At the recent Higher Education Conference, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) sent survey forms to higher education institutions to collect opinions on limiting candidates' admission wishes to 3 options.
Accordingly, each candidate can register a maximum of 5 wishes, 10 wishes or have unlimited number of wishes as at present.
This year, according to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, about 852,000 candidates registered for admission with 7.6 million wishes. The number of registrations with 5 wishes or less is nearly 40%, nearly 31% of registrations are over 5 to 10 wishes, the rest are over 10 wishes.
Allowing candidates to register without limiting their wishes helps increase their chances of being admitted, reducing pressure, but overloading the admission software.
Many students said that limited wishes will affect their psychology and choice opportunities. Nguyen Minh Khang (12-grade student, Ho Chi Minh City) shared: "Each candidate has a different orientation. If my wishes are limited, I am afraid that I will lose the opportunity to try my hand at many majors and schools that I am interested in, especially when candidates are still hesitant and have not yet chosen their favorite major."
Sharing the same opinion, Tran Thao Vy believes that allowing students to register freely helps them feel more secure. "Although I only set strategic wishes, having many options creates a sense of safety, not too stressful when applying," Thao Vy shared.
Khanh Van - a new student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade - said that in the recent admission round, she registered for 7 wishes and was admitted in the second wish.
"If you clearly define your goals and abilities, arranging your wishes will be quite simple, without having to put too much, it will be both costly and time-consuming to think about," Khanh Van shared.
In fact, during the 2025 admission season, experts also advise candidates not to register too many wishes but to pay close attention to how to set strategic wishes.
Dr. Nguyen Trung Nhan - Head of Training Department, Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, said that there are two common mistakes that candidates often make when registering for wishes.
First, because they love a school so much, they should register all majors in that school, regardless of whether it is suitable or not. Second, choose only one major and register in many schools but do not carefully consider the level of interest and the ability to score.
"Among wishes with equivalent scores, students need to clearly determine their level of preference to prioritize. Avoid the case of being admitted to an industry that you do not really like just because of the wrong order," Dr. Nhan noted.
Meanwhile, Mr. Pham Thai Son - Director of the Admissions and Communications Center of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade, emphasized that registering for wishes is not a "bet" for points but needs to come from passion and personal capacity.
Mr. Son advised candidates to arrange their wishes according to their preferred level, not according to the passing rate, because if they meet their first wish, their future wishes will automatically be canceled.
Mr. Son suggested that candidates can divide their wishes into 3 groups, in which the first group of wishes - dream wishes is placed at a school or major with a benchmark score last year higher than the exam score to test. Next is the group that is suitable for the exam scores, easy to pass the entrance exam and the third group is the safety wishes - majors and schools with lower admission scores to ensure academic performance.
Dr. Mai Duc Toan - Director of the Admissions and Communications Center of Gia Dinh University also suggested:
"The most effective way is to choose about three schools, each school has three majors in the same field, with a total of 9 wishes. This method helps focus on clear orientation, increasing the likelihood of admission to a suitable industry," said Dr. Mai Duc Toan.
