clear tasks, clear timelines, clear responsibilities, clear deliverables, and clear authority for leadership.

The national high school graduation examination should aim to reduce pressure and costs while ensuring reliability for university and college admissions. The Ministry of Education and Training must develop secure exam papers with appropriate differentiation.

For universities and colleges, the Prime Minister mandated that admission methods and processes be publicly announced and ensure consistency, fairness, and objectivity. These methods should accurately assess student capabilities and guarantee unified control over admission quality.

Six changes in 2026 university admissions

Previously, the Ministry of Education and Training announced several changes to admissions aimed at improving input quality. For instance, when considering academic transcripts (hoc ba), universities must use the average score of six semesters for at least three subjects, including mandatory math or literature, with a weighting of no less than 10/30 in the admission score calculation. Additionally, candidates must achieve a total score of at least 15/30 for three graduation exam subjects (either by combination or math, literature, and one other subject). Last year, the Ministry only required considering the full 12th-grade score with a minimum weighting of 25%.

The Ministry also tightened regulations on bonus points and foreign language certificate conversions. International certificate incentive points are capped at 1,5, one-half reduction compared to last year. If certificates are converted, universities must establish at least five distinct score levels, and no additional incentive points may be added once a conversion has occurred.

Furthermore, the Ministry limited the number of aspirations (nguyen vong) for candidates to 15, down from unlimited, and capped the number of admission methods for universities at a maximum of five.

Candidates in TP HCM taking the 2025 national high school graduation examination. Photo: *Quynh Tran*

This year's national high school graduation examination will take place on 11-12/6. Candidates will receive their scores on 1/7 and can register or adjust their university aspirations from 2/7 until 17h on 14/7. Results of university admissions will be announced from 17h on 9/8 until 13/8.

Duong Tam