Reasons why the minimum admission scores for many schools in Ho Chi Minh City have dropped sharply.

TPO - After the Ministry of Education and Training announced the high school graduation exam results, universities simultaneously announced their minimum admission scores. However, contrary to predictions that the minimum scores would increase due to the "flood of perfect scores," most universities lowered their minimum scores, with some even dropping 4-6 points compared to the previous year.

Báo Tiền Phong•21/07/2025

All top schools are having price reductions.

According to an announcement from the University of Science - VNU-HCM, using the high school graduation exam score method, the university accepts applications from 16 to 24 points for the three-subject combination, depending on the major. Among these, the Semiconductor Technology and Microcircuit Design majors have the highest minimum score, with the condition that the high school graduation exam math score must be 8 or higher.

The invigilator reads out the names of the candidates at the 2025 high school graduation exam.

Compared to last year, the Data Science, Computer Science, Information Technology, and Artificial Intelligence majors have a minimum admission score of 20, a decrease of 4 points compared to last year.

This year, the University of Finance and Marketing has set the minimum admission score for all majors at 15 points. However, for the Economic Law major, the university requires applicants to have a score of 6 or higher in either Mathematics or Literature. This is the lowest minimum score the university has set in the past three years. From 2022 to the present, the university's admission score has consistently been around 16-19 points, meaning it has decreased by an average of 1 to 4 points this year.

The Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance also saw a significant drop in their minimum admission scores, up to 4 points. Both institutions applied two minimum admission score levels: 18 points for the academic transcript-based admission method (methods 2 and 3); and 15 points for the high school graduation exam-based admission method. Thus, this year's minimum admission scores decreased sharply, ranging from 1 to 4 points.

Notably, the most popular major at Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry this year saw a drop of 6 points, from 22 to 16 points. All other majors at the university also remained at 16 points when using admission methods that incorporate the 2025 high school graduation exam scores.

For private universities such as Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Hoa Sen University, Hong Bang International University, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance, Saigon International University, etc., the minimum admission scores this year range from 15 to 18 points, and most have decreased by more than 1 point compared to last year.

The lowest admission cutoff score to date, and also the lowest score on record in many years, has been recorded at Hung Vuong University in Ho Chi Minh City with 12 points, a decrease of 3 points compared to the previous year. This score applies to all majors and three-subject combinations at the university, meaning candidates only need 4 points per subject to register for admission.

The minimum admission score is low, but don't be complacent.

According to Cao Quang Tu, Head of Admissions and Student Affairs at Saigon International University, the minimum admission score this year, based on high school graduation exam results, ranges from 15 to 16 points. Compared to last year, the minimum score has decreased slightly, by 1 to 2 points depending on the major.

"The reason is that this year's exam follows the new curriculum and there's only one round of admissions, not early admissions like in previous years, so it's very difficult to measure," Mr. Tu said.

Dr. Tran Ai Cam – Rector of Nguyen Tat Thanh University – noted that the distribution of scores in the 2025 high school graduation exam will fluctuate significantly, creating certain differences in the overall score level compared to previous years. This forces universities to adjust their minimum admission scores accordingly, ensuring both the quality of incoming students and providing opportunities for them to enter university.

"However, students also need to be level-headed and carefully consider their choices of majors and universities. Don't just follow trends, but prioritize fields that suit your abilities, passions, and the development trends of society. At the same time, put your favorite majors and universities as your first choice to ensure the best chance of early admission," Ms. Cam advised.

Immediately after receiving their 2025 high school graduation exam results, candidates can register, adjust, and supplement their college application preferences until 5:00 PM on July 28th. During this time, candidates can register and adjust their preferences an unlimited number of times. However, candidates should carefully consider registering their university preferences in order of their preferred majors and universities.