Vietnam Caps University Admissions Bonus Points at 0.5 in 2027, Ends Them in 2028

A smaller bonus in 2027, none from 2028

Vietnam will cut the maximum university admissions bonus for IELTS certificates, academic awards and other achievements from 3 points to 0.5 on a scale of 30 in 2027, before ending these extra points in 2028. IELTS certificates will still have uses, including replacing a foreign language subject score where a university permits it.

The Ministry of Education and Training set out the changes in Circular No. 95/2026/TT-BGDĐT, issued on November 11, 2026, and announced on November 13. The circular also reduces the number of admissions methods available to each program, requires clearer scoring rules and bars additional application fees for candidates who register and pay through the common admissions system.

The change responds to large differences in how universities reward the same qualification. Ministry figures for the 2026 admissions cycle show that more than 37,300 candidates used English certificates to receive bonus points, including more than 35,900 with IELTS. Exactly 8,318 candidates held IELTS 6.0, yet universities converted that score into 26 different bonus levels.

Students preparing for 2027 will therefore face a transition rather than an immediate end to bonuses. Only institutions that used them in 2026 or earlier may continue, and those institutions must explain their use. The 0.5 limit covers the total bonus, rather than a separate allowance for each certificate or achievement.

What the new cap covers

The restricted points fall into three main groups: rewards for national academic competition winners who do not use direct admission, rewards for special achievements or talents, and incentive points for foreign language or other international certificates.

Cutting the ceiling from 3 points to 0.5 removes five sixths of the previous maximum, a reduction of about 83%. The old ceiling equaled 10% of a 30 point admissions scale; the new ceiling equals about 1.67%. Universities cannot introduce a new bonus scheme in 2027 simply because a small allowance remains available.

Academic competition winners retain another route. Eligible students with national or international awards can still be considered for direct admission under the applicable rules. Direct admission allows qualifying applicants to enter through a special route rather than compete through the usual score ranking.

The responsibility to explain continued bonus use rests with the university. Institutions must make their admissions calculations public, allowing applicants to see how their qualifications contribute to the final score before choosing where to apply.

The dates students need to know

The final rules give universities more time than the earlier proposal, which envisaged ending bonuses from 2027. They also allow three methods per program during 2027, rather than immediately imposing the draft's limit of two.

The circular has several starting dates. Its general effective date is November 11, 2026, while Articles 1 through 9, which amend undergraduate and preschool teacher education admissions regulations, take effect on January 1, 2027. Measures with their own schedules follow the relevant admissions year.

• September 21: Higher Education Department Director Nguyen Tien Thao explained the draft's treatment of certificates and academic awards.
• September 23: The public feedback period on the draft was scheduled to close.
• November 11, 2026: Circular No. 95/2026/TT-BGDĐT was issued and its general provisions took effect.
• January 1, 2027: The amendments to admissions regulations take effect, with qualifying institutions allowed bonuses totaling no more than 0.5 out of 30.
• 2028 admissions cycle: University bonus points end and the maximum number of methods per program falls to two.

Each university must still publish its own accepted certificates, conversion rules, component weights and program requirements. Those details will determine how an individual applicant's IELTS result is used.

IELTS can still count within the score

Nguyen Tien Thao, director of the ministry's Department of Higher Education, has explained that certificates can replace or be converted into foreign language subject scores under published university rules. They can also demonstrate that an applicant meets the language requirement for a program taught in a foreign language.

A converted score forms part of the main calculation. For example, if a program assesses mathematics, another subject and English, an accepted certificate may supply the English component. A bonus instead adds extra points after the main assessment. Vietnam is ending the latter practice.

Thao described the ministry's approach while discussing the proposed changes:

"A more appropriate approach is to assess the right ability in the right place," he said.

Le Anh Duc, head of academic affairs at the National Economics University, has also explained that IELTS can remain useful for entry to programs taught in English and for recognition of certain English courses. His university recognizes IELTS results for credit conversion in some English courses, giving certificate holders a possible benefit after admission as well as during application.

Universities may also use certificates for language requirements associated with international joint programs or graduation, subject to their rules. Students will therefore need to distinguish between a certificate accepted as evidence of language ability and one that previously earned additional admissions points.

Why the ministry focused on competitive majors

Ministry data show that bonuses were particularly common among students admitted to programs with the highest entry scores. In 2026, more than 30% of admitted students in the top 5% of majors by admission score received bonus points. The share was 9.51% among majors outside the top quarter.

The ministry also examined admissions methods based on graduation exam results, school records, or a combination of the two, without a separate foreign language component. Among candidates receiving bonuses through those methods, 51.42% had original scores below the admission threshold for their chosen major.

Those figures help explain why even a seemingly small bonus matters. Universities rank applicants for a limited number of places. Extra points can move a candidate above the cutoff, especially in programs where many applicants have closely matched academic results.

Thao identified two practices the ministry wanted to change. Some programs added English certificate points even though their assessed subjects were mathematics, physics and chemistry. Others already included English in the main score and then added another reward for an English certificate, counting the same language ability twice.

