Regarding the case of 40 students whose foreign university degrees were not recognized: Official information from the Ministry of Education and Training.

TPO - "To date, the London College of Design and Fashion has not been granted a Certificate of Registration for joint training programs with foreign countries for any of its majors or professions," the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) affirmed.

Regarding the case where more than 40 students were awarded university degrees from Liverpool John Moores University but these degrees were not recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training , Tien Phong Newspaper has requested the Ministry of Education and Training to clarify the relevant issues.

Regarding the above matter, the Ministry of Education and Training stated: Previously, the Quality Management Department (Ministry of Education and Training) received an application for recognition of a university degree from Ms. NTQ (residing in Hanoi ) requesting recognition of her university degree awarded by Liverpool John Moores University.

In order to have a basis for considering the recognition of students' diplomas, on October 6, 2025, the Quality Management Department requested the London College of Fashion Design (Hanoi) to provide information on the students' study programs.

On October 10th, London Fashion College - Hanoi Co., Ltd. provided information regarding the study program of student NTQ. Based on the information provided by the above-mentioned entity and in accordance with legal regulations, on October 28th, 2025, the Quality Management Department issued a document notifying the results of the processing of the application, stating that the university degree awarded by Liverpool John Moores University did not meet the requirements for recognition according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.

"To date, the London College of Design and Fashion (Hanoi) has not been granted a Certificate of Registration for joint training programs with foreign countries for any of its majors or professions," the Ministry of Education and Training affirmed.

London College of Fashion Design has not been granted permission to conduct training programs in partnership with foreign institutions.

Regarding the operation of vocational education and training (VET) institutions with foreign investment, the Ministry of Education and Training stated: According to current regulations, VET institutions with foreign investment are entitled to "Use foreign training programs that have been recognized for their quality by reputable foreign or international educational and training organizations to carry out training tasks as prescribed by law."

Furthermore, vocational education institutions must also be autonomous and responsible for developing and implementing training programs in accordance with the regulations of the state management agency for vocational education; and are responsible for "Organizing the teaching of Vietnamese training programs; and foreign training programs within the framework of joint training programs with foreign countries as prescribed. The registration of joint training activities with foreign countries shall be carried out in accordance with the Law on Vocational Education 2014 and related legal documents."

The Ministry of Education and Training stated that the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs had previously issued guiding documents on the implementation of certain aspects of vocational education and training. These documents required vocational education and training institutions to convert their training programs and vocational training operating licenses into certificates of registration.

However, upon reviewing the records from 2015 to the present, the General Department of Vocational Education (now the Department of Vocational Education and Continuing Education, Ministry of Education and Training) has not received any application from the London College of Design and Fashion requesting the conversion of its vocational education registration certificate in accordance with the above regulations.

Many issues remain unclear.

However, many issues raised by Tien Phong Newspaper reporters to the Ministry of Education and Training regarding the responsibility for inspecting and auditing training programs at educational institutions, and how to handle unlicensed training facilities, have yet to be clarified by the Ministry.

Regarding the above incident, an education expert suggested that, in addition to the 40 students who have completed their university programs, the Ministry of Education and Training needs to clarify whether the diplomas awarded by foreign institutions to students who have completed college-level programs at this educational institution are recognized.

According to reports, students who completed the college program were awarded certificates from the foreign organization BTEC Pearson, level 5. However, as confirmed by the Ministry of Education and Training, the London College of Fashion Design has not been licensed to conduct joint training programs with foreign organizations in any field or profession. Therefore, the certificates issued to students by foreign organizations will not be recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training.

According to this source, in reality, some universities abroad are not accredited, and while they offer training and award degrees, quality is not guaranteed, especially online programs. In fact, there have been cases where students who completed joint programs received degrees from foreign universities and used them in practice, such as applying for jobs at certain companies (if they accepted).

When students wish to pursue further education at domestic educational institutions or work in government agencies and request recognition from the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry responds that they "do not meet the requirements for recognition." At that point, the students are shocked to find that they have spent hundreds of millions of dong but their university degree is worthless in Vietnam.

As reported by Tien Phong newspaper, more than 40 students from the London College of Design and Fashion (Hanoi) received bachelor's degrees from Liverpool John Moores University after completing their university program. However, upon recently verifying their diplomas, they were shocked to discover that they were not recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training. When the matter came to light, the school washed its hands of the issue, claiming that from the initial consultation to the entire enrollment and study process, they did not inform the students about the recognition of their university degrees. Meanwhile, the students wasted many years studying and spent a significant amount of money on both the college and university programs.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/vu-bang-dai-hoc-nuoc-ngoai-cua-40-hoc-vien-khong-duoc-cong-nhan-thong-tin-chinh-thuc-tu-bo-giao-duc-dao-tao-post1803905.tpo