The deadline for comments is June 27, 2026. For the higher education sector, the draft clearly outlines the penalties. The fines can reach up to 100 million VND.
Strong sanctions
The draft regulations specify administrative violations, forms of punishment, penalty levels, and remedial measures throughout the education sector. Specifically, for higher education, the draft outlines penalties related to training organization, student recruitment, university governance, degree granting, quality assurance, and student rights.
One of the notable aspects of the draft is the provision for penalties related to violations concerning the operating conditions, training locations, and branches of higher education institutions and other institutions engaged in higher education activities.
Accordingly, higher education institutions that organize training without permission or without meeting the prescribed conditions may be fined from 40 to 60 million VND. The fine increases to 60 to 80 million VND for actions such as: failing to maintain conditions ensuring the quality of training; organizing online or distance learning but not meeting the requirements regarding curriculum, learning materials, technology, student verification, or falsifying documents to obtain permission to operate training.
Specifically, continuing training during a suspension period or conducting training in violation of regulations, resulting in students not having their learning outcomes recognized, not meeting graduation requirements, or not being awarded diplomas, will be subject to a fine of 80-100 million VND. The draft also adds the penalty of suspending training activities for 6-12 months for serious violations.
Regarding enrollment quotas, the draft regulations stipulate that penalties increase progressively based on the percentage of excess enrollment. For undergraduate programs, exceeding the quota by 3% to less than 10% will result in a fine of 20-40 million VND; exceeding the quota by 20% or more may result in a fine of up to 100 million VND. Similarly, for master's and doctoral programs, the highest penalty for exceeding the quota by 20% or more is also up to 100 million VND.
According to Ms. Tang Thi Ngoc Mai, a member of the 14th National Assembly , the drafting of a Decree regulating administrative penalties for violations in the field of education is necessary, contributing to the completion of the legal framework and enhancing the effectiveness of state management; while also ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of students, teachers, and educational institutions.
In particular, in the context of higher education being granted increasing autonomy, strengthening accountability and sanctions for violations is an essential requirement.
Agreeing with the regulations on penalties in the field of higher education, including penalties for exceeding enrollment quotas, Ms. Tang Thi Ngoc Mai emphasized that, according to the draft, universities that exceed enrollment quotas by 20% or more for undergraduate, master's, or doctoral programs may be fined up to 100 million VND.
According to her, this is an appropriate penalty, reflecting a firm stance on rectifying violations that could directly affect the quality of training, the rights of students, and the reputation of the higher education system.
Ms. Tang Thi Ngoc Mai observed that, over the years, along with the expansion of training scale, some higher education institutions have revealed limitations in determining enrollment quotas, maintaining quality assurance conditions, or organizing training. Without sufficiently strong sanctions, the risk of prioritizing quantity over quality, leading to a decline in the quality of human resources, is a warning that needs to be issued.
According to Ms. Tang Thi Ngoc Mai, the high penalties are not intended to increase budget revenue but rather to deter, prevent, and raise awareness of legal compliance among educational institutions. Alongside penalties, the draft decree also stipulates many remedial measures to ensure the right to continuous learning and the legitimate rights of learners.
Education is a special field, directly related to the quality of the nation's human resources. Therefore, Ms. Tang Thi Ngoc Mai believes that, along with creating conditions for educational institutions to exercise their autonomy, it is necessary to have sufficiently strict sanctions to ensure discipline, enhance accountability, and maintain the quality of training.
"I believe that the regulation imposing fines of up to 100 million VND for serious violations in higher education is absolutely necessary and has received social consensus," emphasized Ms. Tang Thi Ngoc Mai.
Not intended to "make things difficult" for schools.
As a long-time researcher and administrator in education, Mr. Le Tuan Tu - former Director of the Department of Education and Training of Khanh Hoa province - agrees with the strict sanctions proposed in the draft Decree on administrative penalties for violations in the field of education. In the context of higher education institutions increasingly exercising autonomy, the issuance of a legal framework is necessary to prevent lax management and the commercialization of education.
According to Mr. Le Tuan Tu, the draft regulations have hit the "Achilles' heel" of violations in student recruitment and training. The provision of fines ranging from 80 to 100 million VND for exceeding the enrollment quota by 20% or more for undergraduate programs, or up to 100 million VND for master's and doctoral programs, is a "special remedy" for the practice of "hoarding" students regardless of actual training capacity. This forces universities to determine enrollment quotas based on quality rather than quantity, ensuring fair educational opportunities for all candidates.
The former Director of the Khanh Hoa Department of Education and Training highly praised the resolute efforts in protecting academic integrity. The penalty of 40 to 60 million VND for plagiarism in theses, projects, dissertations, and doctoral theses is a significant step forward. This is not just an administrative penalty, but also a strong message about maintaining integrity in scientific research and preventing the rampant practice of cheating in exams and assignments.
The draft regulations stipulate fines ranging from 20 to 40 million VND for acts of publicly disclosing false information about accreditation results, student employment rates, or faculty performance. According to Mr. Le Tuan Tu, in an autonomous environment, without severe penalties for false advertising, students will be the most disadvantaged. Furthermore, the regulations punishing acts of obstructing the School Council from performing its duties (with fines of 40-60 million VND) help to improve the administrative system and prevent superficial autonomy.
In addition, imposing fines of up to 100 million VND for exploiting scholarships and sponsorships to deceive and profit from students will contribute to cleaning up the educational environment.
In conclusion, Mr. Le Tuan Tu affirmed that these regulations are not intended to "make things difficult" for universities, but rather are tools to protect higher education institutions.
Through his research, Associate Professor Dr. Tran Xuan Nhi – former Deputy Minister of Education and Training, and Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges – found that the draft Decree has removed regulations that are no longer consistent with the 2019 Education Law; in particular, it abolishes all content related to intermediate-level teacher training and vocational schools – levels of education that are no longer part of the current national education system. At the same time, outdated phrases and clauses have been revised and removed to ensure consistency and ease of application in practice.
The draft does not add new administrative procedures but focuses on reducing and simplifying processes and adjusting the hierarchical authority for imposing penalties. This approach ensures both comprehensiveness and consistency with the Law on Handling Administrative Violations, while also being suitable for the two-tiered local government model, avoiding overlapping in enforcement between management agencies.
Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/siet-ky-cuong-de-bao-ve-chat-luong-dao-tao-post782587.html
![[Photo] Prime Minister Le Minh Hung presides over the thematic session on promoting science and technology development and innovation.](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/1200x675/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2026/06/23/1782207872934_ndo_br_dsc-1724-jpg.webp)
