In the context of changing study abroad policies in some countries, many schools are opening their doors to enrolling Vietnamese students. So what should you pay attention to when choosing a destination and preparing your application?
FOCUS ON HIGH SCHOOL REPORTS AND ENGLISH
The study abroad market last year witnessed fluctuations in some traditional destinations. Specifically, Australia and Canada continuously tightened regulations with many measures such as capping enrollment; increasing requirements on fees, financial proof and English for student visas; raising standards for post-graduation work visas... From January 2, 2025, the UK also officially increased the financial proof requirements for student visa applications, to 1,136 - 1,483 pounds/month (about 36-47 million VND).
Government regulations are becoming increasingly strict, but universities in these countries tend to simplify their admission methods for Vietnamese people by no longer requiring essays, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, etc., but only considering high school transcripts (GPA) and English certificates, even at schools in the world's top 100. The required GPA is also diverse, ranging from 6.5 - 9.9 depending on the major.
Not only are requirements reduced, many universities are also increasing their admission methods for international students. For example, the Australian National University is about to expand its admissions to Vietnamese students from February 2025, accepting for the first time direct admissions from all high schools outside the list of 92 specialized schools and key schools based on SAT or ACT scores (two standardized tests commonly used for admission to US universities).
New Zealand is one of the countries that maintains stable student visa policies with Vietnam.
Regarding studying abroad in the UK, Mr. Huynh Anh Khoa, Director of Vietnamese Connect Study Abroad Company (VNC) in Ho Chi Minh City, said that in the past year, the British government tightened the review of applications, making universities more careful in issuing CAS (letter of acceptance), even requiring interviews in advance instead of just paying tuition to receive the CAS letter. "In essence, the schools still maintain the same entrance requirements. The tightening here is the visa "head" because they strictly control the financial records, study purposes, post-graduation plans... of the candidates," said Mr. Khoa. He also noted that a highlight in recent times is the simplification of the admission process, notably the "International Year One" program of some leading schools, which allows students to study an additional year of university preparation (foundation). To register for this program, international students do not need to write essays or ask for letters of recommendation, only need an average GPA of about 7.0 - 7.5. "For English, you must have IELTS Academic UKVI test results with single CAS program or IELTS Academic non-UKVI with combined CAS program," Mr. Khoa emphasized.
Meanwhile, with all schools in the UK, Vietnamese people only need to take a university preparatory course after finishing grade 11. In addition, the simplification is also shown through the fact that educational institutions training the university transfer "pathway" route no longer put too much emphasis on the candidate's personal essay and recommendation letter, Mr. Khoa shared.
X DETERMINE GOALS EARLY
In contrast to Australia, Canada and the UK, two other English-speaking countries, the US and New Zealand, maintain stable student visa policies with Vietnam, according to responses to Thanh Nien by Mr. Justin Walls, Head of Culture and Information (US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City) and Mr. Ben Burrowes, Acting Executive Director of International Division (New Zealand Education Agency).
Following the positive news from the visa system, universities have welcomed the move to loosen their regulations on recruiting Vietnamese students this year, removing requirements for extracurricular activities and standardized test scores (such as SAT) and focusing on academic transcripts and English certificates. From this year, some New Zealand universities such as Canterbury, Massey, and Otago have also accepted direct admission based on grade 12 transcripts, instead of considering 3 years of high school.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, Director of Care Education (HCMC), said that not only universities but also high schools in New Zealand are welcoming Vietnamese students. Particularly at the university level, Ms. Thuy believes that the GPA of the candidate is quite important, accounting for about 30% of the application. In addition, the government of this country also allows candidates to explain the reason for applying for a visa in up to 9 pages, instead of only 1-2 pages like some other countries.
Ms. Thuy also noted that some professions such as nursing, medicine, teaching... require much higher requirements, and advised: "Therefore, it is important to orient and plan your review early."
Another country that has been attracting a lot of attention recently is Germany. Data from the government shows that the number of international students reached a record high of nearly 380,000 in the winter semester of 2023-2024, continuing the upward trend of the past 15 years. "Many Vietnamese students are interested in engineering and business when coming to Germany," said Mr. Henning Hilbert, Principal of the German Language Center Café Deutsch (Ho Chi Minh City).
At the center, half of the students want to apply to universities while the other half are enrolled in vocational schools, Hilbert added. In both cases, if studying in German, students do not need to pay tuition fees but must prove they have 11,904 euros (316 million VND) in a guaranteed account to apply for a student visa. "This is quite a large amount of money, but you will be allowed to work part-time to cover living expenses," Hilbert said.
The principal also emphasized that the "bottleneck" preventing Vietnamese people from studying in Germany is language, as students need at least B1 level to live in this country.
Young people interested in learning information about studying in Korea
" DON'T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET"
In the context of some English-speaking countries continuously adjusting their policies in recent times, Dr. Le Bao Thang, Director of the international education consulting company OSI Vietnam, recommends that students always prepare for all possible situations and "not put all their eggs in one basket". "The US, Australia and Canada generally still promote education export policies, but with more careful screening", Mr. Thang noted.
However, this does not mean that the path to studying abroad will be narrower, but requires students to better understand policies and regulations to have appropriate preparation, especially in terms of finance and English proficiency, Dr. Thang emphasized. 2025 is also the time when there are many scholarships for Vietnam, so students need to take advantage of these opportunities to reduce costs for their families.
If applying to universities in Asia, especially Korea, Mr. Tran Thien Van, CEO of Zila Education (HCMC), advises students to strive to achieve a GPA of 7 or higher to have a better chance of being admitted. If they achieve a score of 8 or higher, they can compete for admission to top institutions such as Yonsei University, Seoul University... to study Korean language courses, and higher if they want to study a major.
"In addition to academic records, foreign language ability and finance are the two most important factors. If you study a major, you do not need to take an entrance exam like local students, except for some gifted majors, but you need to present your strengths more clearly through your study plan and introduction. In general, the better your foreign language ability, the higher the rate of admission and scholarship," Mr. Van noted.
Many opportunities to study abroad for free in 2025
In the 2025-2026 school year, many US universities will increase their financial aid to full. For example, MIT will waive tuition for students from families with incomes below $200,000/year (5 billion VND). If the family income is below $100,000/year, you will also receive support for other expenses. The University of Texas and Harvard University systems have similar regulations, while John Hopkins and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine waive tuition for all students.
2025 is also the first year that the New Zealand government has launched a scholarship program for undergraduates (NZUA) with a total value of more than 3.1 billion VND, becoming the first English-speaking country to have enough government scholarships from high school to postgraduate in Vietnam. In the same move, the GREAT scholarship program, jointly implemented by the British government and the British Council, has recently reopened applications, adding 3 more places for Vietnamese people.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nam-2025-can-chuan-bi-gi-de-du-hoc-thuan-loi-185250101201533804.htm
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