University tuition fees are expected to continue rising in 2025.

Tuition fees at universities for students enrolling in the 2025 academic year will continue to increase. The increase at public universities closely follows the government decree, and depending on the type of university and field of study, it can range from 1.7 million to 8.75 million VND compared to the previous academic year.

The lowest price is 15.2 million VND, the highest is 77.75 million VND.

University tuition fees are currently applied according to Government Decree 97/2023, which amends and supplements several articles of Government Decree 81/2021 regulating the mechanism for collecting and managing tuition fees for educational institutions within the national education system and policies on tuition fee exemption and reduction, support for learning costs; and service prices in the field of education and training.

Parents come to the university to pay tuition fees and complete the enrollment procedures for their children.

Photo: Dao Ngoc Thach

According to this decree, the tuition fee ceiling for public higher education institutions that are not yet self-sufficient in covering their operating expenses (not yet autonomous) for the 2025-2026 academic year will have 7 levels. Among them, the arts sector will have the lowest tuition fee at 15.2 million VND/year (an increase of 1.7 million VND compared to the 2024-2025 academic year). Next, two other sectors will have equal tuition fees at 15.9 million VND/year: educational science and teacher training; and business and management, law (an increase of 1.8 million VND compared to the previous academic year).

The third lowest tuition fee group, at 16.9 million VND/year, includes humanities, social and behavioral sciences, journalism and information, social services, tourism, hospitality, sports, transportation services, environment and environmental protection (an increase of 1.9 million VND compared to the previous academic year).

Two other fields of study also have tuition fees below 20 million VND/year, including: life sciences and natural sciences (at 17.1 million VND/year, an increase of 1.9 million VND compared to the 2024-2025 academic year); mathematics, computer statistics, information technology, engineering technology, engineering, manufacturing and processing, architecture and construction, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and veterinary medicine (at 18.5 million VND/year, an increase of 2.1 million VND compared to the previous academic year).

Specifically for the health sector, the government decree stipulates two different fee levels. Medical and pharmaceutical fields are allowed a maximum fee of 31.1 million VND/year (an increase of 3.5 million VND compared to the previous academic year), and other health-related fields are allowed 23.6 million VND/year (an increase of 2.7 million VND).

Therefore, according to state regulations, in the 2025-2026 academic year, public universities that are not yet autonomous will be allowed to collect tuition fees ranging from a maximum of 15.2 to 31.1 million VND per 10-month academic year. This fee increases by 1.7 to 3.5 million VND compared to the 2024-2025 academic year, depending on the field of study.

Public universities that are self-sufficient in covering their operating expenses will have tuition fees for the next academic year ranging from a maximum of 30.4 to 62.2 million VND per year (an increase of 3.4 to 7 million VND compared to before). Public universities that are self-sufficient in covering both operating and investment expenses will have tuition fees ranging from a maximum of 38 to 77.75 million VND per year depending on the field of study (an increase of 4.25 to 8.75 million VND).

Excluding programs that have achieved quality accreditation and are allowed to determine their own tuition fees based on economic and technical standards issued by the university, the tuition fees for undergraduate programs in the upcoming academic year will range from a minimum of 15.2 million VND to a maximum of 77.75 million VND, depending on the type of university and field of study.

WHERE WILL THE GREATEST INCREASE BE?

Based on the maximum tuition fee ceiling of Decree 97/2023, public universities determine tuition fees for the 2025-2026 academic year according to the type of institution and field of study. However, some universities have indicated that they expect to charge significantly lower fees than the maximum allowed amount.

Dr. Nguyen Trung Nhan, Head of the Training Department at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, stated that tuition fees for the 2024-2025 academic year will average around 32-33 million VND/year (regular program) and 40-45 million VND/year (enhanced English program). For the 2025-2026 academic year, tuition fees will be based on the regulations of Decree 97/2023 but will not increase by more than 5% compared to the previous academic year.

