Vietnam to scrap IELTS bonus points in university admissions from 2028

The provision is included in a circular amending and supplementing several regulations on university admissions.

For the 2027 admission cycle, universities that used bonus points in their admissions processes in 2026 or earlier will be allowed to maintain the policy.

The bonus-point policy currently applies to three groups of candidates: those who win prizes in national-level excellent-student competitions but do not exercise their eligibility for direct admission; those with exceptional achievements or talents; and those holding foreign language or international certificates, including IELTS, according to Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) newspaper.

However, the combined bonus points awarded to candidates in these groups must not exceed 0.5 point on a 30-point scale, down from the previous maximum of three points.

From 2028, universities will no longer be permitted to award bonus points in admission decisions. This means applicants holding IELTS certificates will no longer receive additional points toward their overall admission scores.

The Ministry of Education and Training previously highlighted inconsistencies in the system, noting that an IELTS score of 6.0 could qualify candidates for 26 different bonus-point levels across universities.

According to 2026 admission data, more than 37,300 candidates nationwide used English-language certificates to obtain bonus points, including more than 35,900 who submitted IELTS certificates.

Notably, IELTS 6.0 was the most common score, held by 8,318 candidates. However, universities awarded different bonus points for the same score, with 26 different levels recorded, raising concerns about fairness.

For example, according to a ministry representative, an IELTS 6.0 certificate earned applicants 0.5 bonus point at Hanoi Law University, 0.75 point at Hanoi Medical University, and one point at both Thuongmai University and the University of Education under Hue University, news site VOV.vn reported.

Current statistics also show that some university programs with admission cutoffs of around 28 points award up to 1.5 bonus points. 

As a result, thousands of candidates scoring between 26.5 and 28 points have failed to gain admission, partly because they did not have access to costly language proficiency tests.

The decision to cap bonus points in 2027 and abolish them entirely from 2028 is intended to address these disparities and ensure greater fairness in university admissions.

However, eliminating bonus points does not mean IELTS certificates will lose their value in university admissions.

Candidates may still use their IELTS results to obtain an equivalent score for the foreign language subject in an admission combination, provided the university accepts this form of conversion.

The distinction is that IELTS certificates will be used to replace foreign language subject scores under a university's conversion policy, rather than to earn additional points toward the overall admission score.

Therefore, from 2028, IELTS can still give applicants an advantage in university admissions through foreign language score conversion, but it will no longer serve as a basis for awarding bonus or incentive points.