Hoang Phuong of British University Vietnam has linked the fairness concern to unequal access to expensive preparation centers and international tests. Phuong also cited admissions totals of 31 or 32 on a nominal scale of 30 as an outcome that a consistent scoring framework should prevent.

Fewer admissions methods for each program

Universities may use up to five admissions methods across the institution, excluding direct admission and admissions for designated nomination categories. Each program and form of study may use up to three methods in 2027, falling to two in 2028.

The institution limit and the program limit apply at different levels. A university can offer several routes across its departments while giving applicants to any one program a smaller set of choices.

An information technology program in 2028, for example, could use graduation exam results and an aptitude test. Alternatively, it could use graduation exam results and school records. Under the two method limit, it could no longer offer all three as separate routes for that program.

The circular assigns admissions methods to 11 codes. These include code 401 for a common university entrance examination, 402 for an examination organized by an individual university, 403 for an independent examination and 600 for a combined method. The coding gives institutions a defined framework for identifying the routes they offer.

Universities must show how scores are calculated

Universities must publish the criteria, calculation rules and weight of every component within an admissions method. For a combined method, the weights must add up to 1, meaning the components together account for the full score.

A program combining examination results with another assessment must therefore state how much each contributes. The circular requires a single admissions scoring scale and equal conditions for candidates participating in assessment, apart from those eligible for direct admission.

Admissions notices must also identify eligible applicants, application conditions, recruitment sources, minimum entry requirements, score conversion rules and any supplementary criteria. Institutions are responsible for carrying out what they announce and answering to applicants, regulators and the public.

The rules also change how applicants tied at the bottom of an admission list are prioritized: a higher ranked application preference takes precedence, replacing the criterion favoring a candidate with fewer bonus points. For students, the order in which they rank their chosen programs can therefore matter when scores are tied.

A minimum score and a route for vocational graduates

The circular sets a minimum recruitment source score of 15 out of 30 from three graduation examination subjects. The calculation uses the relevant admissions subject combination, or mathematics, literature and one other examination subject. Applicants who graduated in 2025 or earlier are exempt from this provision.

The 15 point requirement is a floor for eligibility, while a university's actual admission cutoff can be higher because it depends on program requirements, places and applicants' results.

The amendments also add graduates of Vietnamese vocational secondary education, and recognized equivalent foreign qualifications, as eligible applicants to corresponding fields. Entry conditions vary by the group of programs.

Vocational graduates applying to teacher education, law and health programs requiring a professional license must have academic records rated excellent or above across three years, meet any applicable program standards and satisfy the annual ministry entry threshold. For other fields, they need records rated good or above across three years and must meet the institution's threshold.

Teacher education, law and licensed health programs also have specific conditions for admissions methods that do not use graduation exam results. These include the annual ministry threshold and a required Grade 12 academic classification, with a lower classification allowed for specified education, arts and health disciplines.

Less repeat paperwork and no extra application charge

Universities must use admissions data and the national population database to reduce documents and procedures from registration through enrollment. A candidate should not have to submit a certificate, document or result again when a complete and valid version is already in the admissions system.

Institutions may request further information when records are incomplete, have not been updated or require verification under the rules. This gives applicants a reason to check the accuracy of their digital records before the application period.

Universities are also prohibited from charging additional admissions application fees, in any form, to candidates who register and pay through the common admissions system. The rule targets extra charges beyond the payment made through that system.

For families comparing several universities, these provisions address a different part of admissions fairness: the time spent collecting repeated documents and the cost of applying. They sit alongside the restrictions on bonuses and methods, rather than changing how academic ability is scored.

The circular also changes training oversight

Circular No. 95 reaches beyond undergraduate selection. Universities retain responsibility for setting enrollment numbers, but must account for those decisions and their capacity to teach the students admitted.

Lecturers counted when determining enrollment capacity must fulfill their teaching duties and required hours, with income supported by database records. Master's enrollment must remain within training capacity by discipline group; teacher education and health capacity must be assessed for individual disciplines.

Master's education may be organized through regular and continuing education forms. Recipients of government scholarships covered by Decree No. 179/2026/NĐ-CP must study and conduct research full time under the institution's plan, participate in academic activities and refrain from full time employment elsewhere during their studies.

For undergraduate applicants, the central practical change is more immediate: achievements will increasingly need to fit within the program's published assessment criteria. In 2027, a limited bonus remains available at eligible institutions. From 2028, certificates and awards must serve through accepted subject conversions, entry requirements, direct admission or other permitted recognition.

Key Points

• Eligible universities may award a total bonus of no more than 0.5 out of 30 in 2027, down from 3 points.
• Only institutions that used bonuses in 2026 or earlier may continue them during the transition.
• University admissions bonus points end from the 2028 admissions cycle.
• IELTS may still replace foreign language subject scores or meet program language requirements under university rules.
• Each program may use three admissions methods in 2027 and two from 2028, excluding direct admission and designated nomination routes.
• Universities must publish scoring rules, avoid requesting valid documents already held in the system and charge no extra application fee to candidates registering and paying through the common system.