Reducing the number of admission methods

The draft regulations for university admissions by the Ministry of Education and Training contain several important new points. If the regulations are approved and implemented in 2025, they will significantly impact the admission process of both educational institutions and candidates.

Distinguishing between early admission and other admission methods.

The Ministry of Education and Training has just announced a draft Circular amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Regulations on university-level admissions and college-level admissions for the Early Childhood Education major.

In this new regulation, the Ministry anticipates that the quota for early admission will be determined by the training institutions, but it will not exceed 20% of the quota for each major or group of majors. This new provision is causing much controversy among universities, candidates, and parents.

Candidates taking the 2024 high school graduation exam. Photo: Le Khanh.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Director of the Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Education and Training), many people confuse the concept of early admission with other admission methods.

Ms. Thuy emphasized that there is no such thing as an "early admission method" because schools can use admission methods in all admission rounds.

Early admission is used to differentiate it in terms of timing from the general admission round planned by the Ministry of Education and Training. Meanwhile, the admission methods are used in any admission round.

However, in terms of timing, early admissions are conducted before the high school graduation exam, so the method of admission based on high school graduation exam scores cannot be used at that time.

Due to the misunderstanding that only early admissions can use separate admission methods (without using high school graduation exam scores), schools are worried about being limited to 20% of their quota. Meanwhile, students are concerned about their limited opportunities in the admissions methods used by schools, such as: reviewing academic transcripts, considering scores from aptitude tests, and assessing critical thinking skills…

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy, candidates do not need to worry. Whether in the early admission phase or the phase according to the general plan of the Ministry of Education and Training, candidates can still participate in the admission process using the various admission methods they have prepared for.

Adjusting the admission method

In 2025, the first cohort of students under the 2018 General Education Program will graduate from high school. Therefore, university admissions plans will also undergo many changes to align with the new program. A notable new development is that some universities will reduce certain admission methods, including the method of reviewing high school transcripts.

For example, the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City will reduce its admission methods to only three from 2025: direct admission, admission based on the results of the university's own aptitude test, and admission based on the results of the high school graduation exam.

The reduction in this admission method is supported by member universities of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, who believe it will be fairer and help reduce confusion for candidates.

Observations from recent admission seasons show that most universities apply multiple admission methods. In 2024, according to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, more than 20 methods were used by universities for entrance examinations.

Having multiple admission methods is considered an advantage, giving candidates more opportunities to be admitted to university. However, this also causes many candidates to be confused when choosing an admission method.

Professor Nguyen Dinh Duc, Chairman of the University Council - University of Technology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, supports limiting the time and quota for early admissions based on academic transcripts. For many years, the results of assessments based on academic transcripts have consistently been higher than the results of the high school graduation exam. The tendency towards leniency and favoritism in evaluating based on academic transcripts still persists.

Mr. Duc believes that controlling and improving the quality of input, as demonstrated by the Ministry of Education and Training's role in state management, is necessary.

Regarding the proposed regulation that the number of early admissions slots should not exceed 20%, Mr. Duc believes the scientific basis for this proposal should be reconsidered because, according to the law, universities have autonomy in admissions.

"The Ministry should not interfere too deeply and impose quotas if those methods recruit talented students with good entrance quality. The Ministry should only restrict admission methods that are too lenient, do not properly assess entrance quality, and aim to 'grab' students at all costs," Professor Nguyen Dinh Duc stated.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/tuyen-sinh-dai-hoc-nam-2025-cat-giam-phuong-thuc-xet-tuyen-10295784.html