Notably, Mr. Nhan stated that tuition fees for the university's programs are currently much lower than the maximum ceiling stipulated by the State, especially for the technology and engineering fields. For example, according to Decree 97, the maximum tuition fee for technology and engineering programs in the 2024-2025 academic year is 40 million VND/year. However, the tuition fee for these programs in the university's regular curriculum is only slightly over 30 million VND/year, nearly ten million VND lower. Even if tuition fees increase by a maximum of 5% to below 35 million VND/year next academic year, it will still be significantly lower than the maximum tuition fee the university is allowed to charge, which is over 46 million VND/year.

"The school's policy of charging tuition fees lower than the maximum allowed aims to attract students to STEM fields," Dr. Trung Nhan explained.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Vice Rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport, stated that tuition fees for students admitted in the 2025 cohort are expected to be approximately 10% higher than those for the 2024 cohort. Previously, tuition fees for the 2024 cohort for the standard training program were 12 million VND/year (2 main semesters); the advanced program was 29.4 million VND/year; and the program taught entirely in English was over 43.3 million VND/year. These tuition fees did not increase during the first three years of the course. Therefore, corresponding to a 10% increase, tuition fees for the 2025-2026 academic year for newly admitted students are expected to range from over 13 to over 47 million VND/year.

Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade collects tuition fees per course, therefore the average annual tuition fee does not increase throughout the entire course. Mr. Pham Thai Son, Director of the Admissions and Communications Center of the university, stated that tuition fees for the 2025-2029 cohort are expected to increase by 3-7% compared to the 2024-2028 cohort. Accordingly, the expected tuition fee for students admitted in 2025 for the entire course is approximately 108-130 million VND/4 years. Previously, the tuition fee for the 2024 cohort was 102-120 million VND/course, with students paying an average of about 32-36 million VND per year. "The university announces the tuition fee for the entire course so that students are aware of the tuition fee schedule and can prepare financially in advance when studying at the university," Mr. Son added.

Successful applicants will complete the enrollment procedures and pay tuition fees. Tuition fees applied by universities for students admitted in 2025 will continue to increase.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

A representative from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy stated that the university has completed the first five years of its autonomy implementation. In 2025, the university will evaluate, calculate, and develop a new tuition fee roadmap for the next phase. However, according to this representative, "Tuition fees for the next academic year are unlikely to change significantly compared to the current level." Previously, students admitted to the 2024 cohort at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy paid tuition fees ranging from 46 to 84.7 million VND per year. The highest fees were for dentistry at 84.7 million VND per year, followed by medicine at 82.2 million VND per year, pharmacy at 60.5 million VND per year, and other majors at 46-50 million VND per year.

As a university that has not yet implemented autonomy, the Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture will charge an average tuition fee of 16 million VND per year for its regular undergraduate programs in the 2024-2025 academic year. According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, Deputy Head of the Training, Scientific Management and International Cooperation Department, the tuition fee for the next academic year will follow the increase stipulated in Decree 97 for universities that have not yet achieved autonomy. "Currently, some departments that have achieved quality accreditation can determine their own tuition fees based on the socio-economic norms issued by the university. However, the university plans to still adhere to the ceiling stipulated in Decree 97," Mr. Tung added.

Some other universities may increase tuition fees due to changes in school type in the next academic year, such as the Vietnam Aviation Academy… Previously, the Vietnam Aviation Academy stipulated that the tuition fee for all regular undergraduate programs in Vietnamese for the 2024-2025 academic year is expected to be 13.2 million VND/semester, with a tuition fee increase of no more than 10% per year. For programs taught in English, English-language courses will be multiplied by a factor of 1.5 compared to programs taught in Vietnamese.

Private universities have the autonomy to determine their tuition fees.

While public universities determine tuition fees according to the ceiling set by the Government, private universities have the autonomy to decide their own tuition fees. Currently, private universities are developing their tuition and scholarship policies for the 2025 enrollment year.

However, for the 2024-2025 academic year, tuition fees at private universities vary widely, ranging from under 20 million to nearly 200 million VND per academic year. Many schools only charge around 18-20 million VND per semester, but with 3-4 semesters per academic year, the average annual tuition fee is 60-80 million VND per student. Notably, tuition fees for health-related majors at private universities are also high, with some dentistry programs costing over 180 million VND per year.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hoc-phi-dai-hoc-tiep-tuc-tang-vao-nam-2025-185241223232120552.htm