New policies on university admissions and financial support for boarding students take effect from May

Many new regulations on university admissions, policies for ethnic minority and mountainous students, and training linkages will take effect from May 2025.

Early admission is cancelled.

Circular 06/2025 on university and college admission regulations for the new Early ChildhoodEducation major takes effect from May 5.

Accordingly, the circular stipulates that early admission is abolished, and universities are required to use the results of 3 years of high school or the entire 12th grade for admission. At the same time, the regulation stipulates that the weight of the 12th grade results for consideration is not less than 25%.

Regarding the rules for converting equivalent admission scores, Circular 06 requires schools using multiple admission methods to determine the rules for converting equivalent admission thresholds and admission scores of admission methods, admission methods, and admission combinations according to the general instructions of the Ministry of Education and Training .

From 2025, universities will not be allowed to consider early admission. (Illustration photo: D.H)

In addition, to ensure that candidates have full information during the application process, the regulations stipulating the equivalent conversion rules must be publicly announced at the latest at the same time as the time of announcing the input quality assurance threshold.

Candidates do not need to choose a method code, combination code, etc., they only need to clearly identify the program, major, training group and training institution they wish to study in order to decide to register. The general enrollment support system of the Ministry of Education and Training will use the method with the highest result of the candidate for admission consideration.

2025 is also the first year that biology courses under the new general education curriculum will take the high school graduation exam. The Ministry of Education and Training issued regulations for high school graduation exams from 2025, which will increase the number of subjects students can choose.

Therefore, to ensure the candidates' chances of admission, the new regulations will not limit the number of admission combinations. However, it should be noted that the subject combination used for admission includes at least 3 suitable subjects, including Math or Literature with a weighted score of no less than 25%.

Another new point is that the Regulation stipulates that schools can convert foreign language certificates into foreign language subject scores to include in the admission subject group, but the foreign language subject scores converted from foreign language certificates have a weighted score that cannot exceed 50%.

The new regulations also limit the total bonus points to no more than 10% of the maximum score on the admission scale (for example, on a 30-point scale, the maximum is 3 points) to create a fairer opportunity in admission. However, training institutions still have bonus points based on the characteristics of the training institution, the input requirements and the maximum exploitation of the candidates' individual strengths.

Each candidate has the opportunity to achieve the maximum score on the scoring scale, but no candidate has a score (all types of bonus points and priority points) exceeding this maximum score.

Double the support money for boarding children

The Government issued Decree 66/2025 regulating policies for nursery children, students and trainees in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, coastal and island areas and educational institutions with nursery children and students enjoying policies. The Decree takes effect on May 1, 2025.

Decree 66 expands the support objects, adding more groups of students who are entitled to the support regime, applicable to nursery school children, boarding students, and students at preschool, general education and continuing education institutions.

New regulations support students in mountainous areas and ethnic minorities. (Illustration photo: HC)

The most notable new point of this decree is to add children in boarding kindergartens from 3 months to 3 years old to the list of beneficiaries of the learning support policy from the state budget.

Accordingly, children in boarding kindergartens will be supported with 360,000 VND/month/child for lunch (not exceeding 9 months/school year). Compared to the old decree (Decree No. 105/2020), the new support level is doubled.

In addition, preschools with children in semi-boarding kindergartens are entitled to 700,000 VND/month/group of children in kindergartens (no more than 9 months/school year) to manage the noon for the group of children in kindergartens.

From the 2025-2026 school year, preschools will also be supported with money to buy paper, comics, crayons, pencils, toys and other learning materials and supplies; blankets, mosquito nets and personal items for children in boarding kindergartens at a cost of VND 1,350,000/child/school year.

Schools are also supported with electricity and water for the study and daily activities of children in boarding kindergartens with a rate of 5KW of electricity/month/child in boarding kindergarten and one cubic meter of water/month/child in boarding kindergarten according to local regulations (for no more than 9 months/school year).

The Decree also clearly stipulates funding sources from the state budget, while encouraging the participation of organizations, individuals and businesses to mobilize more social resources for education.

New regulations on training cooperation with foreign countries

Circular 07/2025 regulates training cooperation between Vietnamese higher education institutions and foreign higher education institutions at the undergraduate, master's and doctoral levels. This Circular takes effect from May 5 and replaces Circular 38/2020.

Some new points of Circular 07 are related to the scope of application, training forms, foreign language requirements, program transfer, teaching and foreign lecturer ratio, and protection of learners' rights.

Specifically, scope of application: Update regulations on joint training programs between Vietnamese and foreign higher education institutions, clarifying the scope and level of training.

Training Format: Improve the proportion of online training in joint training programs (up to 50% for online blending).

Language Requirements: Provide detailed requirements for valid language certificates, helping to make the admissions process transparent.

Program transfer: Clarifies regulations on program transfer and recognition of up to 50% of credits.

Teaching and foreign faculty ratio: The Circular requires foreign faculty to preside over at least 25% of the total program volume.

The Circular also provides clear regulations on protecting rights when training programs are interrupted or terminated ahead of schedule.

Minh Khoi

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/chinh-sach-moi-xet-tuyen-dh-ho-tro-tien-cho-tre-ban-tru-co-hieu-luc-tu-thang-5-ar941314.html