Expanding the number of students eligible for tuition fee exemptions from the 2025-2026 school year

The Ministry of Education and Training has just announced a draft decree regulating the mechanism for collecting and managing tuition fees for educational institutions in the national education system. Notably, the scope of learners eligible for tuition fee support and exemption will be expanded from the 2025-2026 school year.

The Ministry of Education and Training announced a draft regulation on tuition exemption and reduction policies and support for learning costs applicable from the 2025-2026 school year.

Photo: Nhat Thinh

The Ministry of Education and Training has just announced a draft decree replacing Decree No. 81/2021/ND-CP and Decree No. 97/2023/ND-CP regulating the mechanism for collecting and managing tuition fees for educational institutions in the national education system and policies on tuition exemption and reduction, support for learning costs; service prices in the field of education and training. An important content of the draft relates to regulations on subjects eligible for tuition exemption and reduction, tuition support, and support for learning costs.

The draft decree stipulates that subjects not required to pay tuition fees include: students studying specialized majors that meet the requirements of socio-economic development, national defense, and security according to the provisions of the Law on Higher Education; Specialized majors prescribed by the Government and the Prime Minister.

14 groups of students are exempted from tuition fees

• Preschool children, primary school students, and students of general education programs (students studying the regular secondary education program and students studying the regular secondary education program) in public educational institutions in the national education system.
• Subjects as prescribed in the Ordinance on preferential treatment for people with revolutionary contributions if they are studying at educational institutions in the national education system.
• Students are disabled.
• Students aged 16 to 22 who are studying for a first-degree university degree are eligible for monthly social allowances as prescribed in Clause 1 and Clause 2, Article 5 of Decree No. 20/2021/ND-CP dated March 15, 2021 of the Government on social assistance policies for social protection beneficiaries. Students at intermediate and college levels who are orphans of both parents and have no one to rely on according to the provisions of the Law on Vocational Education.
• Students and pupils in the selection system (including students selected for vocational boarding with a training period of 3 months or more) according to Government regulations on the selection system for admission to higher education and vocational education institutions in the national education system.
• Students of preparatory school, preparatory faculty.
• Students studying at vocational and higher education institutions of ethnic minorities whose father or mother or both parents or grandparents (in case of living with grandparents) are from poor or near-poor households according to regulations of the Prime Minister.
• Students majoring in Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought.
• Postgraduate students with master's, doctoral, level I specialist, level II specialist, resident physician specializing in psychiatry, pathology, forensic medicine, forensic psychiatry, infectious diseases and emergency resuscitation at public educational institutions in the health sector.
• Ethnic minority students with very few people according to Government regulations on policies for preschool children, ethnic minority students with very few people in areas with difficult or especially difficult socio-economic conditions according to current regulations of competent authorities.
• Students who are eligible for programs and projects are exempted from tuition fees according to regulations of the Government and the Prime Minister.
• Junior high school graduates continue to study at intermediate level.
• Students at intermediate and college levels in fields and professions that are difficult to recruit but are in demand by society according to the list prescribed by the state management agency of vocational education under the Ministry of Education and Training.
• Students of specialized majors and professions that meet the requirements of socio-economic development, national defense and security according to the provisions of the Law on Vocational Education. Special specialized majors and professions are prescribed by the Government and the Prime Minister.

Students receive a 50-70% reduction in tuition fees.

The draft stipulates the subjects eligible for 50% and 70% reduction in tuition fees. In particular, the subjects eligible for 50% reduction in tuition fees include: students in vocational training institutions and universities whose parents have had work-related accidents or occupational diseases and are entitled to regular allowances.

In addition, 3 groups of subjects receive a 50% tuition reduction, including:

• Students studying traditional and special arts in vocational education institutions, public and private universities that provide training in culture and arts, including: traditional opera musicians, Hue traditional musicians, Southern amateur music, opera actors, folk performing arts, ca tru art, bai choi art, and traditional musical instrument performances.
• Students studying royal court music, opera, tuong, cai luong, dance, circus; and certain arduous, toxic, or dangerous occupations in vocational education according to the list of arduous, toxic, or dangerous occupations prescribed by the central state management agency of vocational education.
• Students in vocational training institutions and universities who are ethnic minorities (except for very small ethnic minorities) with permanent residence in extremely disadvantaged villages/hamlets, communes in Region III of ethnic minority and mountainous areas, and extremely disadvantaged communes in coastal and island areas according to regulations of competent authorities.

Students are supported with tuition fees and study costs.

Accordingly, the subjects supported to pay tuition fees are preschool children, high school students, students of general education programs (students studying the regular education program at junior high school level and students studying the regular education program at high school level) in private educational institutions in the national education system. They are also postgraduate students with master's and doctoral degrees, level I specialists, level II specialists, resident physicians specializing in psychiatry, pathology, forensic medicine, forensic psychiatry, infectious diseases and emergency resuscitation at private educational institutions in the health sector.

Learners who are supported with study costs include:

• Preschool children, primary school students, and students studying at regular educational institutions under the general education program who are orphaned by both parents;
• Preschool children, primary school students, and students studying at regular educational institutions under general education programs are people with disabilities;
• Preschool children, primary school students, and students studying at regular educational institutions under the general education program whose father or mother or both father and mother or grandparents (in case of living with grandparents) are poor households according to regulations of the Prime Minister;
• Preschool children, general education students, students studying at regular educational institutions according to the general education program where they and their parents or guardians (in case they live with guardians) have permanent residence and are studying at an educational institution in a particularly disadvantaged village/hamlet, commune in region III of ethnic minority and mountainous areas, commune in coastal alluvial areas and islands according to regulations of competent authorities or studying at an educational institution in another area according to local regulations in case there is no educational institution in the particularly disadvantaged village/hamlet, commune in region III of ethnic minority and mountainous areas, commune in coastal alluvial areas and islands.

Thus, compared to current regulations, the draft decree expands the subjects eligible for tuition exemption and tuition support from the 2025-2026 school year. This new point is based on the National Assembly's Resolution on tuition exemption and support for preschool children, high school students, and students of general education programs in educational institutions of the national education system.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mo-rong-doi-tuong-nguoi-hoc-duoc-mien-giam-hoc-phi-tu-nam-hoc-2025-2026-185250704114710884.htm