Data from the Ministry of Education and Training's higher education report, released last week, revealed a significant downturn in law admissions. Over 633,000 students enrolled in the first phase of university admissions this year, marking a 4,2% increase from last year. However, among eight major training groups, law recorded the most significant decline in successful candidates, falling from over 32,000 to nearly 24,500, a nearly 24% reduction. Nationally, 113 institutions offer law degrees, with a median admission score of 20, unchanged from last year.

Professor Le Quan, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, later identified two primary reasons for the contraction in law school admissions during a seminar on educational development at Hoa Sen University.

The first reason is the impact of the minimum admission score, which acts as an input quality assurance threshold. This year marks the first time the Ministry implemented a 20-point minimum for law programs, mirroring the approach taken for the health and education sectors. This regulation made recruitment more challenging for many institutions, especially private ones.

"All top-tier universities met their admission quotas," Quan stated. The deputy minister noted that many institutions had expressed concern and even opposition to the common minimum score for law programs. However, the Ministry remained steadfast in its implementation, aiming to enhance the quality of legal education and lawyer training.

The second reason is a shift in career preferences influenced by societal demand, impacting student choices. There is a strong trend of students moving towards STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields and artificial intelligence. Statistics show the STEM group had the highest number of successful admissions this year, with nearly 242,000 students, an increase of 1,7%.

Looking ahead to the 2027 admissions cycle, Quan stated that reforms will continue. The difficulty of examination papers is expected to increase compared to this year, making the 15-point threshold—the minimum requirement for university application—more challenging to attain.

"A score of 15 on next year's exam will be equivalent to 17 points this year," he explained. Specifically for medicine, the minimum admission score in 2027 is projected to be higher than this year's 22 points.

Approximately 1,24 million candidates are expected to take the 2026 high school graduation exam. Of these, over 874,800 have applied for university admission, an increase of nearly 25,000 compared to last year. Health sciences, education, and law remain the three program groups with distinct minimum admission scores mandated by the Ministry.

New students at ho chi minh city University of Law and their mothers completing admission procedures, 29/8. *Photo: Ho Chi Minh City University of Law*

Le Nguyen