The Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City does not require a competency assessment exam, but it will be weighted in the assessment.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Although the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City affirms that candidates are not required to take the aptitude test for university admission in 2026, the component scores will still be weighted.

Candidates taking the aptitude test organized by the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: Huyen Nguyen).

On the afternoon of December 14th, the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City issued a press release outlining its admissions guidelines for the 2026 regular undergraduate program, amidst confusion among many candidates due to changes in the university's admissions process.

Three days ago, the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City announced its admissions guidelines for 2026 with a landmark change: focusing on a comprehensive admissions method.

Accordingly, the score will be composed of three factors: the results of the competency assessment exam, the high school graduation exam score, and the academic transcript. Following this announcement, many students expressed concern, believing that the door to university admission based solely on high school graduation exam scores is becoming increasingly narrow.

According to this unit, in 2025, the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City has clearly defined its direction to build a unified admissions framework at the system level, in which member universities are granted autonomy to select, combine, and determine the weighting of admission criteria suitable to the specific training characteristics of each unit.

"The 2026 admissions orientation is a continuation and further refinement of this policy, not a sudden change or elimination of the admission categories currently in place under the existing regulations," the unit stated.

Providing a clearer explanation than the initial information released, the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City stated that the "integrated admission method" is understood as using a unified admission formula framework, in which candidates can participate in the admission process through various input data sources such as the results of the High School Graduation Examination, the results of the National University Ho Chi Minh City's competency assessment exam, high school academic results, and other appropriate criteria as prescribed.

These criteria are combined through clear, public, and transparent weighting and conversion principles to ensure fair access for candidates and facilitate the admissions process for educational institutions.

The Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City also cited the practical implementation at the University of Technology - a member university - showing that the integrated admission method has been implemented and applied effectively since 2022.

Based on the practical experience of this model, the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) is orienting its research, refinement, and gradual expansion of the model to suit the entire system, taking into account the conditions and specific training characteristics of each member university.

Based on the overall guidelines at the National University level, member universities are in the process of compiling, reviewing, and finalizing their specific admission plans, including determining weightings, conversion methods, and clear guidelines for each target group.

The Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City does not mandate that candidates must participate in the National Competency Assessment Exam for admission consideration; candidates using the results of the High School Graduation Exam or other valid results as stipulated in the Regulations are still guaranteed their rights and will receive specific guidance in the admission plan of each unit.

However, according to a private source of Dan Tri newspaper, universities under the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City are discussing a plan to replace the current system of using a weighting system for high school graduation exam scores ranging from 0.75 to 0.9.

This could lead to candidates without a competency assessment test score having a somewhat weaker conversion rate.

For example, according to the admission score calculation formula of the Polytechnic University in 2025: Admission score = Academic score + Priority points.

In this calculation, the academic score is calculated as follows: Academic Performance Score = Aptitude Score × 70% + Converted High School Graduation Score × 20% + Converted High School Academic Score × 10%

Continuing from the above formula, Competency Score = [Competency Assessment Score with Math Coefficient × 2] / 15

For candidates without a National Competency Assessment Exam score, the converted score from their high school graduation exam is only weighted 0.75. This means that most candidates wishing to enter the Polytechnic University must take the National Competency Assessment Exam to gain an advantage.

The reporter has also raised these issues with the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City and is awaiting a response. Dan Tri will continue to provide updates to readers.

In 2025, the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City will recruit more than 25,700 students. Of these, nearly 14,500 will be admitted through competency assessment, accounting for 56.32%, the highest rate since 2018.

Besides considering the National Competency Assessment Exam scores, universities also offer direct admission, priority admission, and consideration of high school graduation exam scores.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/dhqg-tphcm-khong-bat-buoc-thi-danh-gia-nang-luc-nhung-se-tinh-trong-so-20251214155648424.htm