GD&TD – According to Deputy Minister Hoang Minh Son, the conversion of equivalent admission scores is aimed at promoting fairness, quality, and transparency in university admissions.
Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son. Photo: Tran Hiep
“Decoding” the regulation on equivalent score conversion:
“Dear Deputy Minister, recently the Ministry of Education and Training issued a Circular amending the university and pedagogical college admissions regulations. One notable new point is the requirement that higher education institutions must convert the admission scores of various methods and subject combinations for a given major to an equivalent scale. Why is this regulation necessary?”
For a single major with multiple admission methods and subject combinations, each method or combination will typically have a corresponding admission score (cut-off score).
Among subject combinations used for admission to the same major, most universities up to now have applied a common cut-off score or allowed for minor differences between combinations based on analysis of subject score distributions and the requirements of the major (e.g., the cut-off score for combination A1 must be 0.5 points higher than that for A0).
In addition, some institutions have allocated quotas for a major across multiple subject combinations. In many cases, this has led to unreasonable differences in cut-off scores between combinations.
Particularly, when a major uses multiple admission methods with separate quotas (e.g., using results from the national high school graduation exam, high school academic records, and the competency assessment exam by Vietnam National University, Hanoi), the cut-off scores for each method will depend on how quotas are divided and the number of qualified applicants.
The problem is that the quota division across admission methods or subject combinations often lacks scientific or practical foundation, resulting in unusual and unpredictable fluctuations in cut-off scores year-to-year for a given major.
We have seen instances where majors at non-top universities experienced a sudden spike in cut-off scores based on high school graduation exam results simply because the quota for that method was too small.
Moreover, allocating quotas for each method or combination also opens up loopholes that may even lead to negative practices during the admission process to favor certain methods or combinations.
These are the reasons why the Ministry of Education and Training had to introduce the regulation on equivalent score conversion starting this year.
According to the amended regulation, a major with multiple admission methods or subject combinations must determine cut-off scores for each method or combination based on the total quota for the major and a rule of equivalent conversion between the scores.
For example, if a major considers results from the national high school graduation exam using three subject combinations A0, A1, and D7, as well as results from the Hanoi National University’s competency assessment (HSA), then in addition to applying reasonable differences among the traditional subject combinations, the training institution must also provide a rule for converting HSA scores to an equivalent with the A0 combination (or A1, D7) within a specific range (e.g., 90–100 HSA points equivalent to 24–27 A0 points).
Accordingly, the admission process will be conducted by adjusting the equivalent cut-off scores of all methods and combinations up or down until the number of admitted candidates matches the major’s total quota.
The essence of this regulation is to ensure that the cut-off scores of each admission method or subject combination are also “equivalent” in terms of evaluation, ensuring the suitability of candidates with the competency and knowledge requirements of the major. This not only creates fairness among candidates, but also enhances the quality and transparency of university admissions.
Candidates explore training programs at Thang Long University. Photo: Provided by NTCC.
International Experience
* So, on what scientific and practical basis will the equivalent score conversion be made? What are the experiences of other countries around the world?
* First of all, it must be affirmed that every decision must be based on data analysis. The Ministry of Education and Training possesses comprehensive data including academic records, high school graduation exam results, and the results of various competency and thinking assessment exams organized by major universities in recent years—through both admissions outcomes and the academic performance of students admitted to institutions.
In fact, many countries around the world have already established equivalent score tables or minimum entry requirements across different assessment systems, such as between the SAT and ACT.
These are practical foundations. As for scientific grounds, the Ministry of Education and Training has relied on the support of experts and scientists, forming a specialized advisory team that includes several mathematicians, educational measurement and assessment experts, data analysts, and individuals directly involved in admissions at higher education institutions. This team was tasked with producing a detailed and thorough technical report, grounded in both scientific and practical bases, including international experience.
* There is still public concern that institutions might create differing conversion rules, causing confusion for candidates. The new regulation mentions that the Ministry will issue general guidelines for higher education institutions. How will that be implemented?
* As mentioned earlier, the Ministry of Education and Training has formed a technical advisory team to recommend the optimal technical approach. Based on this, the Ministry’s specialized units will develop and issue general guidelines for all training institutions.
These general guidelines will include a conversion framework for common admission methods and subject combinations, as well as instructions on how to apply this framework so that each institution can build its own equivalent score conversion rules for their specific majors.
This approach ensures consistency throughout the entire system, making the process simpler and more transparent for all candidates, while still allowing for flexibility to meet the specific requirements of each training discipline and respecting the autonomy of each institution.
The specific parameters within the Ministry’s general conversion framework and each institution’s conversion rules will be updated once the 2025 high school graduation exam results are fully available.
Importantly, all such conversion rules must be publicly announced no later than the time when the minimum admission thresholds are released, and before universities begin the first round of their admission process
University Admissions and Career Counseling Day 2025. Photo: TG.
Positive Impact and Greater Fairness for Candidates
* There are opinions that different assessment methods and exams have distinct purposes, structures, and evaluation criteria, and therefore cannot be converted to equivalent scores. What is your view on this, Deputy Minister?
* The regulation only requires equivalent score conversion for a major that uses multiple admission methods or subject combinations, and the training institution must be able to justify the scientific and practical basis for selecting those methods or combinations.
If the admission methods use completely different evaluation criteria for knowledge and competency (without a shared core component), then clearly, they cannot be used to admit students to the same major. In that case, there is no need—and it is not possible—to apply equivalent conversion. Similarly, if subject combinations are entirely different and evaluate different knowledge areas, they cannot be used for admission to the same major.
Therefore, in the amended regulation, the Ministry of Education and Training has also established strict requirements for the weight of core subjects across subject combinations for the same major (mandatory starting in 2026). In other words, higher education institutions may only use multiple methods or combinations for the same major if there is a scientific and practical basis to convert the admission scores equivalently.
* With this change in the admissions process, how does the Ministry evaluate the impact on candidates and training institutions?
* The equivalent score conversion between different admission methods has a significant positive impact by increasing fairness for candidates and thereby improving the quality of student intake.
In addition, many experts have predicted that numerous institutions will reduce the number of admission methods used. At the same time, the admissions process this year will become much more transparent, as all cut-off scores are compared across methods, combinations, majors, and institutions.
Such scientific and transparent practices will promote fairness for candidates and foster healthy competition among institutions—something we all hope to see.
From a technical standpoint, training institutions only need to adjust their admissions procedures; there is no need to modify admissions software, since only the cut-off score levels between methods are converted, not the individual candidate scores.
Thank you, Deputy Minister Hoang Minh Son!
“As for the candidates, some are currently unsure about how independent exam results like SAT, HSA, TSA, etc., will be converted compared to high school graduation exam scores. They may worry whether it will be complicated or put certain methods at a disadvantage. The students can rest assured that the Ministry will guide institutions to choose the most suitable data analysis method to establish a simple and fair conversion rule. Moreover, when registering for admission through the online system, students only need to choose their desired schools and majors. The software system will automatically select the most advantageous method and subject combination for each student” said Deputy Minister Hoang Minh Son.
According to Giao duc & thoi dai Newspaper)
