Ministry of Education 'blows whistle' on universities abandoning C00 combination

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son said the above on the morning of June 6.

The move was made after many candidates and parents reacted to the announcement by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, that it would no longer consider the C00 combination (Literature, History, Geography) for 17 majors, such as Journalism, Sociology, Psychology, etc. Instead, it would use the D14 (Literature, History, English), D15 (Literature, Geography, English), and D66 (Literature, Civic Education, English).

Nearly a week earlier, the Law University, Hanoi National University, announced that it would no longer recruit Law majors using this combination. The Academy of Journalism and Communication, Hanoi Open University, Hanoi Capital, and Hanoi Procuracy also "erased" block C00. The majors that apply are mainly Journalism, Law, Psychology, Public Relations...

Representatives of some schools said that this is consistent with training practices, school goals and regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.

However, many candidates and parents objected because the change was made when the high school graduation exam was near. Many students studied for block C00 early, even from grade 10.

Candidates taking the graduation exam this year follow the 2018 general education program with two compulsory subjects: Math, Literature and two optional subjects. They registered for the exam since the end of April. Many students determined to take the C00 combination, so they chose to take the History and Geography exam, not the Foreign Language exam.

Many alternative combinations do not have the subjects the candidates are taking, leaving students unable to "react" in time.

The schools said that the announcement at this time is not against the regulations. According to the 2025 university admission regulations, schools announce admission information at least 30 days before opening the first round of registration. This year, candidates register their university admission wishes from July 16 to July 28.

However, the Ministry of Education and Training has repeatedly emphasized that the first basic principle in admission is "fairness towards candidates". Schools are autonomous and responsible for admission but must be reasonable and ensure the best interests of candidates.

The exam took place on June 26-27, and scores were announced on July 16. Of the nearly 615,000 candidates who entered university last year, more than 52% applied for admission based on this exam score.