Extended preferential credit for students in STEM fields.

Borrower and loan purpose

According to the Decision, students, including master's students and doctoral candidates studying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, are eligible for loans under the program to help cover tuition fees, living expenses, and other study costs during their studies at higher education institutions and vocational education institutions within the national education system established and operating in accordance with Vietnamese law.

The science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields stipulated in this Decision include the following specific training fields: Life sciences, natural sciences, computer science and information technology, engineering technology, engineering, architecture and construction, manufacturing and processing, mathematics and statistics, financial technology as prescribed by the Prime Minister on the promulgation of the List of Education and Training of the National Education System and related guiding legal documents; and other key technology training fields as prescribed by law.

Students must have graduated from high school as stipulated by law and meet the following conditions at the time the Social Policy Bank (NHCSXH) considers and decides on loan approval as prescribed in this decision:

For first-year high school students: Applicants must have achieved a GPA of at least "good" or higher in all three years of high school, as stipulated by law; or have achieved an average grade of 8 or higher in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology in their 12th grade year.

For students from the second year onwards: They must have achieved an average academic performance of "excellent" or higher in all subjects as stipulated by law in the year immediately preceding the year of application for a loan from the Social Policy Bank.

Master's students and doctoral candidates are recognized as such by higher education institutions in accordance with the law.

When applying for a loan from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP), students must fill out the Information Declaration Form as prescribed in Appendix I of this Decision, obtain confirmation from their higher education institution or vocational education institution, and provide all relevant documents and records to the VBSP.

Annually, students must fill out the Information Declaration form as prescribed in Appendix II of this Decision, obtain confirmation from the higher education institution or vocational education institution, and provide it to the Social Policy Bank as a basis for loan disbursement.

Loan amount and term

The maximum loan amount for one student to help cover tuition fees, living expenses, and other study costs for the remainder of the course includes: The student's full tuition fees (after deducting any scholarships and other financial aid from the school, if applicable) as confirmed by the school; and a maximum of 5 million VND per month for living expenses and other study costs.

Based on the provisions of Clause 1 of this Article, the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (NHCSXH) shall reach a consensus with the borrower to consider and decide on the specific loan amount for each student.

The loan term includes: the loan disbursement period, the time from the date the student completes the course until the first loan repayment begins, and the repayment period.

The loan disbursement period is the time from the date the borrower receives the first loan installment until the date the student completes the course, including any temporary leave of absence granted by the school and any retention of academic results (if applicable).

The loan disbursement period is divided into disbursement installments as stipulated by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) or agreed upon with the borrower; VBSP does not disburse loans during periods when students are allowed temporary leave from school and their academic results are preserved (if any). During the loan disbursement period, borrowers are not required to repay the principal and interest.

From the date the student completes the 12-month course as stipulated, the borrower must make the first repayment of principal and interest. Borrowers may repay the loan early without incurring early repayment penalty interest.

The repayment period is determined by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP), with a maximum amount equal to the loan disbursement period minus any time the student is allowed to take a temporary leave of absence from school and retain their academic results (if any). The repayment period is divided into installments, with the amount of each installment determined by the VBSP.

Ensuring the fulfillment of loan repayment obligations.

The Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (NHCSXH) provides loans through households. The household representative of the student is the person who applies for the loan and conducts transactions with NHCSXH.

In cases where a household has no members aged 18 or older, or the remaining members are unable to work or lack full legal capacity as stipulated by law, the student will directly apply for a loan from the Social Policy Bank in their own name.

Customers borrowing up to 500 million VND per student are not required to provide collateral to guarantee repayment of the loan.

Customers borrowing more than 500 million VND per student must provide collateral to secure the loan repayment in accordance with the law on securing obligations and the regulations of the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP).

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Decision 29/2025/QD-TTg dated August 28, 2025, of the Prime Minister of Vietnam provides a preferential and superior credit policy for students, trainees, and postgraduate students studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to support the full coverage of tuition fees and major living expenses during their studies at higher education institutions and vocational education institutions within the national education system established and operating in accordance with Vietnamese law.
This will support students, trainees, and researchers studying STEM fields to study and contribute with peace of mind, meeting the requirements for training high-quality human resources in STEM fields to contribute to the breakthrough goals of national science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, as well as the goals of rapid and sustainable economic development in accordance with the Party and State's policies in recent years.

Representatives of the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies in Nghe An province