High tuition fees, where can students find support?

Many new students said that when they entered school, they did not expect to have to pay a large amount of money, mainly due to the high tuition fees. Not to mention that they will have to worry about a series of other expenses for their new life in the city, so many of them are worried.

Public and private school tuition fees no longer have a big gap

NTD, a new student majoring in automotive engineering at the University of Technology (Ho Chi Minh City National University), said that after being admitted to this major at the school, D. was shocked when he saw the admission instructions because the first semester tuition fee was up to 42 million VND, nearly 3 times higher than the standard program. D. shared: "When I registered for admission, I liked the school and loved this major, so I didn't research the tuition fee carefully. I thought that public schools would be low. It turns out that the school has many programs, only the standard program is low."

Successful candidates complete admission procedures and pay tuition fees.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Similarly, BA has just enrolled directly in the accounting major at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education. When researching and registering for the program, BA did not register for the standard program but registered for the Vietnam - Japan program because she thought "with foreign elements, it would be easier to find a job after graduation". Because she did not research, BA thought that the tuition fee for public schools was only about 20 - 30 million VND per year. "This time, my mother had to prepare nearly 30 million VND for me just to pay for tuition, admission fees and health insurance. Not to mention the cost of accommodation and other living expenses", BA said.

Meanwhile, LT, a new student majoring in hotel and restaurant management in English at Ton Duc Thang University, shared: "I am about to pay 46 million VND, of which the school temporarily collected 35 million VND for the first semester tuition fee and more than 10 million VND for the English tuition fee. I did not go to the school's website to carefully research the tuition fee, so I was quite surprised."

Currently, most public universities are financially autonomous, so the tuition fees between public and non-public schools are no longer large. Advanced programs, programs taught entirely in English, high-quality programs, etc. at many public universities have quite high tuition fees.

It can be seen that the common tuition fee of the current standard public university program is 15 - 20 million VND/semester. There are many majors/programs/schools with lower fees, above or below 10 million VND/semester. As for advanced, high-quality, suitable, talented programs taught in English, the tuition fee is 30 - 40 million VND/semester. Meanwhile, many non-public universities have tuition fees from 25 - 40 million VND/semester, a few schools have lower fees, under 20 million VND/semester.

Not researching when applying

Mr. Vu Khac Ngoc, a chemistry tutor in Hanoi , who is also a study and admissions consultant for many parents and students, said that in the past few days he has received many messages and confidences from candidates about tuition fees. "Many students and parents texted me saying 'I passed but I probably won't dare to study' because the tuition fees are too high. Some students even register for advanced, high-quality programs very innocently. When choosing a major or a school, students often only care about the school's position and admission scores, and pay little attention to tuition fees, and are surprised when they enroll. The cost of studying at a university in big cities today is a huge burden for families, especially those from rural areas," said Mr. Khac Ngoc.

Master Dang Kien Cuong, Head of Student Affairs Department of Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry, also said that many candidates only found out about the high tuition fees after enrolling. This shows that the candidates did not thoroughly research the information beforehand.

According to Master Cao Quang Tu, Director of Admissions at Saigon International University, passing the exam but not daring to study is a very common mentality of candidates in recent years. "At the application stage, many students often focus on choosing a major based on their interests without fully understanding the tuition policy, scholarships and financial support. This leads to the situation of being admitted but worrying about the ability to pay," said Master Tu.

Tuition fees and tuition support policies are one of the major concerns of candidates when applying to a university.

Photo: Dao Ngoc Thach

Seek support policies from universities

In July 2025, Ho Chi Minh City National University and Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ACB ) signed an agreement to implement the program "ACB accompanies students of Ho Chi Minh City National University". According to the agreement, students of member schools can borrow up to 30 million VND/semester, 50 million VND/school year, without having to prove income or mortgage assets. The total limit of the program is up to 50 billion VND, piloted in the 2025-2026 school year. This program is not only for disadvantaged students but also extended to all students who need financial autonomy.

Master Nguyen Thi Kim Phung, Deputy Director of the Center for Admissions and Business Relations at the University of Finance and Marketing, said that at some universities, tuition fees this year have been adjusted upward, creating additional financial pressure for new students' families.

"To reduce the burden, most schools have implemented tuition exemption policies for students from policy groups, poor households, near-poor households, and students in difficult circumstances; expanded scholarship funds to encourage learning; and confirmed records for students to receive preferential loans from the Social Policy Bank or some commercial banks. This is a solution to help students proactively manage their finances and not have to give up their dreams due to lack of study costs," Master Phung informed.

The University of Finance and Marketing is accepting applications for tuition fee exemptions according to current regulations for new students with difficult circumstances, implementing the "Support to School" scholarship in 2025 for new students of the 25th course with special circumstances, achieving 24 admission points or higher, with a maximum support level equivalent to 100% of the tuition fee for the standard academic year.

Dr. Nguyen Van Kha, Deputy Director of the Admissions and Communications Center of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade, said: "In 2025-2026, the school decided to spend a total of 55.7 billion VND on scholarships and support for valedictorians and salutatorians; students with the highest academic results; students who overcome difficulties, students with good achievements in scientific research activities... If students strive to study, this level of support can also help cover some of the costs."

Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Dung, Director of the Media Center of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, shared that the school has a scholarship policy with the levels of 50%, 75%, 100% of the full course tuition for new students with especially difficult circumstances. In addition, during their studies at the school, students will also be given the opportunity to receive scholarships from partner businesses, and support to participate in the student loan policy.

Saigon International University also implements many scholarship programs to create conditions for excellent students, students with difficult circumstances or outstanding abilities to pursue their favorite majors.

At Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry, students can seek scholarships to encourage learning, or scholarship funds from philanthropists, businesses, and teachers. "The school aims to not let any student drop out of school because of tuition fees," said Master Dang Kien Cuong.

School representatives affirmed that students with tuition difficulties should boldly contact the student affairs office and share with teachers to receive the best support.

Preferential credit policies for students

The credit policy for students has been implemented since 2007 under Decision 157/2007/QD-TTg and amended and supplemented in Decision 05/2022/QD-TTg to support students in difficult circumstances to cover tuition fees, study and living expenses.

The loan recipients are students with difficult circumstances studying at universities (or equivalent to universities), colleges, vocational colleges and vocational training institutions established and operating under the provisions of Vietnamese law. The maximum loan support for students is 4 million VND/month/student.

In addition, Decision 29/2025 dated August 28, 2025 of the Prime Minister on credit for students, master's students, and biological researchers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Accordingly, the maximum loan amount includes the entire tuition fee (after deducting scholarships and support) and living expenses of 5 million VND/month.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hoc-phi-cao-sinh-vien-tim-ho-tro-o-dau-185250902204905141.htm