In 2019, universities were assigned 59,518 spots for master’s degrees, but only 41,551 postgraduates enrolled, or 69.8 percent. 

In 2020, the quota was 56,069 but only 40,640 postgraduates were registered, or 72.58 percent. 

In 2021, the quota was 56,607, but there has been no official figure about the number of enrolled students.

At HCM City National University, in 2012-2017, the school did not enroll enough students. The number of students registering to attend exams for the master’s degree fell from 10,000 in 2012-2013 to 6,706 in 2014. In 2017, only 2,912 students attended the exams, or 400 fewer than planned.

The drop in the number of registered students has grown year after year. In 2013, the number of students attending exams decreased by 537, in 2014 by 3,476, in 2015 by 1,973, in 2016 by 870 and in 2017 by 649.

The postgraduate training of member schools and institutes belonging to HCM City National University has also been decreasing. The number of students passing exams is only 60 percent of quota. 

In 2012, the total quota for a master’s degree was 3,550, but the figure fell to 3,320 in 2017 (down 9.35 percent).

The decrease in the number of students attending exams is attributed to competition in postgraduate training. The number of schools that provide postgraduate training has increased rapidly since 2010.

Previously, only three large schools provided training for master’s degrees in the social sciences, but now many other schools, both state-owned and private, are providing training in these fields. 

Tran Thien Phuc, Vice Rector of the University of Technology, and a member school of the HCM City National University, said the number of postgraduates the school enrolls every year for master’s degree is 30 percent of full-time tertiary education. This means that with the quota of 5,000 students for tertiary education, the school will have 1,500 for master’s degree.

“We provide training for master’s degrees in all majors, but we never find enough students. We can only find 1,100-1,300 students each year, though these are good figures compared with previous years,” Phuc said.

Nguyen Minh Ha, Rector of the HCM City Open University, said the number of students enrolled depends on training majors while foreign languages and economics attract postgraduates, social sciences and biology don’t.

Previously, the demand for studying for master’s degree was high, while the number of training establishments was modest, but now the demand is low, while there are many training establishments, he said.

Le Huyen