'Even with 29 points, I still failed to get into university. What's the problem?'

Readers argue that the existence of too many admission methods creates unfairness, driving the cut-off scores for the high school graduation exam-based admission method to sky-high levels.

Candidates taking the 2025 high school graduation exam. Although exam scores decreased, the admission scores for many schools increased - Photo: TRUNG TAN

The article "University admission scores are 'inflated,' nearly 10 points per subject still result in failure, what's going on?" has attracted much debate from Tuoi Tre Online readers regarding changes in admission policies and fairness.

Are university admission scores becoming "inflated" due to too many admission methods?

"29 points and still failing to get into university, how am I supposed to study? What's the problem?" is a question posed by a reader. Perhaps this is an excellent exam score, yet still failing to get into their first-choice university, causing this reader anxiety. Meanwhile, reader Nguyen Tuan Loc jokingly remarked, "Our children are truly talented..."

Also regarding scores, reader Ky Tranh commented that only excellent and good students can achieve over 27 points in all three subjects.

If students can't get into their desired universities with these results, then the admissions process needs to be reviewed.

Many readers have offered explanations for the causes, debated admission policies, graduation exams, and the fairness of the selection process, and proposed solutions to curb the "inflation of admission scores".

"Analyzing the score distribution published by the Ministry of Education and Training in 2025, I see that only the math-chemistry-biology combination for medical and pharmaceutical universities reflects the results relatively well with the high school graduation exam results. The other combinations at other universities and colleges are unpredictable...", reader Nguyen Ha commented.

If students can't get into their desired universities with these results, then the admissions process needs to be reviewed.

Reader Ky Tranh

Explaining why candidates with nearly 10 points in each subject still failed to get into their first-choice university, a reader named Nam suggested two reasons. Firstly, the graduation exam was too easy, with scores of 9-10 everywhere, lacking differentiation. Secondly, the number of places allocated based on graduation exam scores was too small.

Many other readers expressed agreement with the above opinion and argued that the reason for the inflation of admission scores is the existence of too many admission methods. Reader Nguyen asserted that this is a consequence of university admissions based solely on academic transcripts.

Also analyzing the reasons for inflation in admission scores, reader Nguyen Hai Au argues that admissions through methods such as academic transcripts and competency assessments are almost enough to cover all expenses.

The method of using high school graduation exam results for admission has very few available slots, leading to high scores (many students even receive priority points of 1.5-2 points). The Ministry of Education and Training needs to review the admission methods of the universities.

From another perspective, reader anhhaophilos argues that the high cut-off scores at some schools are due to percentile conversion, because if students take the combined math-physics-chemistry exam to achieve a score of 25-29, they must have a very solid understanding of the subject.

Some universities, such as the University of Science (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), have extremely high admission scores for "hot" majors, with many candidates who have won national or international awards being admitted directly, leading to fierce competition among high school students.

Amend regulations that may create unfairness.

Besides explaining the causes, many readers also expressed concerns and suggested solutions to mitigate this situation.

"The high cutoff scores are mostly in teacher training programs, which is encouraging. However, there are too many things to worry about for this year's university and college admissions season. Long-term, stable solutions are needed for the admissions process," reader Vinh Hai wrote.

A reader named Truong argued that the high, very high, admission scores are due to the multiple admission methods. This is unfair. "In my opinion, the main criterion should be the high school graduation exam results, with academic transcripts and foreign language proficiency as secondary considerations," this reader suggested.

Similarly, a reader named Thanh suggested separating the high school graduation exam and the university entrance exam. Because the graduation exam is very easy, it could lead to inflation and distort the university entrance exam scores.

Sometimes, going back to the days of choosing a school and major before taking the entrance exam would help students pursue their dreams instead of applying after knowing their scores.

Sharing the same viewpoint, reader Anh Vu argues that reform should be about streamlining and simplifying things, making them more convenient, rather than complicating matters with many unreasonable points. He believes this is the right time to separate the high school graduation exam and university/college entrance exams. He also suggests that improving the quality of higher education requires abolishing the criterion of using academic transcripts for university admissions.

"Let universities set the questions and choose the projects for their programs, to avoid overlooking anything," reader Vinh suggested.

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MINH GIANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/29-diem-van-rot-dai-hoc-co-van-de-gi-vay-20250823150124156.htm