Top school's floor score drops by 7 points, what is the predicted benchmark score?

(Dan Tri) - Many major universities in Ho Chi Minh City have had their admission floor scores based on the 2025 high school graduation exam scores decrease sharply, with some majors having a minimum score of 7 points.

Record low floor score

Up to now, a series of universities have announced the threshold to ensure input quality (floor score) for admission by various methods. In particular, the floor score in the method of considering high school graduation exam scores with the sharpest decrease recorded to date is 7 points in the veterinary department of Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry.

The reason is that this year, the school only determines a floor level for the majors at level 16, so some majors will have clear fluctuations.

Students of University of Science , Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: School).

The next sharp decrease is the minimum score for admission to the University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City. The score ranges from 16 to 24 points (including bonus points and priority points), in which the two majors of semiconductor technology and microchip design have the highest minimum score of 24 points.

Compared to 2024, the minimum score for many majors has decreased by 0.5-6 points. In particular, the minimum score for data science last year was 24 points, but this year it has decreased to 18 points.

Similarly, the University of Finance and Marketing has a common minimum score of 15 points for all majors, a decrease of 1-4 points compared to last year. For the economic law major, the school requires an additional score of 6.0 points or higher in math (or 6.0 points in math/literature if both are included in the admission combination).

This is also the lowest floor score of this school in the past 3 years. From 2022 to now, the floor score has always been around 16-19 points.

The University of Industry and Trade also has the floor score in some majors in the fields of management, economics, services, law, information technology, and languages decreased by 1-4 points compared to last year's level of 16-20.

The common minimum score for admission by high school graduation exam results for all majors of the school in 2025 is 16 points (without coefficient, without adding priority points).

Candidates taking the 2025 high school graduation exam (Photo: Thanh Dong).

Sharing about the sharp drop in scores, MSc. Hoang Thanh Tu, Deputy Head of Information and Communication Department, University of Natural Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City National University, said that some majors have seen a sharp drop in their floor scores compared to 2024, mainly due to the clear fluctuations in the score distribution of the 2025 high school graduation exam. In particular, in the subjects of math, English, chemistry, and biology in the subject group commonly used for admission to the school.

"When the score level is no longer as "easy to breathe" as previous years, keeping the high floor score will reduce candidates' chances of access," said Ms. Tu.

However, candidates should note that these are the minimum scores required to apply to the school. The actual benchmark scores will vary considerably depending on the number of applications and the candidates’ abilities. Therefore, candidates should not be subjective and always prepare backup wishes for themselves.

Benchmarks may drop slightly

MSc. Nguyen Thi Kim Phung, Deputy Head of Admissions, Communications and Corporate Relations, University of Finance - Marketing, said that based on the score distribution of the 2025 high school exam, it can be said that the benchmark scores of many majors, especially those in the fields of economics - administration - engineering, are likely to decrease by 1-2 points.

According to her, in that situation, candidates should not be too worried if their exam scores are not as high as expected. The benchmark scores for many majors and universities will decrease accordingly, opening up more opportunities for admission.

“Candidates should carefully consider their wishes, choose a combination with a higher score advantage, and prioritize admission to majors that match their abilities and interests,” Ms. Phung shared.

Many schools plan to reduce the minimum score and admission score by considering the 2025 high school graduation exam scores (Photo: Tien Xuan).

MSc. Cu Xuan Tien, Head of Admissions and Student Affairs Department of University of Economics and Law, Ho Chi Minh City National University, said that majors with admission combinations related to math, English, and chemistry will have a lower standard score than the remaining combinations.

Specifically, he predicted that for the A group (A00, A01), due to a sharp decrease in math scores, the benchmark scores for engineering and technology majors will likely decrease by 1-2 points.

Block B (B00), with the average scores of math, chemistry and biology all decreasing, the benchmark scores for medicine, pharmacy and natural sciences will also tend to decrease by about 1.5-2.5 points.

For block C (C00), the subjects of literature, history, and geography remain stable, so the benchmark score for block C may fluctuate little, may decrease slightly, or remain the same.

Block D (D01, D07), math and English both have no growth in scores, so the standard score for block D is expected to also decrease by 1-2 points.

Considerations in choosing a career

Sending advice to candidates, Ms. Kim Phung emphasized that universities, including the University of Finance and Marketing (UFM), always have many flexible admission methods and programs to ensure maximum benefits for candidates in this year's admissions.

After knowing the exam scores, candidates need to proactively research the admission information of universities such as previous years' admission scores, this year's quota, admission methods, subject combinations, major codes and related additional conditions announced by each school.

Analyzing your high school graduation exam scores, V-SAT, aptitude test, academic records... to choose the right choice is very important.

Parents and candidates listen to university admissions consultation 2025 (Photo: UEF).

MSc. Kim Phung advises candidates to prioritize majors and schools that match their abilities and interests, and to arrange their wishes in order of actual desire. In which, the first wish is the major or school that the candidate loves the most.

The admission system only considers from the first choice until the candidate is admitted, so strategic arrangement is very necessary. Candidates are not limited in the number of choices, but it should be noted that each major at each school can only be registered once.

To increase the chance of admission, candidates should register for a few more "safe" wishes with lower benchmark scores and can consider combining other admission methods to avoid only registering for 1 major at 1 school.

According to Ms. Phung, careful preparation and smart choices will help candidates be more confident and proactive in the university admission process. Regardless of the method of admission, candidates will still study the same program of that major, still study with the same lecturers, and pay the same tuition.

MSc. Hoang Thanh Tu advises candidates to register for about 5-10 selective wishes, avoiding registering too many wishes that cause confusion and lack of concentration.

Regarding arrangement, candidates should divide their wishes into 3 groups:

Choice 1-2 is the most favorite major, even though the standard score may be high.

Choices 3–5 are majors that match your abilities, with benchmark scores that fluctuate around your expected score. This is a “safe” choice group.

Choice 6 and above is a major close to your interests or has a high chance of being accepted.

Although there is no limit on the number of wishes, the quality of the choice is the deciding factor. Candidates need to carefully research the major, admission methods and benchmark scores of recent years, and closely monitor information from schools to have an effective arrangement strategy.

Regarding admission to the University of Natural Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City National University, Ms. Tu said that this year, for the first time, the school applied the conversion of foreign language certificates to the method of using the results of the 2025 high school graduation exam. If candidates have not submitted their foreign language certificates to the school, they can add foreign language certificates on the Ministry's system.

Regarding the floor score, candidates should note the quality assurance threshold for semiconductor technology and microchip design majors as prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training .

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/diem-san-truong-top-giam-sau-toi-7-diem-du-bao-diem-chuan-ra-sao-20250720072714269.htm