University Admissions 2025: Tips for applying

TP - The average scores of some subjects this year are lower than last year. In the university admission race, some groups will be at a disadvantage when a major considers many groups but only has one standard score.

Unfair

Dr. Sai Cong Hong, Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges, said that the 2025 high school graduation exam will be the first year that the Ministry of Education and Training will not use a standardized question bank but will switch to the form of questions based on expert methods. This leads to the possibility of losing control over the relative difficulty between subjects and between groups, leading to many shortcomings in admissions. A typical example is the clear difference between the two groups A00 (Math, Physics, Chemistry) and A01 (Math, Physics, English) when used for admissions in a major.

Dr. Sai Cong Hong, Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges.

Group A00 has an even score spectrum, slightly tilted to the right (high score direction) with the highest number of candidates scoring 21.38, and a very large number of candidates scoring 20 points or more. In contrast, group A01 has a skewed score spectrum, with two peaks and a sharp decrease after the 20-point mark. Although the average score between the two groups is only about 0.3 points different, the spectrum shape and density of candidates scoring high in A00 are much better. This shows that A01 candidates have a lower probability of scoring high, and therefore are at a distinct disadvantage if competing for the same standard score. The underlying cause of this difference lies in the third subject in the two groups, Chemistry (group A00) and English (group A01).

Of which, about 43% of candidates scored 7 points or higher in Chemistry, about 15% of candidates scored below average (below 5 points). The Chemistry score distribution is evenly distributed, almost bell-shaped, helping candidates easily achieve good - excellent scores and increase the total combined score.

Only 15% of candidates scored 7 points or higher in English, while nearly 50% scored below average. English, with its high difficulty and common low scores, has become a “bottleneck” in the A01 group. Even candidates with high Math and Physics scores still find it difficult to reach the general benchmark if their English scores are low.

The imbalance between Chemistry and English has created a clear injustice. In the same subject, if the same benchmark is applied to both groups A00 and A01, candidates choosing group A01 will suffer a double disadvantage. For example, if the benchmark for a subject is 24 points, group A00 still has many candidates passing, while in A01, that number is many times lower even though the overall ability may be equivalent.

This situation raises an urgent need for adjustments in admissions. The use of multiple combinations for admissions needs to be accompanied by technical conditions to ensure fairness: either standardizing the test questions between subjects, or applying separate benchmarks for each combination. Otherwise, the flexibility in combinations will become a form of hidden stratification, causing injustice to many good students who choose disadvantageous combinations.

Which combination is beneficial?

Dr. Pham Thanh Ha, Head of Training Department, University of Transport, said that the average score for Math is 2 points lower than in 2024; Literature and Physics are the same as last year; Chemistry is 0.75 points lower; English is the same as last year but the number of registered candidates is 1/3 so the average score is actually low, reflecting the difficulty of the exam. Therefore, Math, Chemistry, and English have the lowest average scores among the high school graduation exam subjects this year. Among the basic combinations for university admission, combination D01 (Math, Literature, English) has decreased sharply, D07 (Math, Chemistry, English) has also decreased. The benchmark scores of schools considering these combinations are expected to decrease from 1.5 to 3 points compared to 2024.

However, Mr. Ha said that with the principle of the Ministry of Education and Training's admission software automatically selecting the most beneficial combination for candidates, candidates should not worry. Candidates who like the major the most should put it in their first wishes, and less favorite majors should be placed next.

Dr. Vo Thanh Hai, Vice President of Duy Tan University, said that this year's benchmark scores will decrease not only because of the difficulty of the questions, but also because of changes in university admission regulations. This year, all admission methods will be considered at the same time, there will be no early admission, so it is predicted that the benchmark scores for the high school graduation exam method will not be pushed up too high like last year.

At the online television consultation program "How to apply for university admission after knowing the graduation exam scores" organized by Thanh Nien newspaper yesterday, July 16, Dr. Le Xuan Truong, Vice Principal of Ho Chi Minh City Open University, said that this year's score distribution is quite good for university admission. The standard score for some majors may decrease by 1-3 points compared to 2024. However, the opportunity to enter university will not affect candidates. Candidates can rest assured with the exam results achieved, consider other factors to register their wishes in order of priority.

Master Cao Quang Tu, Director of Admissions at Saigon International University, advises candidates to evaluate the benchmark scores of the major at the school they want to study in the last 3 years to have an overview and then make the best decision.

Candidates' notes

The Admissions Council of Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance (UEF) has just announced the minimum admission scores (application scores) for regular university admission methods in 2025. The minimum admission score for the graduation exam results method is 15 points, and for the transcript method is 18 points. This score is 1-4 points lower than in 2024.

According to admissions experts, candidates should not confuse the floor score with the standard score. The floor score for receiving applications from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology is 15 points (based on the results of the high school graduation exam), which does not mean that candidates with 19 points are assured of admission. 15 points is the minimum score for receiving applications, reducing the false rate and the standard score can be much higher. Candidates should boldly register for new majors at universities because these are majors that have been researched by the schools from the labor market.

This year, the Ministry of Education and Training has stipulated that there will be only one admission round, but many schools require candidates to register their applications and provide data on their own admission methods before receiving their graduation exam scores. If candidates do not complete this process, they may lose the opportunity to enroll in their desired schools.

Candidates learn about 2025 enrollment information. Photo: NHU Y

Dr. Nguyen Anh Dung, Deputy Director of the Department of HigherEducation (Ministry of Education and Training) said that candidates need to proactively access information and ensure that information sources are accurate and complete.

"You should stay calm, listen and carefully research your own wishes. First of all, you need to proactively access admission information from accurate sources, closely follow announcements from the Ministry of Education and Training, grasp the timelines and procedures for registering your admission wishes, as well as refer to the benchmark scores of previous years," Dr. Dung advised.

Candidates should note that the Ministry's admission registration system does not distinguish between admission methods, so candidates only need to register for the training institution and the desired admission major. The system will automatically use the method of the candidate with the highest score for admission.

The registration period is from July 16 to 5:00 p.m. on July 28. Candidates are allowed to register, adjust, and add admission wishes an unlimited number of times. Candidates rank their wishes from 1 to the end, note that wish 1 is the highest wish. Candidates who have passed the preliminary round of the police and military schools should note that these schools only accept candidates who register for wish 1. If candidates do not register for wish 1, it means they are refusing to be admitted to this school.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/tuyen-sinh-dh-nam-2025-bi-quyet-dang-ky-xet-tuyen-post1760883.tpo