Top 5 global education country "opens its doors" to welcome Vietnamese students

(Dan Tri) - Many universities and colleges in New Zealand directly admit Vietnamese students to undergraduate programs, and at the same time, offer a variety of scholarship and employment policies because they highly value the academic abilities of Vietnamese people.

Vietnamese parents and students listen to advice on learning opportunities at the Education Fair (Photo: Huyen Nguyen).

Appreciate the abilities of Vietnamese students

New Zealand is currently ranked 5th globally for the quality of its higher education system and 1st among English-speaking countries, according to the QS World University Rankings 2026. With all 8 universities ranked in the top 3% globally, the island nation is opening its doors to welcome Vietnamese students.

Mr. Ben Burrowes, Regional Director for Asia of Education New Zealand (ENZ), shared on the sidelines of the New Zealand Education 2025 Fair in Ho Chi Minh City on October 11 that Vietnam is a key investment market and New Zealand continuously launches new programs and policies to attract more students.

One of the latest moves is that many universities and technical and technological institutes have decided to directly admit Vietnamese students to undergraduate level.

This means that high school graduates in Vietnam can enter directly, instead of having to complete the first year of university in Vietnam, or participate in a preparatory program or vocational certificate in New Zealand as previously required.

"This is a recognition of the quality of Vietnamese students' education. We also want to use this policy to make your transition process more convenient, economical and easier. In particular, Vietnam is a rare country that applies this direct admission policy," Mr. Burrowes explained.

Many opportunities to study in New Zealand with scholarships (Photo: Huyen Nguyen).

Sharing the same view, Mr. Warren Smith, Academic Director at Southern Institute of Technology (SIT), one of the institutions that directly admits Vietnamese students, said: “My school’s students from Vietnam are all academically capable, so we want to remove unnecessary barriers.”

Ms Annie Goh, Director of International Admissions at Lincoln University, added that the adjustment is also aimed at increasing competitiveness with other countries that are gradually relaxing their policies for international students.

Expanded part-time job opportunities and special government scholarships

In addition to the direct admission policy, New Zealand also increases its advantages in student support policies. From next November, students with a New Zealand student visa will be allowed to work 25 hours/week during the semester, an increase of 5 hours compared to current regulations.

Students are allowed to stay and work for up to three years after graduation, helping them gain international experience and build their careers.

Government scholarships specifically for Vietnam are also increasingly diverse. Last November, ENZ announced the NZUA Government undergraduate scholarship specifically for Vietnamese students, with a total value of nearly 3.3 billion VND.

In February this year, the New Zealand Prime Minister announced an increase in Government scholarships for Vietnamese students in 2025, including an increase of 45 NZSS secondary school scholarships and 39 Manaaki postgraduate scholarships.

Vietnamese students are highly appreciated by universities and colleges in New Zealand (Photo: Huyen Nguyen).

Just 3 months later, ENZ continued to announce a series of special support policies exclusively for Vietnam's Project 89 candidates.

Last July, the New Zealand Government announced the International Education Growth Plan, which aims to increase the number of international students studying in New Zealand, with Vietnam being a key market.

“This is probably our busiest year in Vietnam,” Mr. Burrowes emphasized.

He also added that ENZ is focusing on connecting New Zealand alumni in Vietnam and establishing a network to support each other, creating a comprehensive learning and development environment for Vietnamese international students.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/quoc-gia-top-5-giao-duc-toan-cau-mo-toang-cua-don-hoc-sinh-viet-nam-20251011222200895.htm