‘Filtering’ is a key technical process used in the university admissions system in Vietnam, especially for the method of admission based on high school graduation exam scores. It is designed to eliminate “virtual” candidates, i.e those who apply to multiple universities but will only enroll in one, so that each university can determine the accurate number of admitted students.

In Vietnam, students can apply to unlimited universities and majors, with multiple preferences ranked in order of priority.

Without ‘filtering’, a student may be listed as "admitted" to several schools, leading to confusion and over-enrollment.

Virtual filtering ensures that each student is officially admitted to only one program (the highest-ranked one they qualify for).

According to MOET, in 2025, nearly 850,000 candidates registered for university and junior college admissions, with a total of over 7.6 million preferences. This marks a significant increase in both the number of candidates and preferences, and the highest in the past five years. On average, each candidate registered about 9 preferences.

Admission cutoffs unpredictable

University representatives noted that the removal of early admissions makes candidates feel unsafe enough, therefore, they may ‘play safe’ by making more preferences. And this is a key reason for the sharp rise in number of preferences. Without “early acceptance,” despite a slight drop in some high school graduation exam scores compared to last year, many experts believe admission scores this year are highly unpredictable.

Answering VietNamNet, Associate Prof Nguyen Phong Dien, Vice Director of Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST), said the absence of early admissions enhances fairness and reduces duplicate admissions and ensures accurate enrollment numbers.

“The removal of early admissions, aiming to create greater transparency and fairness for candidates, receives strong support from higher education institutions. However, this has contributed to an increase in preference registrations, particularly among candidates using high school academic records,” Dien said, adding that an average of nearly 9 preferences per candidate is entirely understandable.

This year, the number of candidates registering for some major universities has surged significantly.

Nguyen Quang Trung, Deputy Head of Communications and Admissions at the University of Trade, said the admission benchmarks for the university’s programs in 2025 could be unpredictable due to the absence of early admissions and a high number of candidates with international language or testing certificates.

Trung noted that the number of candidates registering for his university increased 1.5 times compared to 2024, with over 30,000 candidates holding international language or testing certificates.

Previously, based on the high school graduation exam score distribution, the university predicted that admission cutoff scores might drop by 1-2 points. However, with the surge in preferences, scores may exceed initial expectations, with only slight decreases or even increases for popular programs.

“Overall, some programs may see a slight decrease, but due to the large number of registrations, some programs may not drop compared to last year, and hot programs might even rise,” Trung said.

Nguyen Tien Dung, Vice Rector of Hanoi University, also said the number of candidates registering for the university nearly doubled compared to 2024.

Nguyen Trieu Duong from Hanoi Law University, also noted that admission scores this year are hard to predict. According to Duong, the lack of certainty about early acceptance has led candidates to register more preferences to reassure themselves and increase their chances of university admission.

‘Filtering’ system still running

N.M.H, a candidate in Hanoi, said he registered over 10 preferences across various programs and universities. “I really don’t know if I’ll get into my desired program, given the huge number of registered preferences. This year, without early admissions, my friends are also worried, and no one dares to be confident since the results are still in the Ministry’s admission system,” N.M.H said.

Per the schedule, MOET’s common admission system is currently undergoing ‘filtering’ (6 rounds). The sixth round will conclude at 4.30pm on August 20, yielding final admission results.

The Ministry’s admission support system ensures each candidate is admitted to only their highest-priority preference.

It is expected that by 5 pm on August 20, training institutions will upload admission score thresholds and results to the system, review them, and prepare to announce the first-round admission results per the schedule.

Institutions will announce admission scores and the list of admitted candidates for the first round before 5 pm on August 22.

Candidates must confirm their admission online for the first round on the system before 5 pm on August 30.

Thanh Hung