IELTS fever and the race to get into university

Editor's note: In recent years, the IELTS certificate has entered the domestic university admission "arena", becoming a popular path for 12th grade students hoping to get a ticket to university.

At many universities, the number of candidates using IELTS for admission has increased several times compared to previous years and is increasingly showing an explosive trend, causing many students and parents to enter a new and unique race. Especially, when this year's English exam is considered difficult and admission based on IELTS certificate is considered advantageous, then, the IELTS certificate is considered a "golden ticket" to protect candidates to open the door to university.

With the series of articles "IELTS Points - Fairness or Advantage for the Well-off?", we will find solutions to the IELTS fever and the race to get into university; Analyze the social justice aspect, compare the opportunities to access IELTS between student groups; Dissect the possible consequences if we continue to maintain the current IELTS points; Dig deeper to find the root cause, from there suggest policies and directions to balance the interests of learners.

"A hundred flowers bloom"

According to many English teachers and experts, the number of IELTS test takers in Vietnam in the 2023–2024 session has increased by at least 35% compared to last year.

According to a report from the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences, in 2022 alone, more than 35,000 candidates were exempted from the Foreign Language exam in the high school exam thanks to the IELTS certificate (or equivalent), increasing to nearly 47,000 students in 2023. This is only the number of people using IELTS results to be exempted from the exam, not the total number of people taking the IELTS exam.

Dr. Sai Cong Hong, Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges, said that it is estimated that in 2025, there will be about 300,000 IELTS test takers, equivalent to 1,500 billion VND in fees, of which about 85%, or about 1,275 billion VND, will flow abroad. If the number of test takers increases by 12% each year, by 2029, this figure could exceed 2,000 billion VND.

Also in this year's admission season, not only a few schools applied, but by 2025, many large universities nationwide will continue to expand the use of international language certificates such as IELTS, TOEFL or PTE in admission methods.

Never before has the number of candidates using foreign language certificates, commonly IELTS, to convert to English scores or receive priority points increased significantly at many top universities like this year.

Many schools accept IELTS 4.0, the corresponding English conversion score is from 6 to 8 points, depending on the school. Most of the remaining schools require IELTS 5.0 or higher, the common conversion score is 7-8.5 points in English.

In particular, with the method of considering international certificates, the University of Commerce accepts IELTS from 5.0 or equivalent. Candidates can convert their certificate scores on a scale of 10, and receive an additional 0.5-3 bonus points. For example, a candidate with 5.0 IELTS is converted to 10 points, and an additional 0.5 bonus points. Candidates with 7.0 or more are also converted to 10 points and receive 3 bonus points.

Candidates with IELTS certificates when applying to the National Economics University have the advantage of having their scores counted twice. Firstly, the school adds 0.75 points to all candidates with international English certificates, regardless of high or low scores. For example, candidates with IELTS 5.5 or 9.0 will receive the same 0.75 points.

At the same time, the National Economics University calculates the converted score to a 10-point scale for English certificates. A minimum of 5.5 IELTS is counted as 8 points; 6.5 IELTS is counted as 9 points; from 7.5 IELTS and above is counted as 10 points.

Because of such advantages, the number of candidates with international certificates such as IELTS and SAT registering for schools has flourished, like "mushrooms after rain" and the number is surprisingly high.

For example, the National Economics University said that this year, about 25,000 candidates with international certificates such as IELTS and SAT applied to the National Economics University, an increase of 1.5 times compared to last year. Meanwhile, 8 years ago, when the school first used IELTS with a requirement of 6.5 or higher or equivalent for admission, it only received about 50 applications. This number reached about 2,000 in 2019, and 11,000 in 2023.

Of the approximately 40,000 candidates wishing to enter the Banking Academy this year, more than 13,000 used foreign language certificates, more than double the number last year. The school said that overall, the certificate scores were better than previous years.

At Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Associate Professor Dr. Vu Duy Hai, Head of Admissions and Career Guidance, said that 13,000 candidates used IELTS to apply for admission to the school, an increase of 1.5 times.

In the Southern schools, in 2025, the University of Economics and Law (VNU-HCM) recorded more than 8,800 candidates submitting IELTS certificates for admission - 3.7 times higher than the previous year.

Similarly, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics (UEH) recorded a number of applications 2-3 times higher than the quota for many "hot" majors, especially those combining block D01 and international English (IELTS from 5.5 and above); Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy also had more than 2,000 candidates using English certificates and receiving points thanks to these certificates...

IELTS bonus points: Fair or unfair?

According to Master Nguyen Quang Trung, in reality, for economic schools today, there are requirements and demands for practicality and international integration that are very high, and foreign languages are also related to the output standards of students, and are also a tool for students after graduation to be able to work in businesses in an international environment.

Therefore, the school really wants to recruit candidates with international certificates.

Master Nguyen Quang Trung expressed that he does not support the view that "everyone competes to study for international certificates", but clearly, if one has better foreign language skills, there will be many favorable conditions to study better in the university environment".

According to Master Pham Thai Son - Director of the Admissions Consulting and Communication Center - Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade, adding points for candidates with IELTS certificates ensures fairness for candidates and increases their opportunities.

According to Mr. Son, for those who use the English subject combination for admission, this is an opportunity to increase their admission because they have two ways including using the IELTS certificate to convert to the English test score, the maximum is 10 points or using the IELTS certificate as an additional point for the English test in the high school graduation exam.

Regarding fairness, Mr. Pham Thai Son said that considering international certificates is very fair in admission because candidates who achieve IELTS scores must achieve all 4 skills including Listening - Speaking - Reading - Writing while the high school graduation exam in English only has 2 skills: Reading - Writing.

On the other hand, learning IELTS is similar to studying skills at university level, so using IELTS as a bonus point in admission is also reasonable. However, if we consider geographical location, the distance between urban and rural areas, it is clearly difficult to demand fairness due to the imbalance in socio-economic conditions, learning conditions and examinations. Therefore, students in remote and rural areas have to make more efforts in the English exam...

Master Cu Xuan Tien also expressed that currently each major has many subject combinations for candidates to choose from, so they are completely proactive in choosing their exam subjects. For example, at the University of Economics and Law, many majors consider both A00 and D01 combinations at the same time. If the candidate does not have an advantage in English compared to other candidates, they can switch to A00 combination to replace it with Math.

Dr. Le Anh Duc explained the choice of admission method using international certificates: “Analysis of learning outcomes at the National Economics University also shows that this is the group of students with the best learning outcomes. These groups of students are suitable for the output requirements of the training programs of the National Economics University (from core competency requirements to English skills, etc.)”.

"Those who do not have an international English certificate can still be admitted purely based on combinations or ability/thinking assessment tests," Mr. Duc stated his opinion.