Nguyen Thi Ngoc Thu, a parent of a student at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, posed this question at a university application consultation event organized by Tuoi Tre newspaper on 19/7.

Thu explained that her child scored 24.7 in the B00 combination, lower than expected due to the challenging math and chemistry exams. Her child received an additional 0.75 points for their IELTS score of 7.5, based on the University of Medicine and Pharmacy's calculation. This brought their total application score to 25.45. The mother expressed concern about the likelihood of admission to the general medicine or traditional medicine programs, with a preference for the former.

Comparing this score to the overall B00 score distribution, Associate Professor Nguyen Ngoc Khoi, Head of the Training Department at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, considered 25.45 a "moderate, not exceptionally high" score.

"Admission to the general medicine program might be difficult with this score, but there are better chances with other programs like traditional medicine or nutrition," Khoi stated.

Last year, the admission scores based on the high school graduation exam at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy ranged from 21.45 to 27.8, with general medicine having the highest requirement.

Khoi explained that the 6-year traditional medicine program awards a medical doctor degree. This program is still grounded in modern health sciences and closely related to general medicine. Students must learn all the fundamental knowledge about the human body, including anatomy, physiology, and diagnostics, just like general medicine students. Practicing traditional medicine doctors can prescribe all common medications used in general medicine, except for specialized treatments.

However, traditional medicine has different treatment philosophies, requiring students to learn acupuncture, acupressure, and the use of herbal remedies. Students begin this specialized training in their 4th year. Upon graduation, they can pursue residency and specialize further.

"If the student is set on general medicine, there are still opportunities at other universities. They can consider adding more options to their application," Khoi suggested.

Associate Professor Nguyen Ngoc Khoi advises parents and students at the university application consultation event on 19/7. Photo: Le Nguyen

Associate Professor Nguyen Ngoc Khoi advises parents and students at the university application consultation event on 19/7. Photo: Le Nguyen

Score distributions for 5 exam combinations - 2025 admission score predictions - Tuition fees at over 100 universities.

This year, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy is admitting over 2,570 students through various methods: direct admission as regulated by the Ministry of Education and Training; high school graduation exam scores; combined assessment of high school graduation exam scores and international certificates; and pre-university programs.

For the combined assessment, the university will award additional points to applicants with IELTS scores of 6.0 or higher, TOEFL scores of 80 or higher, or SAT scores of 1340/1600 or higher. In previous years, these certificates were used for preliminary screening, depending on the program.

The formula for calculating additional points based on IELTS and SAT scores at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in 2025 is as follows:

Combined admission score = total high school graduation exam score based on the chosen combination + additional points + preferential points (if any). If multiple applicants have the same score at the end of the list, priority is given to those who ranked the program higher in their application.

Tuition fees at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy for the 2025-2026 academic year are expected to range from 30 to 87 million VND, depending on the program.

Le Nguyen