Many opposing opinions
At the 2026 admission counseling session recently held in Dak Lak, Dr. Nguyen Manh Hung, chief specialist of the Higher Education Department (Ministry of Education and Training) said that this year's regulations are expected to have major adjustments, notably limiting the number of admission aspirations. Accordingly, the Ministry plans to control a maximum of 10 admission aspirations instead of being unlimited as every year.
Before this information, Dang Thi Ngoc Bich - a 12C1 student, Viet Vinh High School (Tuyen Quang) expressed concern.
When I heard the news, I was quite surprised. In previous years, seniors were allowed to register unlimited aspirations to be assured, this year if blocked at the number 10, I feel unsafe. I am worried that if I don't calculate carefully, the chances of winning the exam will be lower" - Bich shared.
Contrary to this psychology, Vu Hong Ngoc - a 12th grade student at Yen Hoa High School (Hanoi) believes that this number is appropriate. "According to me, registering too many aspirations can cause confusion when choosing a school, I have clearly defined my goals, so I am not too worried" - Ngoc expressed his opinion.
From the perspective of parents, Ms. Phan Minh Hanh (Nghe An) believes that adjusting the number of aspirations is necessary, both reducing the burden of costs and helping students consider more carefully when career orientation.
Besides the aspiration issue, the proposal to reduce the priority bonus points for international foreign language certificates (IELTS, TOEFL...) from 3 points to a maximum of 1-2 points is also an issue of public concern.
As someone who already holds an IELTS 7.0 certificate, Vu Hong Ngoc shared: "My family invests a lot of money, I also spend a lot of time reviewing. Now hearing the news that bonus points may decrease, I feel quite pressured and feel that the effort put in is somewhat affected.
However, this regulation received support from candidates who do not have the conditions to access international certificates like Dang Thi Ngoc Bich. Bich said she felt lighter because she had the opportunity to compete more fairly through actual exam scores.
Assessing the expected changes in the 2026 enrollment season, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Thuy - English teacher in grade 12, Viet Vinh High School (Tuyen Quang) said that this will contribute to limiting the situation of skewed learning, helping students return to focusing on basic cultural subjects.
Advice for candidates
In addition to the above two changes, Dr. Nguyen Manh Hung also noted that the 2026 exam is expected to be held half a month earlier; universities are only allowed to apply a maximum of 5 admission methods, except for direct admission.
Faced with this situation, Ms. Thuy advised students to remain calm and apply the strategy of dividing 10 aspirations into 3 clear groups. The first group is the priority group, for the most desired schools (candidates can boldly register because the benchmark score may fluctuate slightly). The second is the moderate group, for schools with benchmark scores equal to their academic ability. Finally, the safe group, requiring students to choose schools with benchmark scores lower than their actual ability (2-3 points) or consider their transcripts to ensure admission.
Students should not be too confused. Even if the bonus points decrease, the IELTS certificate is still an advantage to convert to a perfect score of 10 for graduation. Take advantage of the time off that foreign language exam to focus on other subjects" - Ms. Thuy gave advice and emphasized that carefully preparing early and having reasonable tactics will be the key to help students confidently overcome this volatile enrollment season.
