University Admissions 2025: Standard scores for some majors will decrease sharply

TP - Differentiation of exam questions directly affects the results of high school graduation exams of candidates. Therefore, university admissions officers predict that the benchmark scores for some majors this year will decrease.

Can reduce 3-4 points

Hanoi University of Science and Technology has just announced the score distribution for the talent selection method. Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Duy Hai, Head of the Admissions and Career Guidance Department, said that this year's score distribution is similar to last year's. However, the number of candidates applying for direct admission according to regulations and considering international competency assessment certificates (ACT/SAT/E-level...) has doubled.

With the requirement that candidates with foreign language certificates must register on the system for the school to convert, the number of candidates has also doubled. The competition between the two groups of candidates applying for admission with English subjects this year at Hanoi University of Science and Technology is more fierce than last year. For the group of candidates applying for direct admission, the number of successful candidates has doubled compared to last year, over 380.

Dr. Le Anh Duc, Head of Training Department, National Economics University informed that in the 2025 enrollment plan, the school plans to have a minimum score of 20/30 points/combination for admission; there will be specific regulations after the high school graduation exam results are available.

The school has opened the foreign language certificate registration portal for conversion for candidates, so the published score conversion information has not been changed. Accordingly, IELTS 5.5 certificate (other equivalent certificates) is converted to 8/10 points; 6.0 is 8.5/10 points; 6.5 is 9/10 points; 7.0 is 9.5/10 points and 7.5 and above is 10 points. Although the registration deadline has not expired, Mr. Duc predicts that this year the number of candidates with foreign language certificates will continue to increase.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thu Huong, Principal of Foreign Trade University, said that because there is no score distribution, the school has no basis to adjust the regulations issued in the 2025 enrollment plan. According to the announced plan, the expected floor score of Foreign Trade University is 24/30 points for all admission combinations.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Dao Tung, Director of the Academy of Finance, predicts that in 2025, the average score of high school graduation candidates will be lower than in previous years, especially there will not be many high scores in Math, Literature, and English, leading to a decrease in the standard score. In particular, the admission standard score of top universities may decrease by 3-5 points. Many schools will have low standard scores, while mid-ranked schools are expected to have a standard score that fluctuates from 3-4 points.

Candidates for the 2025 high school graduation exam Photo: DUY PHAM

The exam score distribution is predicted to be mainly concentrated in the range of 6-7. Traditional combinations such as A00 (Math, Physics, Chemistry), B00 (Math, Chemistry, Biology), D01 (Math, Literature, English) tend to be clearly differentiated, with common scores ranging from 18-22, while the number of candidates achieving 25 points or more is not much. This score distribution basically meets the graduation assessment goal.

It is noted that the English subject has the largest number of candidates choosing to take the exam among the 9 elective subjects of this year's high school graduation exam, accounting for 1/3 of the total number of candidates taking the exam. Among these, many candidates do not have the conditions to take the international language certificate (IELTS/TOEFL). They are both considered for graduation and university admission based on their high school graduation exam scores. If the average score of English subject is lower than other subjects, candidates will be at a disadvantage when applying for university admission.

Dr. Vo Thanh Hai, Vice President of Duy Tan University, predicts that the benchmark score in 2025 will tend to decrease compared to 2024. Because there is only one general admission round and no early admission, the total quota is higher than in 2025. All admission methods must be converted to a scale to ensure more fairness for candidates. This year's exam has good differentiation, so the score will tend to decrease.

Pressure of 8 points in Math

This year, schools participating in the Project "Developing human resources for the semiconductor industry to 2030, with a vision to 2050" according to Decision 1017 of the Government require that the Math score in the admission combination must be 8 or higher. In Decision 1017, 8 schools participated, some universities are waiting for approval. The University of Transport has a Computer Engineering major (in the direction of specializing in semiconductor microcircuits), considering the combinations A00; A01 (Math, Physics, English); D07 (Math, Chemistry, English); X06 (Math, Physics, IT). From the analysis and evaluation of the high school graduation exam, the leaders of the school's Training Department are concerned about the number of candidates who scored 8 or higher in Math.

Prof. Dr. Chu Duc Trinh, Principal of the University of Technology (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) said that this year the school has 2 majors participating in Project 1017, which are Telecommunications Electronics and Materials Technology with 60 quotas. For candidates wishing to register for these majors, achieving the requirement of 8 points in Math is not difficult. He assessed that the Math exam is well classified, so schools will be able to select really good candidates. He believes that the number of Math exams with a score of 8 is not small, enough for training institutions to enroll students in special majors such as semiconductor microchips.

Mr. Trinh said that there is no need to worry too much about the difference between the admission methods or combinations. Based on the score distribution of each exam, each training institution will develop reasonable and fair conversion rules. This year's university admissions have a fundamental difference compared to previous years in that the Ministry requires the conversion of admission scores between methods and the use of the percentile method (based on the top 1%, top 5%, top 10... of each exam) to have reasonable conversion rules.

Dr. Pham Thanh Ha, Head of Training Department, University of Transport, said that it is necessary to consider adjusting the difference in admission scores between groups with Math and English to ensure the rights of candidates. This year, the Math exam is considered difficult, while English is an optional subject. Schools can calculate the difference between groups to ensure fairness in admission. Mr. Ha suggested that the Ministry of Education and Training can make recommendations on reasonable score differences. Talking to reporters, the leader of the Ministry of Education and Training affirmed that the results will be calculated when the exam results are available.

NGHIEM HUE

Source: https://tienphong.vn/tuyen-sinh-dai-hoc-2025-diem-chuan-mot-so-nganh-se-giam-manh-post1759193.tpo