Under a draft circular amending Vietnam’s university admission regulations, universities are expected to no longer be allowed to award bonus points to applicants holding international certificates such as IELTS or those who have won academic competitions.

The proposal has prompted concerns among parents that students who have invested considerable time and money in learning foreign languages could be disadvantaged. Some also worry that removing bonus points could weaken students’ motivation to learn English.

Speaking to VietNamNet, Le Anh Duc, head of academic affairs at the National Economics University, said the proposed adjustment does not diminish the important role of IELTS.

Applicants could still use the certificate to convert or replace their English subject score as part of an admission combination, or to meet the entry requirements for certain English-taught programs.

According to Duc, universities would also retain the flexibility to use foreign-language certificates in ways appropriate to individual programs, such as setting entry requirements, assessing applicants to international joint programs, or recognizing English courses and graduation language requirements.

At the National Economics University, applicants with IELTS certificates could benefit from the university’s range of English-taught programs. The university also recognizes IELTS results and allows credit conversion for certain English courses in its curricula.

“Our goal is to admit academically capable students who also have IELTS so they can study effectively, allowing us to train high-quality human resources to support the country’s development in an era of international integration,” Duc said.

From chasing bonus points to investing in genuine skills

Hoang Phuong of British University Vietnam said universities’ practice of independently awarding bonus points for IELTS, SAT scores or academic competition awards had previously created significant inequality in admissions, particularly disadvantaging applicants in areas where access to expensive test-preparation centers is limited.

Phuong said treating foreign-language certificates as a component that can be converted into admission scores, or as a minimum eligibility requirement, rather than awarding additional points beyond the standard scale, would end situations in which admission scores exceed the official maximum - for example, reaching 31 or 32 points on a 30-point scale.

“This would return international certificates to their proper function as standardized measures of language proficiency or reasoning ability, rather than turning them into a form of ‘soft power’ that allows applicants to circumvent other core academic subjects,” she said.

Instead of relying on complex bonus-point systems, universities’ ability to attract high-quality students would increasingly depend on the learning experience they offer and the extent to which their academic programs are connected to real-world needs.

Institutions with clearly defined identities and graduate outcomes that closely match labor-market demand would have a significant advantage when admissions are assessed within a more consistent framework.

The proposed changes would also require students and parents to shift their strategy from “accumulating bonus points and applying everywhere” toward making earlier, more focused choices and investing in substantive skills.

The concerns emerged after some parents and students feared that Vietnam might “drop IELTS” or stop considering foreign-language certificates in university admissions.

Nguyen Tien Thao, director general of the Higher Education Department under Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training, previously stressed that the draft circular amending admission regulations neither removes foreign-language certificates from the admissions process nor disregards students’ achievements in academic competitions.

According to Thao, foreign-language certificates could still be used under publicly disclosed rules to convert or replace foreign-language subject scores in admission combinations. They could also be used to demonstrate that applicants meet language requirements for foreign-language-taught programs, or be considered for course recognition and graduation requirements under existing regulations.

Thuy Nga