Under the draft regulations, from 2027, universities will be allowed to use a maximum of five admission methods, with no more than three methods for each major or training program. From 2028, universities will be allowed to use only one admission method for each major or training program.

Dang Van Hai, principal of Le Viet Thuat High School in Nghe An, agreed with the move to limit the number of admission methods. 

“There are too many admission methods now. On top of that, there are too many exams, including the high school graduation exam, competency assessments, SAT and thinking skills assessments. Students are running around in circles just studying and preparing for exams. It is extremely stressful,” Hai said.

However, Hai said changes related to university admissions should be introduced over a three-year roadmap, not at once, so that students and schools have time to prepare and adapt.

Dr. Hoang Phuong from the British University Vietnam said the proposed changes represent a systemic adjustment aimed at addressing the situation of an “admissions-method overload”.

“For years, universities have used multiple admission methods, with quotas divided into smaller portions, creating a complicated matrix that puts psychological pressure on students and imposes a significant opportunity cost. Simplifying the system will force it to become more transparent and make it easier for applicants to follow, but they will also need to develop a focused study strategy,” Phuong said.

She said reducing the number of admission methods would also reduce the situation in which one applicant is admitted to the same major through multiple methods, making it easier for universities to manage virtual admissions and quotas.

“When each major or training program is allowed to use only one admission method from 2028, universities will have to find or design an assessment tool, such as a comprehensive competency assessment or admission based on a consolidated application combined with an interview, that has sufficient reliability, discriminatory power and broad coverage to identify the right profile of student.

“At the same time, this change would limit the excessive separation of admission ‘doors’ while increasing transparency among different groups of applicants,” Phuong said.

Under this approach, she said, universities would be forced to shift from creating more admission methods to improving the substantive quality of their training.

Concerns about fairness when each major has only one admission method

Le Dong Phuong, former director of the Center for Higher Education Research at the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences, commented that limiting the number of admission methods is one of the important reforms. 

If approved, the number would fall from five methods to three in 2027, a 40 percent reduction. With more than 200 universities, over 400 training majord and more than one million applicants each year, the tighter limits would help reduce the workload involved in admissions and, in turn, reduce errors.

According to Phuong, with the large number of admission methods currently available, many applicants do not fully understand all of them but still try to meet the requirements so they do not miss any opportunities. 

This mindset forces students to “stretch themselves thin” in multiple directions, making it easy for them to lose focus and end up “studying indiscriminately”. 

Even students with a high chance of admission may still feel insecure and participate in multiple admission methods to increase their chances of getting into university.

However, Phuong cautioned that restricting each major to one admissions method starting in 2028 appears "somewhat excessive”.

"Certain admissions methods are not accessible to every candidate, such as specialized competency or aptitude exams. Consequently, overall fairness could suffer,"  Phuong warned.

Dr. Phuong recommended retaining two admissions methods per academic major from 2028 rather than just one, comprising one universal method open to all candidates alongside a potentially specialized second option.

Nguyen Tien Thao, Director General of the Higher Education Department under MOET, said that in 2022- 2026, high school transcript scores within identical programs ran significantly higher than high school graduation exam results. 

Over 2,000 academic programs exhibited score disparities exceeding three points between different admissions methods.

When evaluation scales lack true equivalence, dividing a major into multiple admissions avenues risks treating candidates of equal capability differently.

"Reducing methods serves to broaden equal opportunity, not restrict access,” he said.

Thanh Hung