Should we limit admission wishes?

GD&TĐ - The Ministry of Education and Training is seeking opinions on limiting the number of university applications from 2026, raising the question: How much is reasonable to both reduce system load and ensure opportunities for candidates?

Reduce technical load or worry about losing opportunities?

At the 2025 Higher Education Conference, the Ministry of Education and Training announced a remarkable number: More than 852,000 candidates registered for admission, creating up to 7.6 million wishes for more than 500 universities and colleges. This number is considered very large, putting pressure on the data processing system and virtual filtering. As a result, 16 schools had technical errors, affecting nearly 1,000 candidates.

In addition to the option of maintaining the same (no limit on the number of wishes), the Ministry of Education and Training has proposed that from 2026, the number of wishes will be limited to a maximum of 5 or 10. According to Minister Nguyen Kim Son, the previous policy of not limiting wishes was intended to facilitate candidates, but in reality, it caused difficulties when they did not clearly identify their priorities. Limiting the number of wishes will help reduce the number of virtual filtering times, process data more easily, and at the same time increase the responsibility of candidates.

This proposal has created a heated discussion among professionals and students. Nguyen Phuc An, a 12th grader in Ho Chi Minh City, worried: “If I only have 5 choices, I won’t dare to boldly choose my favorite major, but I have to consider it safer. If I fail all of them, I will lose my chance.”

On the contrary, Tran Giang Thanh - a student at Phu Xuan High School ( Dak Lak province), thinks that the limit is necessary. "Anyone can register a few dozen wishes. That way, the filtering process will be more confusing, and the applicants themselves will not be serious. Having fewer wishes will force us to think more carefully and be more determined to study," Thanh said.

From the parents' side, many opinions say that controlling wishes is only reasonable when accompanied by improving the quality of career guidance. Ms. Mai Thi Lan - a parent with a child in grade 12 at Le Quy Don High School (Vo Thi Sau Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), shared: "If children are advised to choose a major early, 5-10 wishes are enough. But if there is a lack of orientation, the limitation can make children fall into a passive position."

According to this parent, if the choice limit is too small, many parents will worry more. “Children are still unclear about their careers and sometimes choose the wrong one. I hope there will be a reasonable framework so that children have opportunities and do not register too much,” said Ms. Lan.

New students of the University of Economics and Law (Ho Chi Minh City National University) at the opening ceremony of the 2025-2026 school year. Photo: USSH

Careful, multi-dimensional consideration

Dr. Mai Duc Toan - Director of the Admissions and Communications Center of Gia Dinh University, said that limiting the number of registrations is necessary to avoid waste and reduce "virtual" registrations.

“Currently, there are candidates who register for dozens of wishes but end up enrolling in only one school. That disrupts the admission process and wastes both time and fees. If there were a framework, for example, 1-3 wishes for each major or school, candidates would be more proactive, and the overall system would be more streamlined and transparent,” he analyzed.

Mr. Toan believes that if such a limit is applied, the admission process will be simpler, reducing the situation of “virtual wishes”, and at the same time forcing students to consider carefully before making a choice. This is also a way to educate the sense of responsibility, avoiding widespread registration leading to many consequences for both candidates and schools.

Many universities currently use 3-4 admission combinations for the same major. If a candidate passes one combination but fails another, a situation of "unfair failure" may arise. In that case, having a large number of wishes does not mean an increase in opportunities, but sometimes makes the actual admission rate lower. "Limiting wishes forces candidates to clearly define their major, avoiding widespread registration. In the long term, this also trains them to be serious and responsible in choosing their study path," Dr. Toan emphasized.

From another perspective, Master Pham Thai Son - Director of the Admissions and Communications Center of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade, said that limiting the number of wishes is not really necessary. According to him, the core of the admission work does not lie in the number of wishes, but in the training quality and reputation of each school.

“If a university has a good program, good lecturers, complete materials, students are supported in their studies and have job opportunities after graduation, then good students will naturally be interested and choose it. We do not need to worry too much about candidates registering many or few wishes, because virtual filtering software can completely handle that amount of data,” said Master Son.

MSc. Son also expressed concern that imposing a hard limit could create distortions in the education market. “If only 5 or 10 wishes are allowed, most candidates will prioritize applying to top schools. This could make it more difficult for local schools or schools that are in the process of building their brands to recruit students. Such a policy will invisibly reduce fair competition between training institutions,” MSc. Son commented.

Instead of focusing on limits, Master Son believes that the more important thing is to strengthen career counseling. “There needs to be more admission counseling programs to help students understand their own abilities and what society is interested in, what majors are needed, what the salary is, and what difficulties studying that major will be… When they have that information, they will make the right choice and no longer have to register their wishes everywhere,” said Mr. Son.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, in 2025, 625,477 candidates completed admission confirmation, an increase of 13.82% compared to 2024. Of which, the university sector alone had 613,335 students, accounting for 52.87% of the total number of candidates taking the high school graduation exam (in 2024, it was 51.3%). This result shows that the general university admission for the 2025-2026 school year was basically completed as planned.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/co-nen-gioi-han-nguyen-vong-xet-tuyen-post750611.html