University Admissions 2025: Unpredictable Benchmarks

TP - There are many fake rates, and the score distribution has a strong differentiation compared to previous years. These are the main reasons why the predicted university entrance exam scores this year are surprising and do not follow the rules of past years.

Skyrocketing registration numbers

Reports from universities indicate that this year, all schools have seen an increase in the number of applicants or the number of preferences.

According to statistics, the number of applicants registering for admission to Hanoi University this year is approximately 23,700, nearly double the number in 2024 (12,200).

Candidates research information about their college application preferences for 2025. Photo: NAM TRAN

Vietnam Aviation Academy said that nearly 21,400 candidates registered to enter the school, with a total of more than 37,700 applications, an increase of 1.9 times (number of candidates) and 2.4 times (number of applications) compared to last year.

The majors with many candidates registered are Aviation Commerce, Marketing, Aviation Engineering, Flight Operations Management, Airport Management and Operation, Logistics, and Aviation Economics .

The number of candidates applying to the University of Transport this year increased 2.4 times; the number at Hanoi University of Construction is 1.8 times; and at Ho Chi Minh City University of Information Technology is 1.5 times.

This year's university admissions season has seen many candidates registering for more than 100 nguyện vọng (preferences/choices). Notably, preliminary statistics show that at least 10 candidates registered between 125 and 152 nguyện vọng. Candidates who register for many nguyện vọng tend to spread their applications across many fields, universities, and have more data to participate in multiple admission methods.

In reality, there are many types of "virtual" admissions when considering university applications. These include: virtual admissions within the same method and within the same university (for example, virtual admissions based on high school graduation exam scores across different subject combinations); virtual admissions between different methods within the same university; virtual admissions between universities within a group (Southern group, Northern group, or group of independent universities); and virtual admissions nationwide (between universities across the country).

Unpredictable

Analysis by Hanoi University leaders shows that the benchmark scores for the school's training majors this year may increase or decrease by about 0.5 - 1.5 points compared to 2024.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoa, Head of the Department of Examination and Training Quality Assurance, University of Transport, said that the school's expected lowest benchmark score is 20.

The University of Economics (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) also predicted the cut-off scores for its 6 main regular programs to be 22 points out of 30.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Duc, former Chairman of the Council of the University of Technology (Hanoi National University) said that the fact that many universities simultaneously reduced their floor scores and benchmark scores in 2025 is a direct reflection of the high school graduation score spectrum.

The minimum score for registration is different from the admission cutoff score. This year, Mr. Duc believes that both score thresholds have decreased compared to last year.

“I think that for top schools such as Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Foreign Trade University, National Economics University or schools under Hanoi National University (School of Law, University of Economics, University of Technology)... the benchmark scores compared to previous years have decreased but not too much,” said Mr. Duc.

Accordingly, for the top schools and popular majors, the expected admission scores are 1-2 points lower than last year. For the majority of schools, or for majors that last year had admission scores of 24-26 points, many majors will drop sharply, from 2-4 points.

This year, predicting the cutoff scores for universities remains a mystery. This is because the cutoff scores are influenced by many factors: the distribution of scores in the high school graduation exams (influencing the admission combinations), conversion to a single scoring scale (influencing the different admission methods), and the absence of early admissions (influencing the number of applicants).

The large number of applicants represents two sides of the same coin. While it's a positive sign of the school's attractiveness, from another perspective, these choices serve as a "last resort" for applicants. A university's reputation is determined by the number of first-choice applications. These applicants play a significant role in determining the school's cutoff score.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Phong Dien, Vice Director of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, this year due to the large number of virtual wishes, the Northern group's 4 virtual filtering times still have not seen the standard score "shown".

Source: https://tienphong.vn/tuyen-sinh-dai-hoc-2025-diem-chuan-kho-luong-post1770393.tpo