Last chance to get into college with smart choice

Failing to enter university is not a failure, candidates have many other directions for the future.

Within the framework of the program "Bringing schools to candidates" in 2025, on the afternoon of August 28, Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper organized a talk show "Last chance for university and college admissions in 2025" with the participation of representatives of universities and colleges in Ho Chi Minh City.

There are many additional indicators.

At the program, experts analyzed this year's enrollment picture, benchmark scores of "hot" majors as well as remaining opportunities in the additional enrollment round.

According to experts, in recent days, many candidates have been admitted to university but have not confirmed their enrollment because they did not pass their first choice. Some candidates are waiting for a "ticket" for additional admission, while others have turned to college.

MSc. Nguyen Thi Kim Phung, Deputy Head of the Admissions - Communications and Corporate Relations Department - University of Finance - Marketing, commented that the university and college admission picture in 2025 has many highlights. This year, the whole country has over 1,160,000 candidates taking the high school graduation exam, of which 849,544 students registered for university and college admission on the system.

Experts discuss at the program. Photo: QUANG LIEM

Meanwhile, the total university enrollment target fluctuates between 600,000 and 650,000. This means that about 70% of candidates will enter university, while the remaining 30% will choose other paths such as studying abroad, learning a trade, or entering the labor market.

MSc. Phung said that this year, some majors have seen a sudden increase in the number of applications and the benchmark scores have skyrocketed. The most prominent of these is the pedagogy group with an almost absolute benchmark score, followed by the language and multimedia communication groups, etc.

"The high level of competition is concentrated in "hot" majors and top universities. However, if you choose your wishes wisely, candidates still have many opportunities to pass the university entrance exam. In case you fail all your wishes, you can wait for additional admissions" - Master Phung commented.

MSc. Bui Quang Trung, Head of Communications Department - Nguyen Tat Thanh University, said that the school is considering additional recruitment for 73 training majors. However, for majors that have filled their quota early, the school will not accept more applications. In particular, the health group has the highest admission score. Specifically, the medical and dental majors have a admission score of 20.5 based on the high school graduation exam score, and 23 points based on the transcript.

Also in the health group, some majors have "easier" scores. For example, the majors of preventive medicine, nursing, medical laboratory technology, and rehabilitation technology have a standard score of 17 for the admission method based on high school graduation exam scores and 19 for the admission method based on academic records.

MSc. Phung noted that the additional admission scores at universities will not decrease. Candidates applying for additional admission must have an exam score equal to or higher than the standard score announced by the school. In addition, the additional admission quota will also be more limited than in the first round.

"Some schools only consider additional admissions in some majors that are lacking in quotas, not in all majors. Candidates need to read this information carefully before making a decision, to avoid missing out on previous university admission opportunities" - MSc. Phung recommends.

Save money by going to college

Answering questions sent to the program by candidates, education experts affirmed that even if they fail the university entrance exam, they still have many other opportunities to study - such as studying international joint programs, taking additional admissions or studying at colleges.

Dr. Le Si Hai, Principal of Binh Minh Saigon College, said that each training system has its own strengths, and candidates must consider many factors when choosing, such as their favorite major, tuition fees, job opportunities, etc. "There have been many candidates who were admitted to top universities, but because of the pressure of tuition fees, their studies were "broken" halfway. Candidates need to choose their aspirations and appropriate training programs, avoiding the situation of following trends and forgetting what they need" - Dr. Hai emphasized.

Consultants at the program. Photo: QUANG LIEM

Master Tran Quan Quoc, Vice Principal of Ho Chi Minh City Vocational College, hopes that candidates choose a career that suits their interests, abilities and labor market trends, instead of just following a "hot" industry. Once they have determined their passion and goals, they will study better and easily grasp job opportunities after graduation.

"Ho Chi Minh City Vocational College always focuses on training according to the human resource needs of enterprises. The training program is reviewed and updated annually, ensuring that students after graduation meet the professional standards according to the recruitment requirements of enterprises. Therefore, the employment rate of students after 6 months of graduation is always nearly 90%" - Master Quoc informed.

According to Master Quoc, in addition to registering for additional university admission, candidates still have many opportunities to register for college with "easy" admission and short graduation time. Many professions are supported by the school with 70% of tuition fees throughout the course. "The advantage of studying at college is that 70% of the training time is practice. Therefore, most students find suitable jobs right during their internship at the enterprise with attractive salaries" - he suggested.

Master Quoc commented that the career choice trend of candidates this year has clearly shifted towards groups of industries related to technology, services and practical applications, especially information technology, artificial intelligence, tourism - services, beauty groups and health groups. What is quite surprising is that new technology, automation and culinary careers are of more interest to young people than before, showing that they have paid more attention to practical job opportunities after graduation.

Create maximum conditions for new students

As someone with many years of experience in career counseling, Dr. Le Si Hai clearly understands the confusion and anxiety of candidates and parents at this time.

Answering a candidate's question about what they should study if they fail the university entrance exam for semiconductor microchips, Dr. Hai said that students can absolutely choose to study a major in this group at college.

"Binh Minh Saigon College has an electrical and electronic engineering major, in which there is a semiconductor microchip major. Candidates can switch to college with similar majors. In addition, Van Hien University is preparing to open this major. Therefore, after completing the college program, students can transfer to the right university major" - Dr. Hai informed.

Binh Minh Saigon College is still recruiting for 18 majors, including many "hot" majors. For students who enroll before September 30, the school will support scholarships and waive 50% of first semester tuition fees. In addition, the school also has 100 scholarships for new students with difficult circumstances, with a support level of 30% of tuition fees for the entire course.

"The school commits not to increase tuition fees during the entire study period and students will be supported with suitable jobs after graduation. If a smart study path is built, within 4 to 4 and a half years, students can "grab" both college and university degrees" - Dr. Hai emphasized.

Similarly, Nguyen Tat Thanh University also has policies to support new students to the maximum. "The school has many business clubs that always accompany and support new students (the highest scholarship is about 17 million VND). The school commits not to increase tuition fees during the entire study period. This policy has been applied for many years" - Master Bui Quang Trung clearly stated.

In case students have financial difficulties, Nguyen Tat Thanh University will support them in finding part-time jobs; avoiding cases of being scammed and exploited by bad people. Thanks to that, students can ensure their studies and reduce economic pressure.

MSc. Nguyen Thi Kim Phung said that the University of Finance and Marketing always focuses on building close relationships with businesses and alumni. The university's alumni network plays an important role in helping students find reputable and suitable internship opportunities.

In addition, the University of Finance and Marketing also regularly organizes workshops, startup competitions, especially the annual "super-big" recruitment festival, creating conditions for students from first to final year to directly approach leading employers.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company, Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDBank), Vingroup Corporation, Uniben Joint Stock Company and supporting units: University of Finance - Marketing, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Binh Minh Saigon College, Ho Chi Minh City Vocational College.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/co-hoi-cuoi-vao-dh-cd-voi-lua-chon-thong-minh-196250828211819892.htm