IELTS takes the throne, changing the benchmark score for admission to University of Economics and Law

(Dan Tri) - The English exam is difficult, so candidates need to supplement their international language certificates, typically IELTS, to increase their chances of being admitted to the University of Economics and Law (UEL). The expected benchmark score fluctuates slightly.

MSc. Cu Xuan Tien, Head of Admissions and Student Affairs Department, University of Economics and Law, Ho Chi Minh City National University, said that this year there are nearly 8,900 candidates with IELTS applying to the school, 3.7 times more than last year.

The score that many candidates achieved was 5.5-7. In addition, there were about 50 other students using TOEIC, TOEFL or Cambridge certificates.

This certificate helps candidates get a maximum of 1.5 points or convert to 8-10 points in English. This is considered a big advantage in the context of the general English test scores in the high school graduation exam being quite low due to difficult test questions.

Nearly 8,900 IELTS candidates registered to enter the University of Economics and Law in 2025 (Chart: Huyen Nguyen).

Explaining the reason for this explosion, Master Tien said that this year the school allows candidates to use foreign language certificates to add points or convert English scores when considering admission based on high school graduation exam results, instead of just using them to consider transcripts or give priority for direct admission like last year.

Another reason, which is also a notable trend, is that the English graduation exam scores for high school this year have decreased. This has led to candidates using the IELTS certificate to "rescue" their scores.

"After the Ministry of Education and Training announced the exam scores, the number of candidates adding IELTS certificates increased by nearly 2,000 applications," said Mr. Tien.

With the number of candidates using IELTS skyrocketing, Mr. Tien said that at this point, it can be predicted more accurately that UEL's benchmark score will not decrease much compared to last year.

Because although the high school graduation exam scores for English and math have both decreased, and 5 out of 6 admission groups of the school have both of these subjects, the converted scores when candidates use international language certificates will change the situation somewhat.

"The benchmark score will not decrease as much as previously predicted," said Mr. Tien.

Hot majors such as international business, e-commerce, international economics, marketing, and economic law are often highly competitive and attract many candidates, so there will be slight fluctuations.

On the contrary, the entrance standards for new, less competitive majors are likely to decrease more, such as civil law (English), applied mathematics in economics, management and finance (English), financial technology (Co-op program), and management information systems (Co-op program).

With nearly 8,900 candidates having IELTS advantage, while the quota is only 2,700, the race to enter UEL will certainly be extremely tense.

Last year, the benchmark score based on the high school graduation exam results of the University of Economics and Law was around 24.39-27.44/30. The E-commerce major had the highest admission score.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/ielts-len-ngoi-thay-doi-cuc-dien-diem-chuan-vao-dai-hoc-kinh-te-luat-20250807081805012.htm