Only nine students nationwide scored a perfect 30 on the national exam, yet hundreds reached 30 if counting bonus scores.

Under current admission regulations, universities can award incentive points up to 10 percent of the maximum admission score.

From the beginning of this year’s admission season, public concern arose when many universities began awarding bonus points for IELTS certificate holders. 

For example, Hanoi University of Culture grants 3 points for IELTS 4.0. Dozens of universities offer various bonus schemes for IELTS holders. As a result, the number of students submitting IELTS certificates has surged.

At the University of Economics and Law, 8,849 candidates have submitted valid IELTS certificates, a 3.7-fold increase from last year. These candidates receive 0.5-1.5 bonus points across all admission methods or have their English subject scores converted to 8-10 points if applying with high school exam results (and taking the English exam).

In addition to bonus points, many universities convert IELTS scores into English subject scores. With IELTS of 6.0 and above, students may receive 10 points on the English test, even though this year’s national English exam was considered very difficult.

This year, six majors at universities nationwide have admission thresholds of 30 points, including English and Chinese Language Education at the University of Foreign Languages under Hue University and VNU Hanoi, International Relations at the Military Science Academy, and Medicine at the Military Medical Academy.

Many other majors also have high admission cutoffs, above 29 points, such as AI at the University of Information Technology (29.6), Advanced Computer Science at the University of Science in HCMC (29.92 for A00 exam group (math, physics, chemistry), 29.81 for A01 (math, physics, English) and B00 (math, chemistry, biology), 29.56 for D07 (math, chemistry, English). The cutoff scores for AI range from 29.1 (B00 exam group) to 29.39 (A00).

Only nine students in the country scored a perfect 30 in A00 or B00 exam groups, but bonus policies have resulted in hundreds reaching 30 in admission scores.

For example, at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in HCMC, seven students have an admission score of 30 to be enrolled in medicine, but only one of them scores 30 at the high school finals, while the remaining six received between 0.5 to 1.73 points in bonuses.

At the University of Engineering and Technology in Hanoi, more than 190 students hit the perfect 30/30 threshold after including bonus points. Without these bonus points, this group of students only scored 27 in total (3 learning subjects), or had 98/150 in the National Aptitude Test, or SAT scores of 1,440/1,600 or above.

IELTS 'golden ticket' creates unfairness

Associate Prof Do Van Dung, former Rector of HCMC University of Technology and Education, said many universities convert IELTS and TOEFL scores to English test scores for admission, per Ministry of Education and Training rules. 

An IELTS 4.5-5.0 score typically converts to 8-9 English points as applied by the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi Open University, or HCMC University of Technology and Education.

Incentive points can reach 10 percent of the total score (3 points) and must not exceed 50 percent of the subject score per the ministry’s new transparency rules. 

As a result, 2025 cut-off scores hit record highs. Six majors at four universities reached 30/30, unlike 2024 when no program hit this mark. 

The main reason is the surge in candidates using IELTS for admission, inflating cutoff scores, especially in ‘hot’ fields like economics, technology, and foreign language pedagogy. This is a major issue, creating a gap between urban and rural students and undermining social equity in education.

Dung noted this leads to a 27-point high school exam student passing without certificate competition, while a 29-point student fails due to inflated cutoffs caused by certificate score conversions.

This policy creates clear unfairness, especially for students in rural or mountainous areas, or those who need higher education most to change their lives. The students face issues such as disparities in learning conditions. 

Rural areas lack skilled English teachers, online learning tools, and exam review centers. Many students can’t afford extra classes (IELTS prep can cost millions of VND) or exam fees (about VND4-5 million per test). Meanwhile, urban students easily access high-quality courses, leading to higher IELTS certificate rates.

Thanh Hung