Other than Harvard, which university is the 'first choice' in the eyes of parents and students?

Harvard không còn là 'nguyện vọng 1' trong mắt nhiều phụ huynh, học sinh - Ảnh 1. — Students at Harvard University, America's top university, which is facing many challenges at the present time.

Harvard loses top spot

The Princeton Review, a company specializing in tutoring and college admissions consulting, recently released its annual "College Hopes and Concerns" survey for 2025 to reflect the views of parents and students in the process of applying to American universities such as Harvard. In its 23rd release, this unit surveyed 7,023 students and 2,294 parents from 50 states in the US and several other countries between January 17 and February 24.

The results show that Harvard, after many years of holding the No. 1 position, is no longer the school that many students dream of being admitted to. Instead, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is at the top of the rankings this year, followed by Harvard University (No. 2), Stanford (No. 3), Princeton (No. 4) and Yale (No. 5). The five universities holding positions 6-10 are Columbia, New York, Michigan at Ann Arbor, Pennsylvania and California at Los Angeles, respectively.

Harvard's drop in rankings comes as the nation's top university continues to be embroiled in controversy, from issues of anti-Semitism on campus, the resignation of Harvard President Claudine Gay following plagiarism allegations, to the most recent "duel" with the Trump administration that has put the school at risk of losing federal funding and the right to recruit foreign students.

Meanwhile, for parents in the US and some other countries, theuniversity they want their children to get into most is Princeton, followed by MIT, Stanford, Harvard and Yale. Universities ranked 6-10 are Michigan in Ann Arbor, Columbia, Duke, New York, Texas in Austin. And despite the turmoil in the rankings, Mr. Robert Franek, representative of The Princeton Review, said that there is still a "common denominator" among the schools, which is "extraordinary".

A representative of The Princeton Review added that over the years, a total of 22 schools have appeared one or more times on the list of 10 "Dream Colleges" of parents and students. Of these, Stanford is the place that students choose as their dream school the most, with 12 times topping the list. This is also the school that parents love the most, with 14 times holding the number 1 position in the past 23 years.

Harvard không còn là 'nguyện vọng 1' trong mắt nhiều phụ huynh, học sinh - Ảnh 2. — List of 10 "Dream Universities" for parents and students, according to a survey of more than 9,000 people conducted by The Princeton Review

Notable findings

According to a survey by The Princeton Review, regardless of where they study, the biggest concern for most students is how to pay for a college degree. Specifically, 95% of families said they need financial support to pay for undergraduate tuition, and 77% said this support is "extremely" or "very necessary." Choosing which school to attend often depends largely on the source of financial support, including: grants, scholarships, on-campus paid work programs, and student loan policies.

One of the reasons MIT tops the 2025 rankings, according to experts, is that the school offers generous financial aid packages to qualified students, especially since this year the university will expand its financial aid program for undergraduate students. "Don't let cost concerns stop you," said MIT President Sally Kornbluth in an official statement.

James Lewis, co-founder of the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS), told CNBC that top universities are actively seeking out outstanding students from all backgrounds, and many are willing to offer scholarships or tuition discounts, along with other financial aid based on academic achievement.

"If you are capable, don't give up just because you think you are not qualified," Mr. Lewis emphasized.

Harvard không còn là 'nguyện vọng 1' trong mắt nhiều phụ huynh, học sinh - Ảnh 3. — Students at the graduation ceremony of MIT, the "dream school" of many parents and students today

Another issue related to US admissions is that 92% of survey respondents have taken or plan to take the SAT and/or ACT, even though most US schools no longer require students to submit their scores. Explaining their choice, nearly half (47%) stated, "Test scores can help your application stand out and increase your chances of admission," and one-third (33%) said, "Test scores are considered in the scholarship and financial aid process."

In addition, when assessing the benefits of a university degree in the current context, nearly half of the survey participants (46%) believe that it can bring "better job opportunities and income". In addition, 29% of people expect a university degree to help them "Access to new ideas, people, and environments", while 25% said the main benefit is "the knowledge I receive".

Overall, 99% of more than 9,300 parents and students believe a college degree is worth it, according to a survey by The Princeton Review.

According to statistics from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in 2023, there will be a total of 31,310 Vietnamese studying in the US, ranking 6th in the number of international students. This is the first time the number of Vietnamese studying in the US has reached more than 30,000 after 2 years below 30,000. If we consider the number of Vietnamese students in schools from kindergarten to high school, Vietnam ranks 5th with 3,187 people, behind China, South Korea, Mexico and Spain.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khong-phai-harvard-dai-hoc-nao-la-nguyen-vong-1-trong-mat-phu-huynh-hoc-sinh-185250420150224519.htm