Students dread losing edge after slog as Vietnam mulls over scrapping IELTS bonus points for university entry

Students who spent several years preparing for IELTS now fear losing a university admission advantage after the Ministry of Education recently proposed scrapping bonus points for language certificates from next year.

Hong Minh, a 12th-grader in Ho Chi Minh City, was shocked that the 6.5 IELTS score she earned following two years of preparation might no longer give her an edge while applying for university admission.

She began preparing for IELTS while still in 10th grade to improve her chances of admission to the political science or international relations majors at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University.

During its most recent admissions, the university did not convert IELTS scores into English subject scores but only awarded three bonus points out of 100 to applicants with an IELTS score of 5.5 or higher.

The 100 comprised academic performance, which includes high school graduation exam scores, academic transcripts, and competency assessment results, in addition to bonus and priority points.

"Since I don't qualify for any priority points, I chose the IELTS certificate to compete," Minh said.

Now, the education ministry is proposing that, from 2027, only regional and beneficiary-group priority points will remain and not bonus points for achievements or certificates.

Bonus points for certificates such as IELTS are currently capped at 1.5 out of 30 as a general rule, but each university, such as HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities, sets its own rules, as long as it stays under the cap.

"The certificate I worked so hard to obtain could become useless for admission," Minh said.

Students sit ready for the high school graduation exam in Ho Chi Minh City on June 10, 2026. Photo by VnExpres/Quynh Tran

High-school students now take a uniform national graduation exams comprising math, literature, and two electives. Universities use a combined score of three subjects, depending on the major applied by students, for admissions.

Each university has its own admission standards and has, for years, been allowed to award additional points to applicants for academic awards, language certificates such as IELTS or SAT, and extracurricular achievements.

Under the ministry's proposal, students will only receive priority points based on their residential area or eligibility under preferential policies for disadvantaged students, children of martyrs and veterans, and ethnic minorities.

Those residing in remote localities will receive 0.25-0.75 points added to their scores.

Nguyen Hoang, a 12th grader in Hanoi, began preparing for IELTS a year ago. While he has not decided which major or university to apply to, he said he had found from looking at admission policies over the past two years that IELTS could boost his admission score, particularly as the high school graduation exam is now designed to distinguish more clearly between students at different ability levels, making perfect scores more and more difficult to achieve.

He said scoring a 9 in the English exam would be "very difficult," while getting an 8 and adding another 1-1.5 points with an IELTS 6.5 certificate is within his reach.

"That's why I invested in IELTS. Now that the bonus points could be scrapped, I don't know what to do."

The ministry says awarding bonus points for international certificates "could create inequality" because access to such certificates depends on economic conditions, place of residence--with students living in urban areas getting access IELTS centers more easily, and families' financial abilities.

The change would have a strong impact on 11th and 12th graders who have invested considerable time and money in IELTS preparation to earn bonus points.

Statistics from the ministry and several universities show that these students are mainly from urban areas, particularly Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

In 2024, of 67,000 students submitting foreign-language certificates to be exempted from the English portion of the high school graduation exam, Hanoi and HCMC accounted for 21,500 and 13,100, respectively.

Narrow the gap

The ministry's proposal might upset students, but experts said the change would be nothing but positive in the long term.

Pham Tan Ha, former vice president of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, HCMC, said the change would help "narrow the inequality gap between students in urban areas and disadvantaged regions."

Dinh Duc Hien, executive director of FPT Bac Giang Inter-level School in the northern Bac Ninh Province, pointed out that urban students have greater access to foreign-language learning environments and preparation centers and the resources to take tuitions and the exams multiple times.

Hoang Phuong of the British University Vietnam said scrapping bonus points would end the anachronous situation of admission scores exceeding the maximum score, such as 31 out of 30 points.

Foreign-language certificates would return to their intended function rather than being used as an additional tool for admission, he said.

"It is a standardized measure of language or cognitive ability, rather than some kind of ‘soft power’ to bypass other core subjects."

The change would also force students to shift their strategy from "accumulating bonus points and casting a wide net" to "early orientation and substantive focus," he said.

Some have expressed concern that removing the bonus score for foreign-language certificates could make students less motivated to study or lower overall English proficiency, but Ha disagreed.

Based on his years of admissions counseling, he said members of Generation Alpha in major cities, currently students in grades 10 and 11, already use English "relatively well."

Parents and students now both understand that foreign-language proficiency is a gateway to global integration and better opportunities, and so they have already started developing their children's English skills at an early age rather than waiting for the bonus points, Ha said.

Nevertheless, analysts flagged the unfairness, pointing out the change should be announced at least two or three years in advance because many students were already preparing for IELTS.

"Students should be at the center of the process when making this decision," said Ha.

Hien of FPT Bac Giang said the conversion rules must be transparent, data-based, and have an equivalent option for students who could not afford to take international certification exams.

Ngoc Anh, a 12th grader in Hanoi, said: "Another unfairness will be perpetrated if the policy changes without a transition road map."