University tuition fees are increasing, by 2025 tuition fees could reach hundreds of millions of dong
In 2025, university tuition fees will be higher than last year and will continue to increase year by year according to the roadmap.
New legal framework drives annual increase in university tuition fees
According to the latest statistics, tuition fees at both public and private universities have increased significantly compared to the previous school year, creating great pressure on low- and middle-income families.
Currently, public universities apply tuition collection regulations according to Decree No. 97/2023/ND-CP, which is a document amending and supplementing Decree 81/2021/ND-CP on the mechanism of collecting and managing tuition fees in the national education system.
Notably, the tuition fee ceiling will be applied from the 2025-2026 school year to the 2026-2027 school year for public higher education institutions that are not self-sufficient in regular expenditure. This means that schools are allowed to adjust tuition fees in a gradual upward direction, in order to ensure the quality of education and modern facilities.
The reality of tuition fees at universities
Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Vietnam National University, has announced the expected average tuition fee for the standard program is 30 million VND for the 2025-2026 academic year.
For advanced programs taught in English, tuition fees are up to 80 million VND/year.
The school applies the method of collecting tuition fees by semester with a maximum of 18 credits per semester. The excess credits will be calculated according to a separate credit unit price. In particular, the tuition fee increase roadmap is designed with an increase of 1.5 million VND/year in the following years.
Similarly, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, also under the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, will apply the method of calculating tuition fees based on credits from the 2025-2026 school year.
MSc. Nguyen Thao Chi, Head of the school's communications and event management department, said tuition fees range from VND14,459 million to VND33.8 million per year, depending on the number of credits students register for.
At the University of Economics and Law, Ho Chi Minh City National University, the tuition fee for the Vietnamese language program is 151 million VND (equivalent to 31.5 million VND/school year), while the tuition fee for the English language program is up to 315 million VND.
The school collects tuition fees in eight installments throughout the course (twice per school year), with each year's collection always being 4 to 5 million VND higher than the previous year.
Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy is considered one of the schools with the highest tuition fees in the public university education system. In 2025, the estimated tuition fee for dentistry is 84.7 million VND, medicine is 82.2 million VND, and pharmacy is 60.5 million VND/year.
The tuition fees for public health, nursing, anesthesia, midwifery, nutrition, medical laboratory technology, dental prosthetic technology, medical imaging technology, and rehabilitation technology are 46 million VND/school year.
Tuition fees for the following years are expected to increase, but the increase may not be too large compared to the current level.
The University of Natural Sciences under the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City has estimated tuition fees for the first year ranging from 28.4 to 67 million VND/year, depending on the major and training program.
Computer science with advanced program has the highest tuition fee. Tuition fee increases from 4 to 7 million VND per year depending on the major.
The University of Information Technology, also part of the Ho Chi Minh City National University, has a tuition fee of 40 million VND/academic year for its general program, while other programs range from 55 to 140 million VND/academic year.
Ho Chi Minh City University of Law announced the expected tuition fees for the 2025-2026 school year with clear differentiation. The tuition fees for the law, international trade law, and business administration majors are 39.75 million VND/school year. The law and administration major has a tuition fee of 47.17 million VND, while the English language major specializing in legal English has a tuition fee of 54.93 million VND.
High-quality programs have tuition fees ranging from VND79.5 million to VND199.7 million for law programs taught in English.
By the 2026-2027 school year, tuition fees for all majors will continue to increase, ranging from VND 44.75 million to VND 219.7 million.
Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics applies a credit-based tuition fee system with many different levels. The advanced international program taught in Vietnamese costs 1.065 million VND/credit, while the English program has a 1.4 times fee. Programs integrating international professional certificates such as ACCA and ICAEW have English tuition fees of 1.685 million VND/credit.
The tuition increase roadmap is designed to be no more than 10% per year, ensuring stability and predictability for families.
Private universities are allowed to set their own tuition fees, making the situation more complicated with tuition fees ranging from 20 to 180 million VND per academic year.
Some schools have tuition fees of about 60-80 million VND/school year with 3-4 semesters in a year.
In particular, private schools' health majors have high tuition fees, with some schools charging over 180 million VND per school year for the dental major. This creates great pressure on families who want their children to study medical majors in the private sector.
Current tuition support mechanism for students
Schools that are applying the autonomous mechanism all have sharply increased tuition fees. However, according to school leaders, when applying the new tuition fees after autonomy, schools all deduct 10-15% of total tuition revenue to provide scholarships for students in difficult circumstances.
The schools commit that any student who is truly struggling will receive tuition support in the first year. In subsequent years, students will be considered for academic scholarships and other scholarships based on academic performance.
Annual tuition increases at public and private universities are putting enormous pressure on Vietnamese families. High tuition fees can become a barrier to access to higher education for low- and middle-income groups.
The large difference in tuition fees for different training programs, especially between Vietnamese and English programs, can create disparities in the education system. This raises questions about equity in access to high-quality educational programs.
The university tuition situation reflects the trend of autonomy in Vietnamese higher education, but also requires careful consideration of social impacts and access to education for different groups of people.
Building a reasonable tuition increase roadmap and effective support mechanisms will be key to ensuring the sustainable development of the higher education system in the new context.