Benchmarks and unfairness

The practice of adding bonus points and converting points, widely adopted by most universities, has led to a situation where exam scores are low but admission cutoff scores still skyrocket, breaking previous cutoff score records.

Candidates learn about university admissions at the 2025 University and College Admissions Application Fair - Photo: THANH HIEP

This year, despite a significant drop in high school graduation exam scores compared to last year, university admission scores have reached record highs. There are even six majors with perfect scores of 30/30, and about a dozen majors where candidates scoring nearly 10 points per subject still couldn't get admitted without priority points or bonus points.

Education experts point to several reasons, such as unreasonable equivalent point conversions, multiple admission methods, and too many bonus points.

Tighten regional priorities, loosen incentive points.

Most notably, universities offer bonus points. Candidates who achieve national-level academic excellence, win science and technology competitions, excel at the provincial level, or win prizes in the April 30th Olympic Games, etc., will receive 1 to 3 bonus points.

According to the admissions regulations, universities are allowed to add bonus points, but not exceeding 10% of the maximum score on the admissions scale (3 points/30-point scale). Therefore, some universities allow candidates to choose one highest bonus point, while others allow candidates to use multiple bonus points, as long as the total is not more than 3 points.

A candidate with 27 points still meets the cutoff score of 30 because of 3 bonus points. This explains why, even though no candidate nationwide achieved a perfect 30 in Math, Literature, and English, many majors that recruit based on this combination have a cutoff score of 30.

Furthermore, many universities allow candidates with international foreign language certificates to convert them into points for the foreign language subject in the subject combination. The conversion rate varies from university to university, but commonly, an IELTS score of 6.5 is converted to 9.5 points for English during admission, and a score of 7.0 is converted to 10 points.

That's why some students score only 6 points in English on the high school graduation exam, but thanks to their IELTS certificate, their English score in university admissions is 10 points, a difference of 4 points. Among the 850,000 students applying for university admission this year, the number of high-achieving students with IELTS certificates is a minority, yet they receive significantly more favorable treatment, while the majority of the remaining students are at a disadvantage.

Unfair

The practice of adding bonus points and converting points, widely adopted by most universities, has led to a situation where low exam scores still result in soaring admission cutoff scores, breaking previous records. Looking at the numbers, this can be seen as a positive sign, indicating that universities are attracting talented students.

But hidden beneath the surface is immense inequality and unfairness, contradicting the objective and equitable principles of admissions.

A high school graduate with 27 points gets accepted into a major with a cutoff score of 30 because of 3 bonus points, while a student with 29 points but no bonus points fails. Students have the same access to the general education program, even though the learning environment, facilities, and teachers vary from place to place. However, not all students have the opportunity to study for and take international language certification exams, especially those from remote areas.

The Ministry of Education and Training has repeatedly emphasized fair competition among candidates and has issued many specific policies to implement this. Notably, it has reduced regional priority points – which were previously a leverage point for candidates from remote and disadvantaged areas to compete with students from cities, where learning conditions are much better.

What can be learned from these two issues: tightening priority points for students from remote areas (who make up the majority of candidates) and allowing bonus points for a minority of high-achieving students with IELTS scores (from families with good economic and academic conditions)? Is this fair in the admissions process?

It's easy to see that less privileged candidates are at a disadvantage in many ways. Their only assets are their academic ability, their only competitive weapons are their determination and high school graduation exam scores. Even the few regional priority points are increasingly being restricted. The better they are academically and the higher their exam scores, the fewer priority points they receive.

Conversely, many students have the means to study for and take the IELTS exam to obtain a certificate. With low high school graduation exam scores, they can use their IELTS certificate to gain bonus points, sometimes up to 3 points, or convert it into a score of 9 or 10 in English when applying for university admissions. This time, the IELTS score is low, allowing students to study and retake the exam until they achieve their desired score, but the high school graduation exam is only taken once. The advantage is clear.

Thus, it is clear that there is inequality and unfairness right from the admissions policy, not to mention the reality. Of course, candidates also have to study and prepare hard to get an IELTS score; it doesn't just fall from the sky. They also need to have a certain level of academic ability to achieve the required score, regardless of whether there are bonus points or conversions.

We are not here to discriminate against those who take the IELTS exam and possess an IELTS certificate. What we want to emphasize is fairness reflected in the admissions regulations. This fairness is demonstrated through specific rules, formulas, and scales. And when fairness is established, its implementation must also be in line with that spirit, ensuring that all candidates have an equal opportunity to compete, without being influenced by factors unrelated to their academic ability.

The previous system of adding 3, 2, or 1 point for regional priority for candidates from remote areas was considered unfair and has been reduced to half. There were even technical barriers where higher scores resulted in lower priority points. The current system of adding 3, 2, or 1 point for high-achieving candidates with IELTS certificates is legalized in the regulations and there are no technical barriers; schools can add as many points as they wish.

If inequality exists in the legal framework, it's difficult to demand fairness in practice.

Tighten regional priority points

Prior to 2018, each priority area was awarded 1 point. Candidates from Area 1 received 3 points, rural Area 2 received 2 points, and Area 2 received 1 point. This point allocation system had been in place for over 10 years.

However, many argue that adding too many priority points for different regions creates unfairness for students in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2018, the ministry reduced the priority points for different regions by half, to 1.5, 1, and 0.5 points respectively.

In 2023, the preferential points system (including priority for specific groups and regions) was tightened again. Accordingly, candidates with scores of 22.5 points or higher would no longer receive their full preferential points; instead, the points would be calculated using a decreasing formula. The higher the score, the lower the preferential points, and at 30 points, candidates would no longer receive any preferential points.

One school had nearly 200 students who achieved perfect scores thanks to "bonus points".

New students enroll at the University of Technology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi on the morning of August 24th - Photo: NGUYEN BAO

On August 24th, the University of Technology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, held in-person enrollment for over 4,200 newly admitted students. Nearly 3,000 candidates completed the enrollment procedures in just the morning.

According to school statistics, 192 candidates achieved a perfect score of 30; 815 candidates scored between 28 and 29 points; and 1,239 candidates scored between 27 and 28 points. The percentage of candidates scoring 29 points or higher accounts for 13% of the total enrollment quota.

Specifically, in the computer science field, 128 candidates scored 29 points or higher, accounting for 29% of the total enrollment quota for the field; in information technology, there were 213 candidates, accounting for 48% of the enrollment quota for the field.

The score above includes converted points and bonus points.

Previously, the University of Technology announced admission scores ranging from 22.14 to 28.19 points, with Information Technology having the highest score and Agricultural Technology the lowest. Most majors had admission scores above 26.

Professor Chu Duc Trinh, Rector of the University of Technology, said that this year the university has significantly increased enrollment quotas in majors in the fields of information technology, artificial intelligence, electronics, semiconductors, and automation, but the appeal of the university has not decreased; in fact, the admission scores have increased.

Back to the topic

MINH GIANG - NGUYEN BAO

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/diem-chuan-and-su-thieu-cong-bang-20250824234357016.htm