BUV - 'standing on the shoulders of giants' to help Vietnamese students reach out to the world

Twenty-five years ago, Malaysia faced a serious education crisis when 20% of its best students were forced to study abroad due to a lack of quality schools, causing a loss of billions of dollars and a brain drain. Currently, Malaysia has transformed dramatically into an educational “hub” of Asia, expecting to welcome 250,000 international students by 2025.

Similarly, Singapore, from a small, internationally unrecognized indigenous education system, now has universities in the top 15 best universities in the world , earning more than 5 billion USD in foreign currency from international students each year.

The two feats share a common formula: “Standing on the shoulders of giants” in education. In this, local universities establish relationships with large international schools, “importing” curricula and quality standards. This combination brings about leaps much further than relying solely on internal resources.

Not only does this model improve the national education system, it also brings clear benefits to students.

According to statistics, 96% of Singaporean international school students have jobs immediately after graduation, with salaries 25-40% higher than students from domestic schools. Up to 78% of Singaporean students in international transfer programs choose to stay abroad. This shows the shift from the mentality of "studying abroad to stay" to "studying to reach out to the world".

In Vietnam, many universities are also applying this model with 369 programs as of June 2024. However, the large number of options also requires parents to carefully research to "choose the right place to entrust their studies", in the context of statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training showing that 62% of international schools affiliated in Vietnam are not in the top 1,000 in the world. Quality control and degree standards are not uniform among schools, and there are even differences within the affiliated programs of the same school.

Therefore, it is necessary to mention schools that have boldly raised this model to a higher level. To increase the uniformity of model and quality, universities such as British University Vietnam (BUV) are currently applying the "international training franchise" model. This model overcomes common problems, such as 100% of degrees are granted directly from prestigious UK universities and are globally certified; the quality of teaching and facilities is equal to, even surpassing the degree-granting school, verified by QS 5 stars.

One is to operate according to international standards. BUV has applied and achieved the standards of the UK's Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency, along with the 5-star QS certification. QAA can be considered the "golden quality stamp" of the British education system - where schools such as Oxford and Cambridge must comply. This ensures that every aspect from the training program, teaching methods, to facilities meet strict international standards.

In addition, BUV cooperates with prestigious universities in the UK. For example, the school has become an officially authorized Teaching Center of the University of London, maintaining the sole authority to teach and award degrees of the University of London in Vietnam to date.

The 199-year-old University of London is an alliance of 18 prestigious British universities such as the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), University College London (UCL), King's College London... the world's leading names.

The University of London is renowned for the rigorous set of principles that govern its Teaching Centres. The Quality Charter covers all aspects of its operations and is continually monitored by a panel of inspectors to ensure the quality of teaching and student experience is on par with that of UK universities.

Impressed with BUV's capacity, in 2025, the University of London officially elevated BUV to become a Global Partner University, a rare title in the University of London network.

BUV's study abroad map includes many Russell Group universities (24 most influential research universities in the UK), and Triple Crown-recognized business schools (1% of the world's best business schools).

Students can choose short-term study abroad programs, semester exchanges, transfer to BUV's partner universities abroad for the final year or two, or continue their master's studies at top universities around the world.

Each training program at BUV has its own international partner network. For example, students of the International Business Administration Bachelor program at the Faculty of Business have the opportunity to transfer to obtain a Bachelor's degree at the University of Liverpool (Russell Group), Oxford Brookes University (ranked 6th for teaching quality in the UK), University of New Brunswick (Canada)..., or transfer to study a master's degree at the University of Bristol (Top 10 UK), University of Exeter (ranked 11th in the Complete University Guide 2026 in the UK), Vancouver Island University (Canada)...

With comprehensive support from the International Cooperation Department at BUV, students can reduce 70-80% of paperwork and procedures. The success rate of BUV students participating in international study programs has averaged over 90% over the past many years. 100% of eligible students will have the opportunity to access scholarship packages from BUV's partner schools.

If studying abroad is not in the goal, students can still enrich their learning experience through short-term international exchange programs, stamping 2-3 countries in their passports during their 3 years at BUV.

This flexible choice brings many benefits to both students and their families. Psychologically, parents can rest assured that their children always have a quality "backup" plan with a British degree right in Vietnam, saving 60% of the cost compared to studying abroad. Students will have an extra year of "cushion" to experience before making a long-term commitment to a study abroad path based on their financial capacity and actual academics. No matter which direction they take, students will still receive a globally recognized degree, and more importantly, a learning journey rich in practical experience.