After the merger in Ho Chi Minh City, will private school students be able to transfer to public schools?

(NLDO) - Transferring from a private high school to a public high school is only considered and resolved in two cases.

According to the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, school transfers are considered and resolved as follows:

- In case a student studying at a private high school must move his/her residence with his/her parents or guardians to an area with particularly difficult socio -economic conditions where there is no private high school, the Director of the Department of Education and Training shall consider and decide on each specific case regarding the transfer to a public high school.

- In case a student studying at a private high school with an entrance exam must move his/her residence with his/her parent or guardian where there is no private high school of equivalent quality, the Director of the Department of Education and Training shall consider and decide on each specific case regarding the transfer to a public high school.

Age of secondary school students: Age of students entering grade 6 is 11 years old. Age of students entering grade 10 is 15 years old.

For students who are allowed to skip a grade in the previous level or students who enter a level at an age higher than the prescribed age, the age for entering grade 6 and grade 10 will be reduced or increased based on the age in the year of graduation from the previous level.

According to regulations, the Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City will consider and decide on each specific case regarding the transfer from private schools to public high schools.

Ethnic minority students, disabled students, students in especially difficult circumstances, and students returning from abroad can enter school at an age 3 years older than the prescribed age.

Students are not allowed to repeat a grade more than 3 times in a grade level. When accepting transfer students, school principals must carefully consider the subjects (compulsory, optional, elective) and the selected study topics to receive students, ensuring that students can complete the next stage of the curriculum.

Along with the above instructions, the Department of Education and Training of the City also has detailed instructions for the People's Committees of communes, wards, special zones, principals of general schools, schools with foreign elements on the implementation of school transfer records, re-application, and retention of learning results of general students from the 2025-2026 school year (after the merger). Specifically:

For primary school students : The school where the student is transferring will guide the completion and confirm the validity of the documents. The school receiving the student will receive and manage the documents. The documents include:

- Application for school transfer from student's parent or guardian.

- Academic transcript

- Information on learning materials, program implementation progress, summary table of student training and learning assessment results according to regulations. Individual education plan for students with disabilities (if any).

For elementary school students transferring schools: The school from which the student is transferring guides the completion and confirmation of the validity of the documents; the school receiving the student is receiving and managing the documents.

Parents or guardians of students submit a transfer application to the school they are transferring to in person, by post or online at https://chuyentruong.hcm.edu.vn.

Within no more than 3 working days from the date of receipt of the application, depending on the actual conditions of the school, class size, and student population, the principal of the transferring school shall agree to accept the student into the application. In case of disagreement, the reason must be clearly stated in the application and the application must be returned to the student's parents or guardians in the form in which the application was received.

When the transfer school agrees to accept the student, the student's parents or guardians submit a transfer application to the transfer school. Within no more than 3 working days from the date of receipt of the application, the principal of the transfer school is responsible for returning the application to the student. The school from which the student is transferring will guide the completion and confirm the validity of the application. The school receiving the student will receive and manage the application and arrange classes for the student.

Transferring schools for middle and high school students

Transferring to Ho Chi Minh City from another province or city (domestic), documents include: Application for transfer signed by parent or guardian (with confirmation from the transferring school). Original transcript.

The certificate of admission to the first grade of high school specifies the type of school to be admitted (public or private).

The school transfer recommendation letter is issued by the principal of the school where the transfer is made. The school transfer recommendation letter is issued by the Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune, ward, or special zone (for junior high school level); or the Director of the Department of Education and Training (for high school level) of the place of departure (for Departments of Education and Training that do not delegate the authority to the principal).

Procedure: For students studying at high schools or multi-level schools (with the highest level being high school), the principal checks the documents and accepts them. For students studying at secondary schools, the Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune, ward, or special zone receives, checks the documents and introduces the school.

Transfers of secondary and high school students are made at the end of the first semester of the school year or during the summer before the new school year begins.

Transferring schools is done at the end of the first semester of the school year or during the summer before the new school year starts. Exceptions regarding time will be considered and decided by the Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune, ward, or special zone (for junior high school level) or the Director of the Department of Education and Training (for high school level) of the destination.

If the Department of Education and Training of the place of transfer has delegated the authority to handle administrative procedures to the principal, there is no need for a transfer recommendation letter from the Department of Education and Training. Only the decision to delegate the authority to handle administrative procedures to the principal of the Department of Education and Training of the place of transfer is required.

The principal of the school receiving the transfer student shall accept the student based on the annual enrollment quota. Within 10 days from the date of issuance of the transfer recommendation letter, the receiving school must enter the student's complete information into the transfer management system of the Department of Education and Training.

Transferring schools from Ho Chi Minh City to other provinces and cities in the country

For students studying in high school: The principal receives, checks the documents, and issues a transfer recommendation letter.

For secondary school students: The Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune, ward, or special zone receives and checks the documents and issues a letter of recommendation for transfer.

The profile includes:

- Application for school transfer (with acceptance from the transferring school)

- Transcript (original)

- Certificate of admission to the first grade of high school specifying the type of school to be admitted (public or private)

- School transfer letter issued by the principal of the school (for high school level)

- School transfer recommendation letter issued by the secondary school principal and school transfer recommendation letter issued by the People's Committee of the commune, ward, or special zone where the student is going (for secondary school level).

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tp-hcm-sau-hop-nhat-hoc-sinh-truong-tu-thuc-co-duoc-chuyen-sang-hoc-truong-cong-196250730102044427.htm