How does university cost in Vietnam compare to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore...?

International students studying in Malaysia - Photo: GETTY IMAGES

The article "With costs equivalent to those in Ho Chi Minh City, more and more Vietnamese people are going to Malaysia to study" published on Tuoi Tre Online on March 6 received many responses from readers, stating the perspective that university tuition fees in Vietnam are increasingly "approaching" the cost of studying abroad, especially when choosing to go to nearby countries in the Southeast Asian region.

According to statistics, tuition fees at public universities in Vietnam range from 20 - 40 million VND/year for mass programs, 30 - 60 million VND/year for high-quality or advanced programs.

Meanwhile, most private universities in Vietnam have tuition fees ranging from 60 million VND/year or more. Many private universities in Ho Chi Minh City are charging tuition fees ranging from 100-150 million VND/year. Some international universities charge from 200-400 million VND/year.

How does it compare to tuition fees when studying abroad in some neighboring countries in Southeast Asia?

International students at the University of Malaya - Photo: APRU

In Malaysia , Dr. Azriey Mazlan, education consul, Consulate General of Malaysia in Ho Chi Minh City, said that for undergraduate level, depending on the major, tuition fees can range from 40,000 to 60,000 MYR for 3 years of study, equivalent to about 206 to 311 million VND. Divided, international students will have to pay tuition from 68 to 103 million VND/year.

For example, look at the tuition fees for international students at the University of Malaya, one of the oldest universities in Malaysia. The full-time tuition fee for international students studying a bachelor of economics in the 2024-2025 academic year is RM54,800/course, about VND287 million/course.

This program lasts 7 semesters, so each semester international students will pay about 41 million VND, or about 82 million VND/year (if studying 2 semesters/year).

Also for bachelor's degree programs in economics, at the University of Kuala Lumpur, the listed tuition fees for international students currently range from RM6,000 - 6,500/semester, equivalent to VND30 - 35 million/semester, or about VND60 - 70 million/year.

This figure is almost similar to the tuition fees of private universities or high-quality programs at public universities in Vietnam.

Chulalongkorn University is famous in Thailand - Photo: Chulalongkorn University

In Thailand , tuition fees at 25 schools that attract many international students show that tuition fees for international students range from the lowest of 77,000 to the highest of 480,000 THB/year, or about 53 - 333 million VND/year, depending on the school and program.

For example, at the famous Chulalongkorn University, programs for international students are divided into four groups: Life Sciences I, Life Sciences II, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and Arts and Humanities.

Majors in Life Science I (dentistry, medicine, veterinary science...) have tuition fees of 106,000 THB/semester, about 73 million VND/semester, or about 146 million VND/year.

Majors in the Physical Science group (engineering, architecture...) have tuition fees of 79,500 THB/semester, about 55 million VND/year, or about 110 million VND/year.

Majors in the Social Sciences group (economics, law, education...) have tuition fees of about 76,000 THB/semester, about 52 million VND/year, or about 104 million VND/year.

International students at the University of the Philippines Diliman - Photo: University of the Philippines Diliman

In the Philippines , statistics show that university tuition fees for international students are quite affordable. The University of the Philippines Diliman, one of the best public universities in the Philippines, charges about 45,000 pesos/year for international students, which is only about 20 million VND/year.

There are schools that charge higher fees, such as De La Salle University, a famous school located in the capital Manila. Tuition fees for undergraduate programs for international students range from 168,000 - 200,000 pesos/year, about 74 - 88 million VND/year. This level is not much different from that in Vietnam.

Nanyang Technological University attracts many international students to Singapore - Photo: Nanyang Technological University

Singapore is the country with the most expensive study abroad costs in Southeast Asia.

The top four universities in Singapore, including Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University and Singapore University of Technology and Design, are charging international student tuition fees ranging from SGD 17,000 - 55,000/year, about VND 314 - 924 million/year.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chi-phi-dai-hoc-viet-nam-so-voi-thai-lan-malaysia-singapore-chenh-lech-ra-sao-20240307180001504.htm