University Admissions 2026: Many new points candidates need to note

The Ministry also requires schools to announce admission information early. Candidates need to proactively grasp important timelines, new regulations in admission and update information promptly to determine their study and preparation roadmap; research and choose suitable majors before registering their admission wishes.

Teachers of Ly Thuong Kiet High School (Viet Hung Ward) guide 12th grade students in reviewing. *Photo: Quang Thai*

Register your admission wishes earlier than last year

According to the plan for university and college admissions in 2026, candidates will register for university admissions from July 2, while in 2025 the registration period for university admissions will be from July 16. Thus, this year, the registration period has been extended by 2 weeks. All candidates must register for admission online on the Ministry of Education and Training 's general admissions support system at http://thisinh.thitotnghiepthpt.edu.vn. Candidates can also register their admission wishes through the National Public Service Portal.

The 2026 university entrance exam registration period lasts from July 2 to 5:00 p.m. on July 14. During this time, candidates have the right to register, adjust, and add their wishes an unlimited number of times, but it is important to note that all of these tasks must be completed within the prescribed time; after 5:00 p.m. on July 14, the system will automatically close and will not record candidates' wishes or adjustments. The results of passing or failing the exam are expected to be announced from 5:00 p.m. on August 10 to 5:00 p.m. on August 13, about 10 days earlier than last year.

With the extension of the university admission registration time, candidates need to pay attention to the preparation steps before registering, to avoid being passive and affecting their rights. Before starting to officially register their wishes, from June 17 to June 21, candidates can practice registering, adjusting their wishes, and at the same time review and confirm information on priority regimes (if any). This is an important step to avoid mistakes when officially registering and ensuring candidates' rights...

Nguyen Van Anh, a student at Doan Ket - Hai Ba Trung High School (Hanoi), said: "The fact that the Ministry of Education and Training announced the university admission schedule for 2026 early helps me feel more secure and proactive. I hope that schools will also soon announce the admission methods and criteria so that we have more time to research and choose the registration options that suit our abilities and wishes."

Unanswered questions

The orientation as well as important milestones in university admissions in 2026 have been announced very clearly by the Ministry of Education and Training. However, the issue that many candidates are concerned about at this time is whether to maintain the admission method based on academic records and whether to limit the number of registration wishes or not, is still an unanswered question.

Le Hai Anh, a student at Nguyen Gia Thieu High School ( Hanoi ), said: “I hope the Ministry of Education and Training will soon make a decision on these two issues. Clear information will help us feel more secure in studying and reviewing, avoiding confusion.”

Ms. Nguyen Thu Huong, a parent of a student at Tran Phu High School - Hoan Kiem (Hanoi) said that the regulations should be kept stable as in 2025 because the time from now until the registration time is not long, to avoid causing confusion. If changes are needed, the Ministry should announce them when students enter grade 10.

At the 2025 university education conference held on September 18, the Ministry of Education and Training sought opinions from training institutions on the issue of considering transcripts and the number of wishes. However, up to now, the final decision has not been announced, leading many schools to wait and prepare different scenarios.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Phong Dien, Vice President of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, said that from 2026, the school plans to adjust the method of talent selection for candidates in group 1.3, switching to considering the thinking assessment test scores instead of combining the school records as before. Thus, candidates who want to be considered for talent selection to the school must take the thinking assessment test.

Meanwhile, Dr. Le Anh Duc, Head of Training Management Department, National Economics University, informed that the school plans to maintain the same enrollment method as in 2025 and wait for further instructions from the Ministry of Education and Training.

In reality, many schools have a common request for the Ministry of Education and Training to soon issue admission regulations as well as unified instructions so that schools have a basis to develop admission plans, avoiding the situation of announcing and then changing, causing confusion for candidates.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, in 2025 there will be 17 university admission methods, of which the percentage of candidates using the transcript review method accounts for 42.4% - the highest among the methods and 3% higher than the method based on high school graduation exam scores. This shows that the number of candidates applying for admission using the transcript review method is quite large.

In the current reality, in addition to firmly grasping the university admission registration deadline in 2026, candidates need to closely monitor announcements on admission methods to proactively prepare appropriate plans.

According to Hanoi Moi Newspaper

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/xa-hoi/202511/tuyen-sinh-dai-hoc-nam-2026-nhieu-diem-moi-thi-sinh-can-luu-y-d0e6a56/