The first hurdle in this year’s admissions cycle was the prolonged wait for official cutoff scores. Initially, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) set a deadline of 5 p.m. on August 20 for universities to upload their results to the national system. However, on the afternoon of that same day, MOET extended the virtual filtering process until 12:30 p.m. on August 22, pushing back result announcements by nearly two days.

Even by the end of August 22, many students were still unable to check results from certain universities. Some institutions, including the University of Economics - Vietnam National University Hanoi, Hanoi National University of Education, and the Academy of Journalism and Communication, only announced their cutoff scores on the morning of August 23.

The delays prompted widespread criticism from anxious students and parents, many of whom flocked to university Facebook pages to voice their frustrations. The fanpage of Hanoi National University of Education, for example, received dozens of complaints under its post stating results would be posted at 11 a.m. on August 23. The page even had to remind users to “use respectful language when commenting.” A similar situation unfolded on the page of the University of Economics - Vietnam National University Hanoi.

Universities explain the delay

An admissions officer from a university known for previously releasing results quickly admitted that this year required more time. “There were so many variables to process. Our university had numerous grading scales and candidate groups, so everything had to be handled carefully,” the officer said.

Even after cutoff scores were published, many students experienced confusion. One notable case involved Hanoi Metropolitan University, which issued a revised score requirement the day after its initial announcement. The university raised the admission threshold for the C00 group (Literature, History, Geography) by 0.75 points, unexpectedly disqualifying many students who had previously believed they had been accepted. Disappointed applicants once again turned to social media to voice their concerns about the university’s inconsistent communication.

Although the university had announced a scoring differential policy across different combinations of subjects, the late publication of the official correction sparked misunderstanding. The school later admitted its mistake in documentation and reprimanded the staff responsible.

Universities scramble to resolve technical issues

Several universities encountered technical or procedural issues during the admissions process. At the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University Hanoi, an error in listing subjects within the D66 admission group meant students who had met the cutoff were incorrectly disqualified. The university eventually acknowledged the mistake and announced it would accept applicants from both variations of the D66 subject combination.

At Ho Chi Minh City University of Banking, revised admission conditions also caused problems. Initially, the university stated that applicants for law-related programs needed to score at least 6 out of 10 in either Math or Literature. Later, however, it changed this requirement to needing at least 6 in both subjects. This revision resulted in many qualified students being denied admission. Ultimately, the university reverted to its original condition and accepted those applicants.

A more widespread issue involved students applying to Ho Chi Minh City University of Education. Some reported being incorrectly informed by the national system that they had been accepted into a lower-priority program or had failed to gain admission altogether. A few students who didn’t meet the minimum scores were even mistakenly informed that they had been accepted. The university attributed the issue to technical errors and reported it to MOET. Since the national filtering process had already been finalized, affected students could not be reallocated to other preferences. The university urged MOET to allow these students to continue the selection process and called on other institutions to offer support.

This chaos left many students on edge, even after cutoff scores were available. On social media, students shared that they couldn’t celebrate just yet, as many still hadn’t received official notifications of their admission status.

A flawed system under pressure

A vice-rector from a Hanoi-based university commented to VietNamNet that the 2025 admissions process differed significantly from previous years, increasing pressure on all institutions. “Many of the issues we’re facing aren’t due to individual errors but stem from major systemic changes,” he noted.

The Ministry of Education and Training acknowledged that some universities had made mistakes in determining input requirements, but emphasized that the national system itself had functioned normally. A representative from the Higher Education Department stated that while errors were unavoidable given the sheer volume of data and the diversity of admissions methods, these mistakes were rare.

As in previous years, most of the problems stemmed from incorrect data entry, inconsistencies in admissions criteria, or manual errors by admissions officers. According to current regulations, universities are responsible for resolving their own errors, although MOET may intervene if necessary.

Thanh Hung