Low floor scores are like a funnel attracting candidates, setting high floor scores is 'tying one's own feet'

Representatives of some universities said that setting a low minimum score is to ensure the source of admission because they do not know how many candidates will apply. In addition, universities must take care of themselves first, only with candidates can they survive.

Universities must take care of their recruitment sources.

This year, Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture has set the minimum score for admission based on the high school graduation exam score for all majors at 15. This level is 11 to nearly 13 points lower than the standard score of many majors in 2024. Last year, the standard scores for majors such as Tourism , Tourism - Travel Management, Cultural Management, and Cultural Communication were all very high, from 26.5 to 27.85 points. This is one of the schools with the lowest minimum score and the biggest difference with last year's standard score. A series of other universities also have a minimum score lower than last year's standard score by 7-10 points.

Talking to VietNamNet reporter, Mr. Lam Nhan, Principal of Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture said that the floor score is the input quality standard, and when considering admission, it will be done from high to low.

“We set the minimum score at 15. But if that major has 100 applicants while the quota is 50, when considering admission, we will select from the highest to the lowest,” said Mr. Nhan.

According to Mr. Nhan, almost all schools set the floor score very low. Very few schools set the floor score close to the standard score, but only use the threshold approved by the Ministry of Education and Training.

“We ourselves do not know how many candidates will register. We also cannot predict the approximate minimum score. If we set a high minimum score, it will be like tying a rope around our own feet,” the Principal of Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture asserted.

Mr. Nhan said that students will have to calculate for themselves, see what the benchmark scores were for each major last year to register their wishes.

“The school sets such a low minimum score, but students should keep track of the previous year’s benchmark scores and use that as a basis to submit their applications. However, not all majors are ‘hot’, so we set a general minimum score, not for each major,” said Mr. Nhan, adding that candidates have many opportunities, so if they register for many applications, they will definitely be admitted.

The admissions director of a university in Ho Chi Minh City said that the top priority of schools now is how to meet the quota and have good quality because most of them are worried about not meeting the quota. Therefore, the school sets a low minimum score to attract candidates to register their wishes. When there are many candidates registering, the standard score will certainly be much higher than the minimum score.

“Universities must take care of themselves, not the candidates. Only with students can they develop, and conversely, without students, it is difficult to develop. Therefore, candidates must consider carefully and think before registering their wishes,” he said.

Candidates taking the high school graduation exam. Photo: Nguyen Hue

In addition, setting a low minimum score can also be a strategy to attract more candidates to register, increase reputation and popularity. Therefore, candidates must pay attention to the school's brand. If the brand is good but the minimum score is low, they must consider it. Candidates can just register their wishes to that school, and if they are lucky, they will be admitted. This year, the Ministry of Education and Training allows candidates to freely choose their major, so "having money means having everything".

"Don't just see the low minimum score and register randomly"

Master Cu Xuan Tien, Head of Admissions and Student Affairs Department, University of Economics and Law, said that it is normal for many universities to set low minimum scores while the benchmark scores last year were quite high. The reason is that, according to statistics on the score distribution of high school graduation exam subjects this year, the general score level is lower than in 2024, especially in Math, Chemistry, and Biology.

According to statistics, the source of candidates who scored above 7 points/subject has decreased significantly compared to 2024. Therefore, it is inevitable that schools carefully adjust the floor score down, in order to ensure the source of candidates and select candidates with good abilities compared to the general level.

According to Mr. Tien, this does not cause any disadvantages to candidates. On the contrary, this adjustment will help candidates feel more secure and confident when building a strategy to arrange their wishes into the majors and schools they love.

A university representative said that in the context of this year's enrollment, many new situations have appeared, including many schools announcing lower floor scores compared to 2024, so candidates are also worried about the reliability when registering for admission. Therefore, when announcing floor scores, in addition to basing on regulations, universities also need to calculate how to make candidates feel secure when choosing a major and school to study, ensuring the compatibility between the floor score and the admission standard score, avoiding disappointment and loss of confidence for candidates.

Mr. Pham Thai Son, Director of Admissions at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade, advised candidates not to put all their trust in the floor score because the standard score could be much higher.

The floor score is the minimum score that a candidate must achieve to be admitted to that major/school. The floor score is not synonymous with the admission score or the standard score. In fact, the standard score can be 1-2 points higher than the floor score or up to 9-10 points, depending on the number of candidates registered and the quota of each major.

Thus, some mid- or top-ranked schools deliberately lowered the minimum score to expand the admission funnel but still kept the admission score as high as in previous years. Therefore, candidates should not see the low minimum score and randomly register for majors/schools that do not match their abilities and interests just because they "heard it would be easy to pass".

In particular, majors/schools with low cut-off scores can attract too many candidates, leading to a sudden increase in the benchmark score. Candidates need to closely monitor admission data as well as compare the cut-off scores and benchmark scores in previous years to evaluate industry trends and determine whether their admission rate is high or not.

And you should focus on official information from universities, the Ministry of Education and Training, and university admission consultants and avoid listening to rumors and social networks without verifying any information.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/diem-san-thap-nhu-pheu-hut-thi-sinh-dua-diem-san-cao-la-tu-buoc-chan-minh-2425722.html