Ensuring reliability and fairness in university admissions based on academic records

Many opinions recommend that universities should not simply use high school transcript scores for admission, but instead should use transcript results in combination with other conditions such as high school graduation exam scores, international language certificates, thinking assessment tests, and capacity assessments for admission. This method will have higher reliability in the context of public opinion suspecting the phenomenon of "beautifying" high school transcripts.

More universities abandon admission method based on academic records

According to the enrollment plan of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, from 2025, the school will not use high school transcripts in admissions. According to the school representative, in previous years, high school transcripts were used by the school to independently consider admission to the school (10% of the target) or in combination with the capacity assessment test scores (30-40% of the target).

Many universities are adjusting their admissions methods to ensure greater fairness among admission methods. (Illustration photo)

However, with the new generaleducation program (GDPT) issued in 2018, each student will choose and have a transcript score in different combinations, so this method of admission is no longer suitable. Instead, in 2025, the method of using specialized competency assessment exams organized by the school is oriented to become the main method, so most of the admission quota will be used from the results of this exam. This adjustment and change aims to ensure fairness, transparency, create favorable conditions for candidates and ensure improved input quality, meeting the requirements of the labor market.

Ho Chi Minh City National University has also agreed on the policy of implementing 3 university admission methods from 2025, while encouraging member universities to develop a combined admission method. With this decision, schools under Ho Chi Minh City National University will move towards eliminating the priority admission method of considering student transcripts at more than 100 high schools nationwide according to the annually updated list to ensure fairness and help candidates avoid confusion. According to the 2025 regular university admission plan of Nha Trang University, the school will organize admission in 2 steps: Preliminary selection and admission. In which, in the preliminary selection step, the results of some subjects of high school students will be considered as prescribed by the school. After candidates pass the preliminary selection, the school will organize admission based on the results of the high school graduation exam or the results of the competency assessment exam.

Previously, from 2024, Hanoi National Economics University, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi Medical University, and Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy also decided not to use the admission method based on high school transcripts. According to a representative of Hanoi National Economics University, for many years, most excellent students in specialized schools, the group eligible for admission based on transcripts to the school, are eligible for admission based on international certificates or separate exam scores. Abolishing admission based on transcripts will reduce the virtual admission rate because a candidate can use and be admitted from many methods.

High school transcripts should only be considered as initial admission criteria.

In fact, in the 2023 admission season, nearly 100 universities nationwide used the high school transcript admission method and the admission scores based on high school transcripts of all schools were extremely high, with some majors even achieving absolute scores. This reality has caused public opinion to raise some doubts about whether or not high schools are trying to "beautify" their students' transcripts and whether admission using this method is trustworthy?

Mr. Dinh Duc Hien, a teacher at FPT Education System, shared: "We are witnessing university admission scores based on academic records increasing steadily over the years, if not to say "inflation". According to Mr. Hien, in theory, admission based on academic records is an advanced form if it accurately reflects students' abilities, but at the same time, the quality of training, testing, and evaluation must be consistent in all localities and must ensure fairness and transparency, then admission based on academic records will be reliable enough. However, in our country today, these two things are difficult to ensure when considered on a large scale.

Many high school teachers also admit that in Vietnam today, the suspicion that the assessment scores do not accurately reflect the students' academic performance is well-founded. In addition, according to the results of the comparison between high school graduation exam scores and student transcript scores conducted by the Ministry of Education and Training in recent years, there is a "skew" in many localities. This shows that the quality of teaching and learning at the high school level is currently uneven because each locality and each school uses different "measures". And if viewed from a general perspective, the fact that schools only use high school transcript scores to recruit students to university is not trustworthy enough for society.

Dr. Le Viet Khuyen, Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges, also said: The quality of teaching and learning at the high school level is currently uneven because each locality and each school uses different "measures". Therefore, if viewed from a general perspective, the fact that schools only use the 3-year high school transcript scores to enroll students into universities is not trustworthy enough for society. To rectify this situation, universities should not simply use high school transcript scores for admission, but instead should only consider this as an initial selection condition and must be accompanied by other combined conditions.

In fact, in recent times, some universities have used high school transcripts combined with other conditions such as high school graduation exam scores, international language certificates, or additional interviews, essays, thinking assessment tests, and capacity assessments for admission. This method will have higher reliability and also ensure fairness than simply considering admission based on high school transcripts.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/giao-duc/dam-bao-tin-cay-cong-bang-trong-xet-tuyen-dai-hoc-bang-hoc-ba-i749920/