Top schools do not change admission scores after Minister's request

Believing that the proposal of the Minister of Education and Training is unreasonable, many major universities in Ho Chi Minh City did not change the previously announced admission scores.

On the morning of August 8, representatives of many major universities in Ho Chi Minh City said they would maintain the announced admission score despite Minister of Education Phung Xuan Nha's request to consider admission higher than the minimum score.

"The application process has been over for half of the time, so such a big change cannot be implemented. The change not only does not bring about the desired results but also causes frustration for candidates who intend to apply to the school with the announced minimum score of 15," Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Le Quan, Vice PrincipalUniversity of Science(Ho Chi Minh City National University), said.

According to Mr. Quan, the Ministry's request is a deep interference in the autonomy of schools because their previous announcement of admission criteria was completely in accordance with the Ministry's regulations. "This should only be an experience for schools in the admission season next year," Mr. Quan stated his opinion.

Candidates register for admission at a university in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Manh Tung

With the Ho Chi Minh City National University block, the schoolSocial Sciences and Humanitiesalso kept the same admission score as announced. This year, the school has more than 2,800 regular university admission quotas. Dr. Pham Tan Ha, Head of Training Department, frankly said: "What else can we change now? Everything that has been announced will remain the same. If there is a change, how will candidates who have already submitted their applications withdraw? We have announced it, so we must maintain that principle with the students."

An admissions officer of a member school of Ho Chi Minh City National University refused to comment on the request of the Minister of Education, but only raised the question: "I don't know what regulations the Minister is basing his request on to require schools to re-announce the scores for receiving application files for admission."

The reason he gave was that the change would disadvantage candidates who submitted their applications last week. On the other hand, this is just a suggestion and the Ministry of Education has not issued an official document requesting it, so the school will not change. Furthermore, schools under the Ho Chi Minh City National University must comply with the general regulations of this university group, so the change is not something that can be done "overnight".

University of Economics Ho Chi Minh Cityalso confirmed that the admission score will not change to 15 for some majors of Economics, Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Political Economy, Financial Mathematics, and Business Statistics that were previously announced. The remaining majors and majors will receive applications from 18 points.

Vice Principal, Dr. Tran The Hoang, said that the majors that the school accepts applications from 15 points are selective of students but are very much needed by society. "The quota for these majors is 300, very small compared to the total quota of the school, so setting this score is to attract and encourage students," Mr. Hoang said, adding that Vietnam currently does not have a university hierarchy, so it is impossible to confirm which school is "top" or "bottom".

Meanwhile, Dr. Le Vinh Danh, President of Ton Duc Thang University, expressed that schools have the right to "seek" safety for themselves in the enrollment process to ensure that they can meet their enrollment targets. The so-called "top" schools that set admission scores equal to the Ministry's floor scores are all carefully calculated. It is understandable that the Ministry is worried that many candidates will be at a disadvantage when they only have enough points to apply to these schools.

However, Mr. Danh affirmed that there should be no change in the admission scores at this time because it would disrupt and complicate the admission process. "It is advisable that large schools with low admission scores advise candidates that the expected admission scores may be much higher. With clear information, candidates will have enough basis to consider choosing the right school," Mr. Danh suggested.

The first round of admission registration took place from August 1 to 12 and has already passed the halfway mark. Previously, many top universities had admission thresholds equal to or slightly higher than the 15-point floor score announced by the Ministry of Education. In reality, the admission scores are often much higher. This raises concerns that candidates who do not research will rush to apply to the school and have a low chance of being admitted.

According to VNE