Students of Ho Chi Minh City Open University at the graduation ceremony - Photo: NT
Most universities require students to pay this fee before they can officially graduate or receive their diploma. Some schools charge tens of thousands of dong, while others charge millions of dong.
Many names, many levels of income
Graduation fee, graduation review fee, graduation registration fee, graduation ceremony participation fee, graduation certificate fee, graduation certificate receiving fee, graduation certificate and ceremony organization fee... are the names of a type of fee that university students must pay before graduating.
Of which, the University of Technology (Ho Chi Minh City National University) collects a graduation fee of 95,000 VND. Phu Yen and Dong Thap universities collect 100,000 VND. Thu Dau Mot University collects a graduation certificate fee of 90,000 VND. This fee includes the fee for issuing a temporary graduation certificate, transcript, official diploma and diploma cover.
Some other schools charge from nearly 200,000 VND to 500,000 VND. Of which, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education stipulates the cost of making a university and English pedagogy diploma at 120,000 VND, and technical pedagogy diploma at 180,000 VND.
Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics charges a graduation fee of VND300,000. The University of Economics and Law (Ho Chi Minh City National University) charges a graduation fee of VND400,000, including VND200,000 for the diploma and VND200,000 for the ceremony and graduation gown rental. Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages and Information Technology charges a graduation fee of VND600,000 regardless of whether students attend the graduation ceremony or not.
Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology charges a graduation ceremony fee of VND500,000. Eastern University of Technology charges a graduation examination fee of VND500,000.
Some universities charge graduation fees of up to millions of dong. Of which, Nguyen Tat Thanh University charges a graduation registration fee of 1 million dong. This fee includes: graduation examination fee, diploma issuance, diploma cover, graduation transcript. Dong Nai University of Technology charges up to 1.5 million dong for the same graduation examination.
The most notable of these are the Danang University of Architecture and FPT. At the Danang University of Architecture, graduation fees are collected at different levels depending on the year. In 2021, the fee ranges from 2.7 to 3 million VND depending on the major. In 2023, the school only collects a graduation fee of 2.7 million VND for students majoring in architecture and interior design, while the remaining majors do not charge any fees.
Meanwhile, FPT University charges 4.6 million VND for early graduation and diploma issuance. Students are granted diplomas (if eligible) within 7 days.
There are no hard and fast rules.
Many people believe that students who complete their training program, meet the output standards, and pay their tuition fees are automatically eligible to graduate. Why do schools charge graduation fees, graduation ceremony fees, or printing of diplomas and transcripts?
Explaining the graduation fee, a university representative said that the tuition fees students pay are based on the actual number of credits and the unit price of credits according to the school's regulations. Tuition fees do not include activities outside of teaching.
"When students register for graduation, many departments of the school have to work to check and compare information. The finance department checks tuition fees, the training department checks academic results. This fee also includes decoration costs, people serving the graduation ceremony, printing transcripts and diplomas for students," he added.
Contrary to this view, Mr. Nguyen Minh Ha - Principal of Ho Chi Minh City Open University - said that considering graduation and granting graduation certificates is the school's duty and responsibility. The school does not collect this fee. In case a student loses his/her graduation certificate and requests a copy, the school will collect the fee.
Meanwhile, the graduation ceremony is a service and the school charges a fee. Only students who attend the graduation ceremony pay this fee. This includes a participation fee of about 200,000 VND and a deposit for the gown (students who return the gown will be refunded). "The participation fee is used for many things such as renting the venue, decoration, and hiring staff," Mr. Ha further explained.
According to Mr. Ha, there are no hard regulations on graduation fees, so each school will set different fees.
Is there a fee to attend the graduation ceremony?
Regarding the graduation ceremony fee, Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Dung - Director of the Communication Center of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology - said that the graduation ceremony fee for students is 500,000 VND, including the graduation gown fee and graduation photo. Each new graduate/engineer will have their photo taken when receiving their diploma on stage, and this photo will be sent to each student.
In addition, each new graduate/engineer receives a gift from the school at the graduation ceremony. The school does not charge a graduation fee.
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