The IELTS certificate becomes a 'lifeline'.

TP - Although high school graduation exam scores have decreased, the cut-off scores for many "hot" majors such as International Economics, Marketing, etc., are expected to remain high as IELTS becomes an advantage helping many candidates compensate for their English scores…

Báo Tiền Phong•09/08/2025

IELTS changed the landscape.

In 2025, the University of Economics and Law (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City) recorded over 8,800 candidates submitting IELTS certificates for admission – a 3.7-fold increase compared to the previous year. According to Mr. Cu Xuan Tien, Head of the Admissions and Student Affairs Department, the most common IELTS scores ranged from 5.5 to 7.0, with approximately 182 candidates achieving 8.0 or higher. “IELTS has become a ‘lifeline’ in the context of the 2025 high school English exam being considered difficult and the scores low,” Mr. Tien said.

Similarly, IELTS has become a "lifeline" for many candidates when applying to other universities such as: Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics (UEH); Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy…

Candidates taking the 2025 high school graduation exam in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nguyen Dung

Vu Hong An, a candidate with an IELTS score of 7.0 applying to the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, expressed her joy that her certificate was accepted and added points to her admission score this time. An said she had just submitted proof of her IELTS score as required by the university and was included in the list of candidates who received extra points for having this certificate. “With such high competition, even just 0.25 points is an advantage over other candidates,” An shared.

Admission scores for "hot" majors remain stable.

After the Ministry of Education and Training announced the score distribution, many admissions experts predicted that the cut-off scores for majors in the A00 (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry), A01 (Mathematics, Physics, English), B00 (Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology) groups might decrease by 2-3 points compared to last year. However, majors in the social sciences group (C00, C01, C07, etc.) tend to decrease slightly or remain stable, creating a significant difference between training fields.

Mr. Cu Xuan Tien noted that, despite the low exam scores, thanks to the IELTS certificate, the cut-off scores for many majors at the university tend to decrease slightly by 0.5-1.5 points compared to last year. Majors with high demand, such as International Business, E-commerce, and Marketing, may see only a small decrease or remain unchanged.

New, less competitive fields such as Civil Law (in English), Applied Mathematics in Economics, Financial Technology, and Management Information Systems are likely to see even deeper score reductions, up to 1.5 points.

Analysis of exam score distribution suggests that the cut-off scores based on high school exam results are likely to decrease by 1-2 points, especially for subject combinations including Math or English such as A01 and D01. At universities offering technology and engineering programs, the predicted decrease could be as much as 2-3 points.

Mr. Bui Hoai Thang, Head of the Training Department at the University of Technology (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), commented that the distribution of English scores is very differentiated and stable, although Math and Chemistry show signs of decline - which allows high-tech majors to maintain high admission scores with a diverse range of admission methods.