Correcting unreasonable differences in admission scores
The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has just announced a draft circular amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Regulations on admission to university and college levels in preschool education with many new points. In particular, it is expected that the MOET will stipulate that training institutions can consider early admission in an appropriate manner, however, the early admission quota set by the school shall not exceed 20% of the quota for each major and group of majors...
This regulation is causing controversy, as representatives of many universities say that the regulation causes many unreasonable barriers, limiting the autonomy of schools. Meanwhile, students and parents are also confused, especially families who have invested in their children to participate in studying and taking international certificates, private exams, etc. to serve the goal of early admission to university.
Faced with this information, the Ministry of Education and Training has spoken out to answer the concerns of students, parents and schools.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the 20% limit is based on the practical situation of enrollment in recent years, so that early enrollment only focuses on candidates with outstanding abilities and academic achievements, limiting the impact on students' studies in the final semester of grade 12 and high school graduation exam preparation. The most important thing is to create fairness among candidates when applying, not all students are able to participate in early enrollment before completing the grade 12 program...
In recent years, most training institutions have allocated separate quotas for each admission method, even for each admission subject group, from which they apply admission criteria to calculate candidates' scores and determine admission scores from high to low until the quota for each method and admission subject group is exhausted. This helps schools to use early admission to proactively complete their enrollment plans.
However, from here, problems arise such as unreasonable differences in admission scores between admission methods and subject combinations, while pushing the benchmark score for the admission method based on high school graduation exam scores up very high because there are not many quotas for this method left. This causes unfair opportunities for candidates who do not have access to many admission methods.
Therefore, this draft amendment to the admission regulations stipulates the unified application of equivalent conversion of the admission methods and subject groups to a common, unified scale for each training program, major, and group of majors, on that basis, determining the admission score from high to low for all the quotas of the training program, major, and group of majors, except for the case of direct admission and early admission of candidates with outstanding abilities and achievements.
Candidates with IELTS, ACT/SAT, aptitude test scores... are not affected.
For candidates, the Ministry of Education and Training said that whether in the early admission stage or the admission stage according to the general plan of the Ministry of Education and Training, candidates can still participate in the admission process using different admission methods that have been and are being prepared. Thus, candidates with IELTS, ACT/SAT scores, ability assessments, thinking assessments... are not affected.
For the past two years, the Ministry of Education and Training has provided full data on high school academic results (report cards) and supported schools to organize their own exams (such as capacity assessment, thinking assessment, etc.) to upload exam results to the general admission system, creating favorable conditions for training institutions to conduct admissions during the general admissions period. Thus, the draft does not restrict any admission methods of schools.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy - Director of the Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Education and Training), many people are confusing the concept of early admission and admission methods.
Ms. Thuy emphasized that there is no such method as “early admission method”. Because schools can use admission methods in all admission rounds.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, early admission is used to differentiate in terms of time from the admission round according to the general plan of the Ministry of Education and Training. Meanwhile, admission methods are used in any admission round.
After the explanation of the Ministry of Education and Training, representatives of some universities said that if understood as above, then schools can only change the admission time, conduct admission by using separate exam results, IELTS, ACT/SAT... in the same general admission period of the Ministry of Education and Training and announce the standard scores at the same time according to the general schedule, then there will be no quota control. At this time, 20% of the early admission quota can only be for direct admission methods according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, or the regulations of the schools.
