Why do many universities stop considering transcripts in 2025?

In 2025, many universities plan to stop or reduce admission quotas based on high school grades (based on academic records). This is a newly recognized trend, after a long period of time when academic records were the main basis for admission for many universities.

CHANGES IN ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE NEW PROGRAM

Recently, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education announced new points in the 2025 regular university admissions. Accordingly, the school will maintain 3 main admission methods including: considering high school graduation exam scores (20 - 40% of the target); organizing exams and considering specialized competency assessment exam scores (40 - 50% of the target by major); direct admission and priority admission (20 - 30% of the target).

Thus, the most important new point in the school's admission method from 2025 is not to use the admission method based on high school academic results (reviewing transcripts). The school eliminates the transcript score factor in both independent transcript review methods and combines transcripts with specialized competency assessment exam scores as in the previous year. Next year, transcript scores are only a threshold condition to ensure input quality to meet the requirements according to the admission regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Candidates submit application for university admission this year

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Explaining this change, Master Le Phan Quoc, Deputy Head of the Training Department of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, said that in previous years, the school used about 10% of the quota to consider high school academic scores. The reality of enrollment in recent years shows that there are majors with quotas of only about 20 candidates, with 10% of the quota considering high school academic scores, this method only recruits 2 people. The elimination of the high school academic score method is primarily aimed at reducing the complexity of the admission methods. "But the main reason is due to changes in high school academic results in the new program compared to before," Master Quoc added.

The academic results shown in high school transcripts also vary between schools. With the same score of 9 in math, students from one school may be different from those from another school depending on the assessment method and scale.

Master Le Phan Quoc (Deputy Head of Training Department, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education)

The new GeneralEducation Program aims to assess the competencies and qualities achieved according to the requirements, and these competencies and qualities are contributed by many subjects and educational activities. According to Master Quoc, the high school learning results of students under the 2018 General Education Program are very different from the previous program because students choose different subjects and study clusters. For example, if two students choose the same subject of Biology, but one student chooses a study cluster related to Biology, and the other student does not, then the final learning results of these two students will be different even though their scores may be the same.

According to Master Quoc, the new General Education program allows schools and teachers to be autonomous in choosing the form, method, and tools to assess students' qualities and abilities. For example, when designing a topic in a subject that also assesses communication and cooperation skills, some schools organize learning activities, only requiring students to work in groups, discuss and answer a certain problem, but for the same topic, some schools require students to carry out a project product and then evaluate it. Students who best complete the requirements of the assigned task will be evaluated at the maximum level. Thus, although both are converted to the maximum score, the actual ability of the students in the two cases is different.

"Therefore, the learning results shown in high school transcripts also vary between schools. With the same score of 9 in math, students from one school may be different from those from another school depending on the assessment method and scale. If we need to be precise, we must look at the comments," Master Quoc further analyzed.

However, Mr. Quoc said that Ho Chi Minh City University of Education still maintains the academic transcript as a threshold condition to ensure the quality of input to meet the requirements according to the admission regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training. As for the method of considering the scores of the specialized competency assessment exam and the school's own priority admission, the academic transcript is a necessary and sufficient condition for candidates to be able to submit their application for admission to the school for both teacher training and non-pedagogical majors.

ADAPTING TO CHANGE AT HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL

Nha Trang University also has a similar adjustment when only using high school transcript scores in the preliminary selection from 2025. Associate Professor, Dr. To Van Phuong, Head of the school's Training Department, said that the school will consider admission based on a combination of high school academic results and university academic capacity assessment results. In particular, the school organizes preliminary selection based on high school academic results (transcripts) and this is considered a necessary condition. When considering admission, the school will only use high school graduation exam results or capacity assessment exam results.

In 2025, many universities plan to stop or reduce admission quotas based on high school grades (reviewing transcripts).

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Sharing about this enrollment orientation, Associate Professor, Dr. Phuong said that 2025 is a pivotal year with many changes in the country's education when this is the first batch of candidates to take the high school graduation exam according to the new general education program issued in 2018 and participate in university admission. The high school graduation exam has only 4 subjects with 2 compulsory subjects: math and literature and 2 elective subjects. Thus, the university enrollment plan in 2025 will have to be adjusted to adapt to changes at the high school level.

"An important reason why the school adjusted the admission method based on high school transcripts is because from 2025, the academic results of students in the transcripts are completely different from previous years. This transcript only shows the subjects that students study. Therefore, the school can only consider the preliminary transcript scores of the subjects that are required and suitable for the training program," Associate Professor, Dr. Phuong emphasized.

In 2025, the National Economics University also announced that it plans to maintain 3 admission methods compared to 2024, including: direct admission (2% of the target); combined admission (83% of the target) and admission based on the results of the 2025 high school graduation exam (15% of the target). Previously, from 2024, this university had eliminated the admission method based on academic records.

Meanwhile, some other universities have also "said no" to considering transcripts for many years, such as: Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Saigon University...

Reduce the number of students considering transcripts

Although not cutting, some other universities tend to reduce admission quotas based on high school transcripts from 2025.

Dr. Vo Thanh Hai, Vice President of Duy Tan University, said that in 2025, the university plans to add an admission method based on the V-SAT exam and reduce the quota for considering high school transcripts. Specifically, the school will switch 20% of the quota for considering transcripts to the new admission method based on V-SAT exam scores (while keeping the quota for considering high school graduation exam scores stable).

Explaining this change, Dr. Vo Thanh Hai said that the school is considering adding an admission method based on the results of cultural subjects to be closer to the training program. Therefore, in the process of balancing the quota, the school has adjusted to reduce the admission based on high school transcripts.

In line with this trend, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Anh, Vice Principal of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, said that the school plans to apply the V-SAT university entrance exam method from 2025 with 10% of the target. Therefore, the school will adjust the target for considering high school transcripts and the target for considering high school graduation exam results to match the total target of the school.

Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade also plans to make many improvements in the admission method in 2025. Accordingly, the school plans to reserve 50-60% of the quota for considering the 2025 high school graduation exam scores. Notably, the school will reduce the quota for considering high school study results according to 5 semesters to 15-20%, increase the quota for considering the competency assessment test scores of Ho Chi Minh City National University and the specialized competency assessment test scores of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-nhieu-truong-dh-dung-xet-hoc-ba-nam-2025-185241107195555405.htm