Vietnam proposes reforms to university admissions and IELTS bonus points

The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training is proposing significant reforms to university admissions starting in 2027. A key proposal involves eliminating the practice of universities awarding extra bonus points for international certificates like IELTS or academic competition awards.

According to Nguyen Tien Thao, Director of the Higher Education Department, the goal is to ensure transparency and fairness by preventing a single competency from being counted twice. While bonus points may be removed, international certificates will still be valid for converting into English subject scores, meeting entrance requirements for foreign-language programs, or as part of a standardized admission method.

Additionally, the Ministry aims to streamline admission processes. By 2027, each major or training program will be limited to a maximum of three admission methods, with a goal of reducing this to a single method by 2028. This move is intended to reduce the complexity and psychological pressure on students caused by the current matrix of diverse admission pathways.