Eliminate high-quality programs at universities.

According to new regulations from the Ministry of Education , training programs labeled "high quality" will no longer be included in university admissions plans from next year.

On June 15th, the Minister of Education and Training issued a circular abolishing regulations on high-quality university-level training. This circular takes effect from December 1st. Therefore, this year is the last year universities are allowed to enroll students in programs labeled "high-quality."

The Ministry of Education and Training stated that this abolition aims to implement the amended Higher Education Law (2018). The law allows universities to be autonomous and responsible for developing, evaluating, and issuing curricula. However, the Law and Circular No. 17 of 2021, which regulates the standards for higher education programs at various levels, do not include the concept of "high-quality training programs."

Students taking the 2022 high school graduation exam to obtain scores for graduation and university admission. Photo: Quynh Tran — Students taking the 2022 high school graduation exam to obtain scores for graduation and university admission. Photo: *Quynh Tran*

Previously, Circular 23, issued in 2014, stipulated that domestic university training programs included two types: mass training and high-quality training. High-quality programs have higher quality assurance conditions and output standards than mass training programs.

For example, in terms of facilities, high-quality training classes have private classrooms equipped with computers connected to the internet and other teaching and learning support equipment.

In terms of outcomes, high-quality students surpass the average student in professional competence, information technology application, leadership and teamwork skills, and adaptability to the work environment. Regarding foreign languages, high-quality students must achieve at least level 4/6 according to the Vietnamese Foreign Language Proficiency Framework, while the minimum standard for average students is level 3/6.

Regarding tuition fees, mass-market programs must comply with the government 's tuition fee ceiling regulations (currently around 9.8-14.3 million VND per year). For high-quality programs, schools can determine their own tuition fees.

In fact, according to Circular 23, a number of universities have launched high-quality training programs. These programs often charge tuition fees 2-3 times higher than the regular programs, with some schools charging up to 100 million VND per year. Class sizes are around 30 students, compared to 50-100 in the regular program. However, paradoxically, these high-quality programs often have lower entrance exam scores than the regular programs.

Although the abolition of high-quality programs will only take effect in December, many universities this year have proactively removed high-quality programs from their admissions plans or replaced them with different names. For example, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, no longer offers a high-quality Dentistry program. The University of Economics and Law, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, has removed the name "high-quality program" from its majors and instead offers programs taught in English.

Duong Tam

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