'Overcoming barriers' in admissions

GD&TĐ - Although it is not yet time for university admissions and announcement of admission scores according to the general plan of the Ministry of Education and Training, some universities have already sent out admission letters and invited candidates to enroll.

This has caused confusion among many candidates and parents, as the situation of "everyone doing their own thing" in the admission process continues to recur.

Disruptive process, loss to candidates

According to the 2025 university and college admission guidelines of the Ministry of Education and Training , there will be no early admission round this year. All admission methods, from considering high school transcripts, considering competency assessment test scores, considering high school graduation exam scores... must be registered on the Common System from July 16 to July 28. From August 16, the Ministry of Education and Training will process admission requests on the system, also known as the virtual filtering process. Before 5:00 p.m. on August 22, complete the announcement of the first round of admission results.

However, since the beginning of July, many candidates have received admission notices from non-public universities, mainly based on their academic records or test scores. Along with that are instructions on how to complete admission procedures and pay tuition fees.

Mai Minh Khoi (Chanh Hung ward, Ho Chi Minh City) - a candidate applying to a non-public university, shared: "I was informed that I had been accepted and asked to confirm my admission before August 5. But I am not sure about choosing this school because I am still waiting for the benchmark score for my favorite major at another school. If I do not pay the tuition fee, I am afraid of losing my place, but if I pay but do not study, I will lose money." Khoi's case is not an isolated one.

On social networking groups about enrollment, many parents reported that their children received admission notices with requests to confirm early enrollment and pay tuition fees of 3-5 million VND. Candidates are concerned that if they confirm enrollment with a school, the Ministry's enrollment system will not allow admission to other preferences, leading to the risk of missing out on the opportunity to enter the desired school.

According to records, Hung Vuong University in Ho Chi Minh City has sent a letter of admission to candidates, congratulating them on “meeting the requirements for admission based on transcripts - receiving a scholarship for a regular university program in the field of…”. Similarly, many candidates have soon received an invitation to enroll in a regular university program in 2025 from Gia Dinh University.

In a document sent to candidates, Gia Dinh University announced that candidates who are eligible to be admitted to the regular program are invited to complete the admission procedures for the new student skills course from July 7 to 11. Although the course is introduced as “free and certified”, the school also requires candidates to bring complete documents and tuition, with a total compulsory admission fee of more than 12 million VND.

Notably, the invitation letter emphasized: “Because of the limited quota, candidates should complete the admission procedures within the deadline stated in this notice.” The school also encouraged candidates to bring the original documents if they have not had time to notarize their documents, and committed to supporting notarization right at the admission area.

This reality makes many candidates and parents feel like they are being “forced” to enroll, even though the official admission process has not yet begun. Not only does it create financial pressure, early admission also carries the risk of errors in confirming wishes, causing them to lose the opportunity to enroll in their dream major.

Admissions consultant of Hung Vuong University, Ho Chi Minh City at the University Admissions Choice Day 2025. Photo: DHV

Need for transparency in admission information

Dr. Le Viet Khuyen - Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges said that the fact that some higher education institutions sent "invitations to enroll" from mid-July 2025 is actually for the purpose of "recruiting students" to ensure enough quotas. Although the purpose may stem from legitimate needs, this approach is not appropriate in the context of the entire system implementing the enrollment process according to the unified instructions of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Mr. Khuyen emphasized that to confirm whether or not there are signs of violations of admission regulations, it is necessary to carefully study the nature of the incident. However, the important thing at this time is that schools should not give out "ambiguous" information, which can easily cause misunderstandings for candidates, parents and create conflicting public opinion in society.

Reiterating the direction of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges noted: Training institutions must provide clear and easy-to-understand information to help candidates accurately distinguish between training programs; at the same time, strictly implement regulations on regional priority points and subjects applicable to all admission methods according to admission regulations.

To fundamentally solve this situation, Dr. Khuyen said that schools should not only depend on tuition revenue. Instead, it is necessary to proactively expand other financial channels such as scientific research, socialized services, business cooperation, etc. On the part of state management agencies, it is necessary to implement a funding mechanism in the form of orders, regardless of public or private schools, in order to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the higher education system.

According to the instructions of the Ministry of Education and Training, from August 6 to 5:00 p.m. on August 12, 2025, training institutions will coordinate with relevant units to review data on the system before uploading data and admission information. From August 13 to 5:00 p.m. on August 20, organize admission and process admission requests on the General Admission Support System of the Ministry of Education and Training. The Ministry also requires that training institutions must require all candidates to confirm their admission online on the system before enrolling at the school.

Confirmation of online admission on the system is made before 5:00 p.m. on August 30. All successful candidates (including direct candidates) must confirm their admission on the system (if they wish to study). From September 1 to December 2025, candidates who wish to apply for additional admission rounds must follow the admission information posted on the training institution's admission information page.

Reporters from the Education and Times Newspaper contacted representatives of Gia Dinh University and Hung Vuong University in Ho Chi Minh City to receive feedback. However, up to this point, the schools have not yet given any comments.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/vuot-rao-trong-tuyen-sinh-post743276.html