Universities innovate admissions, how to prevent strange combinations?

To align with the high school graduation exam from 2025 onwards, many universities are adding new subject combinations for admission, such as Informatics, Technology, and Economic Education...

From 2025, high school graduation exam candidates will have two compulsory subjects: Mathematics and Literature, and two elective subjects from nine options: Foreign Language, History, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Economics and Law Education, Informatics, and Technology.

The selection of subjects, including Informatics and Technology, which appeared for the first time in the high school graduation exam, created 36 subject combinations that can be used for university admissions.

Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade has added 5 new subject combinations, including 4 combinations in Group C: C00 (Literature, History, Geography), C01 (Literature, Mathematics, Physics), C02 (Literature, Mathematics, Chemistry), and C14 (Mathematics, Literature, Economic and Legal Education ), mainly for admission to law, business administration, and hotel management majors.

Universities are innovating their admissions processes; how can they prevent unusual subject combinations? (Illustrative image)

The University of Economics and Law (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City) has introduced two new subject combinations: Mathematics, English, and Informatics; and Mathematics, English, and Economic and Legal Education. These two new combinations replace the traditional combinations of A00 (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry) and D07 (Mathematics, Chemistry, English).

In addition to the four traditional subject combinations A00 (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry), A01 (Mathematics, Physics, English), D01 (Mathematics, Literature, English), and B00 (Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology), the University of Technology (Vietnam National University, Hanoi ) has added two more combinations that include Informatics: Mathematics, English, Informatics and Mathematics, Physics, Informatics.

Hanoi University of Science and Technology has added a new admission combination, K01 (Mathematics, Literature combined with one of four subjects: Physics/Chemistry/Biology/Informatics). With this combination, when calculating the score, Mathematics is weighted by a factor of 3, Literature by a factor of 1, and the remaining subject by a factor of 2.

Along with adding new admission combinations, many major universities are also removing combinations that are no longer suitable. The National Economics University has discontinued 5 admission combinations, including: B00 (Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology), C03 (Mathematics, Literature, History), C04 (Literature, Mathematics, Geography), D09 (Mathematics, History, English), and D10 (Mathematics, Geography, English).

According to the draft regulations for university admissions in 2025, the subject combinations used for admission consideration must include at least three subjects relevant to the characteristics and requirements of the training program; these must include either Mathematics or Literature, with an assessment weight of at least one-third of the total score. Combinations within the same major must have common subjects accounting for at least 50% of the total score.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Director of the Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Education and Training), the draft regulations for university admissions in 2025 stipulate that the subject combination used for admission consideration must include at least three subjects suitable to the characteristics and requirements of the training program; among them, Mathematics or Literature must be included with a weighting of at least one-third of the total score. The subject combinations within the same major must have common subjects accounting for at least 50% of the total score.

According to Ms. Thuy, the purpose is to prevent universities from offering many "unusual" or inappropriate admission combinations for a particular major or group of majors. It's important to note that the weighting of common subjects across all combinations must be at least 50%. This demonstrates that these are prerequisite subjects that determine the necessary qualities and abilities of candidates applying to that particular major. Not just any subject can be used for admission to a particular major.

"For example, applying subjects like Literature, History, Geography, and Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry to admissions for engineering programs is not in line with the true nature of basing admissions on the necessary competencies and qualities for that particular field of study," Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy emphasized.

In the past, the admission process based on quotas for each method, without comparison or equivalent conversion, has caused unfairness among candidates. Therefore, the revised regulations increase the responsibility of training institutions in the admissions process, requiring thorough research to eliminate unreasonable discrepancies in admission scores between different subject combinations and admission methods without justifiable explanation.

Mr. Ho Van Tuan, a high school teacher in Quang Binh, suggested that the draft regulations for the 2025 university entrance exams should fix the list of subject combinations, and each school would use that as a basis to choose combinations suitable for their major and training program, avoiding the creation of new combinations by each school, which would lead to confusion in the admissions process.

At the same time, it is necessary to eliminate admission methods that do not guarantee the quality of input for the training programs offered by higher education institutions; and to require institutions to explain the selection of subject combinations and aptitude tests used in separate entrance examinations for admission. This will ensure that the basic competency standards for successful university studies are met.

In a letter sent to the Minister of Education and Training at the end of December 2024, the Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges proposed that the Ministry of Education and Training should eliminate admission methods that do not guarantee the quality of incoming students for the training programs offered by higher education institutions. They also requested that higher education institutions explain the selection of subject combinations and aptitude tests used in separate entrance exams for admission, ensuring that the basic competency standards for successful university studies are met. In particular, they called for the establishment of unified, reasonable subject combinations for admission and the resolute elimination of "unusual" combinations.

Khanh Huyen

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cac-truong-dai-hoc-doi-moi-xet-tuyen-lam-sao-de-ngan-to-hop-la-ar922626.html