Many schools in a European country directly recruit Vietnamese students, with scholarships worth hundreds of millions.

Nhiều trường một nước châu Âu tuyển thẳng học sinh Việt Nam, học bổng hàng trăm triệu - Ảnh 1. — Representatives from Irish universities advise Vietnamese students

The number of Vietnamese studying in Ireland is increasing steadily.

On the morning of September 27, SmartA company organized the Ireland Study Abroad Exhibition 2025 for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City under the sponsorship of Education in Ireland (the Irish government's education promotion agency). Talking to Thanh Nien on the sidelines of the event, Ms. Vo Hang Nga, CEO of SmartA, said that in the context of some countries making adjustments to their international education strategies, Ireland is increasingly attracting attention as the only English-speaking country in the European Union.

"This year, the number of our customers enrolling in September 2025 doubled compared to the same period last year, with the strongest growth being at the postgraduate level," Ms. Nga shared.

Not only Ms. Nga's unit, in fact, the past 3 years have recorded a steady increase in the number of Vietnamese students studying in Ireland. Because according to data from the Irish Higher Education Authority (HEA), the number of Vietnamese students studying in this country always accounts for 0.5% of the total number of international students, in the context of the total number of international students coming to this country increasing continuously from 31,720 people (2021-2022 school year) to 35,140 (2022-2023) and most recently reaching 40,400 (2023-2024).

Ms. Jayanthi Thevarajah, Head of Education in Ireland Southeast Asia, informed that the Irish government has issued many policies to support international students, including a visa program to stay in the country to work after graduation. The visa lasts for one year for bachelor's degrees and two years for master's and doctoral degrees, creating opportunities for students to participate in the labor market that gathers more than 1,800 multinational corporations in Ireland.

"This brings countless internship and job opportunities for international students," Ms. Thevarajah emphasized. Regarding part-time work opportunities, international students are allowed to work 20 hours/week during the school term and 40 hours/week during the holidays, with a minimum wage of 12.7 euros/hour (391,000 VND).

Nhiều trường một nước châu Âu tuyển thẳng học sinh Việt Nam, học bổng hàng trăm triệu - Ảnh 2. — Ms. Jayanthi Thevarajah (front row right), Head of Education in Ireland Southeast Asia, talks with Vietnamese students

Direct admission for Vietnamese students

According to HEA data, the Vietnamese are currently the most numerous at University College Dublin (UCD), accounting for 16% of the total number of Vietnamese studying in Ireland. This is the second-largest public university in Ireland, ranked 118th in the world, according to QS 2026. Ms. Apple Chan, the university's Asia- Pacific admissions representative, added that the university welcomes about 30-40 students from Vietnam every year and that the university also has a number of cooperation projects with Hanoi National University.

Notably, UCD decided to directly admit Vietnamese students if they graduated from international programs such as A-level, Australian High School Diploma, Canadian High School Diploma..., or required to submit additional SAT scores if they studied at specialized schools. However, for candidates who graduated from mainstream schools, they are required to register for a year of university preparation, which can be at the school or at another recognized educational institution, according to Ms. Chan.

Meanwhile, for the master's level, Ms. Chan said the requirements are "more relaxed", as the school only requires submitting the cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and English proficiency, rather than placing emphasis on the university where the candidate graduated. "We have many scholarships ranging from 2,000-8,000 euros (61-246 million VND) based on scores. In addition, there are also some scholarships worth 50-100% of tuition fees for students with outstanding extracurricular activities in addition to impressive academic achievements," Ms. Chan said.

Nhiều trường một nước châu Âu tuyển thẳng học sinh Việt Nam, học bổng hàng trăm triệu - Ảnh 3. — Ms Apple Chan, UCD's Asia-Pacific admissions representative, said the school has a variety of scholarship programs for applicants.

Similarly, Ms. Claire O'Connor, admissions specialist at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences (RCSI), also said that the school only directly admits Vietnamese students who have graduated from high school programs in international programs or specialized schools, while general schools require them to take a preparatory year. However, the school has stricter requirements when it requires that applicants for specialized schools and general schools must have a GPA of 9 or higher, along with many other requirements for math and high school graduation exam scores.

"This is the only specialist health sciences school in Ireland as all our programmes are focused on health and medicine. We have a simulated pharmacy for students to practice advising and dispensing medicines to patients, and a high-tech laboratory for research. All programmes have internship opportunities and are internationally recognised," Ms O'Connor said.

She added that Vietnamese students applying to the school are automatically considered for a 7,000 euro/year scholarship (215 million VND), which can be combined with an entrance scholarship of 1,500 euro (46 million VND) that is only applicable for the first year of study. These scholarships apply to all majors except medicine.

"This is the first year we have come to Vietnam to directly recruit students. This is a very new market for us, but fortunately this year we have welcomed three Vietnamese students to enroll," said Ms. O'Connor.

Mr. Pang Zhi Jie, Southeast Asia regional officer at Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), informed that there are currently two types of universities in the public sector in Ireland. One group is called traditional universities like UCD, and the other group is called technological universities like his unit. "Many technological universities have a policy of directly admitting Vietnamese students, as long as they graduate from high school with a certain score and have a valid English certificate," he said.

Meanwhile, at the master's level, the school will recruit candidates who have graduated from public universities or prestigious private universities in Vietnam.

"We consider scholarships based entirely on CGPA, up to 4,000 euros/year (123 million VND) if the candidate achieves a score of 3.7 or higher on a 4.0 scale. If you are admitted to the doctoral program, you will be fully covered and will also receive a salary," Mr. Jie added.

Griffith College, a private school that offers university preparation and diploma programs, also has a policy of directly enrolling Vietnamese students without distinguishing between specialized and general schools. "We position ourselves as a destination for students to transfer to bachelor's or master's programs at top universities," said Chiau Choon Kiak, Griffith College's Southeast Asia student exchange manager.

That is also the reason why the school's admission process is simplified, according to Mr. Kiak, when only requiring candidates to submit a score of 6-7 or higher on a 10-point scale, combined with an English certificate. The school also has a scholarship program for Vietnamese students studying for a bachelor's degree, with a 50% reduction in tuition fees for the entire course duration, making the remaining amount to be paid only from 6,750 euros/year (207 million VND).

"The scholarship criteria are also based on academic performance and English proficiency. Specifically, you need to achieve a CGPA of 9.5 or higher on a scale of 10, and an IELTS of 6.5 with no skill below 6.0," Mr. Kiak informed.

Previously, in February, the Vietnamese Student Association in Ireland (SVIE) was recognized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Student Association and became the 15th Vietnamese Student Association abroad under the Central Committee of the Vietnam Student Association. This milestone marks the growth of the Vietnamese student community worldwide, while opening up opportunities for connection, support and development for the Vietnamese student community worldwide in general and in Ireland in particular.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhieu-truong-mot-nuoc-chau-au-tuyen-thang-hoc-sinh-viet-nam-hoc-bong-hang-tram-trieu-185250927194243445.htm