16 schools and nearly 700 Vietnamese university programs meet international standards

The number of higher education institutions and training programs meeting quality accreditation standards, especially international standards, has increased significantly compared to the previous school year.

Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry has just achieved the quality accreditation certificate at the educational institution level according to the AUN-QA standard version 3.0 - a prestigious standard set of the Southeast Asian University Network. This is the second higher education institution in Vietnam to achieve this accreditation standard - Photo: TRAN HUYNH

According to the Ministry of Education and Training , in the 2024-2025 school year, the work of assessing the quality of higher education has many positive changes, the number of schools and training programs meeting standards has increased sharply, clearly demonstrating the trend of improving quality and international integration of schools nationwide.

The number of universities meeting international standards increased by nearly 50%.

According to data from the Ministry of Education and Training, up to now, the country has 200 higher education institutions recognized as meeting domestic quality standards, an increase compared to 193 schools in the previous school year. In particular, the number of schools recognized as meeting international standards has increased from 11 to 16.

Regarding training programs, the total number of accredited programs also increased sharply, from 1,917 to 2,609 programs. Of which, the number of programs recognized as meeting domestic standards increased from 1,373 to 1,915, and the number of programs recognized as meeting international standards increased from 544 to 694.

The Ministry of Education and Training assessed that these figures clearly reflect the increasing interest of universities in quality assurance and accreditation.

In particular, the increase in the number of facilities and accreditation programs according to international standards shows the clear direction of the industry in improving training quality, aiming for deep integration with regional and world education.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thien Phuc - Vice Principal of the University of Technology (Ho Chi Minh City National University) - commented: "The significant increase in the number of schools and programs meeting international standards is a positive signal, reflecting the determination to improve quality substantially, not just a movement like before. This not only helps students benefit from a quality learning environment but also creates conditions for schools to improve their position in the region."

Accreditation of higher education institutions and training programs in the past two academic years - Source: Ministry of Education and Training

There are still many challenges to overcome.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, in addition to the achieved results, the work of ensuring and assessing the quality of university education last school year still revealed some limitations.

Although many educational institutions have established specialized units for quality assurance, their performance is uneven. Some units are still too formalistic, lacking the connection between quality assurance work and the school's long-term development strategy.

The distribution of accredited institutions and programs remains uneven, and participation in international accreditation remains modest.

An independent accreditation expert in Ho Chi Minh City said: "Many schools still see accreditation as a 'destination' instead of a 'journey of continuous improvement'. When the internal assessment process is not substantial, achieving standards, whether domestic or international, is still difficult to create sustainable changes in quality."

Focus on strengthening internal quality assurance system

To improve the quality of higher education, the Ministry of Education and Training is synchronously implementing solutions according to the program to develop a system to ensure and assess the quality of higher education, pedagogical colleges and vocational education for the 2022-2030 period.

Specifically, educational institutions are required to focus on strengthening the internal quality assurance (IQA) system, forming a quality culture throughout the school, promoting institutional and program accreditation according to domestic and international standards in line with the school's long-term development strategy.

At the same time, promoting the ranking of higher education institutions as a strategic task, aiming to enhance status and enhance international competitiveness.

The Ministry also requires schools to strictly comply with regulations on transparency in accountability, fully prepare data and assessment reports according to the Ministry's accreditation criteria. From there, develop specific improvement plans to overcome shortcomings according to each specific standard and criterion.

In particular, new training programs (including international joint programs) will have to undergo accreditation immediately after the first batch of students graduate, in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Higher Education.

TRAN HUYNH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/16-truong-va-gan-700-chuong-trinh-dai-hoc-viet-nam-dat-chuan-quoc-te-20250925101016707.htm