What do universities say when the benchmark for medical school is lower than nursing school?

This year, the benchmark of Tay Nguyen University is quite strange when nursing major is higher than medicine major. The Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of this university has issued an open letter to explain in response to public concerns.

A strange phenomenon that has never happened in the health sector of universities in many years is that the benchmark score for the medical sector in 2025 of Tay Nguyen University is lower than that of nursing and medical laboratory technology.

Specifically, the benchmark score for the medical major of Tay Nguyen University according to the high school graduation exam score is 21.76 while the nursing major is 24.13 and the medical testing technique major is 24.01.

Similarly, in the method of considering the test scores of Ho Chi Minh City National University, the nursing and medical laboratory technology majors also had higher admission scores, 891.42 and 887.34 respectively, while the medical major was 830.4.

Students of Tay Nguyen University

PHOTO: TAY NGUYEN UNIVERSITY FACEBOOK

This has made many lecturers, students, alumni as well as those interested in the school feel curious and wonder whether the quality of the school's medical field has declined and is no longer attractive?

In response to public concerns, at noon on August 23, on the Facebook fanpage of the Tay Nguyen Medical Forum, a 2-page open letter was posted with the logo of Tay Nguyen University and the end of the letter stated the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tay Nguyen University.

The open letter reads:

For a more complete, comprehensive and objective (relatively) view, the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tay Nguyen University would like to share some of the following information:

1. Compare benchmark scores between majors/schools:

To be able to relatively compare benchmarks between different majors or the same major between training institutions, we need to pay attention to:

- Does the school use the method of considering transcript scores for that major? For example: The total quota for the major is 200, the candidates who passed through transcript review are 180, so the remaining opportunities for candidates who are considered by high school exam scores/capacity assessment are very small. This leads to the benchmark score of the group considered by exam scores being much higher.

- What is the total target for that industry? The higher the target, the lower the benchmark score tends to be (if other factors are similar).

- How many combinations are there for admission to that major? The fewer combinations there are, the more fierce the competition is, and the type of combination also affects the admission results. For example: There is a school that recruits medical students using combination A01 (math - physics - English).

- And many other factors.

2. Current situation this year:

This year, the number of candidates choosing the B00 combination decreased more than 7 times compared to 2024, and the number of students choosing biology also decreased significantly. This reality has directly affected the recruitment source of the health sector, especially for sectors that do not consider academic records but only consider exam scores.

If compared with some universities in the same group, with the same admission method, equivalent quota and using similar admission combinations, the medical faculty of Tay Nguyen University, with a quota of 300 and not applying admission based on academic transcript scores, has a benchmark score of 21.76. This score is also similar to the benchmark scores of some other training institutions such as: Vinh University of Medicine (22.1 points), Faculty of Medicine - Da Nang University of Technology and Medicine (22.85 points), School of Medicine and Pharmacy - Da Nang University (23.0 points) and schools in higher groups such as Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy (23.88 points) ...

3. About the benchmark score

This year's entrance standard scores show that it is necessary to continue to evaluate and review some existing limitations and make improvements in the coming time, in addition to promoting the strengths and achievements achieved in the past time.

However, with the benchmark score for the medical industry this year being 21.76 (enrollment target of 300, not considering academic records, in the context of many new factors related to the exam and admission method), we remain calm, believing that with efforts and improvements from many sides, future results will become brighter and brighter...

Open letter from the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tay Nguyen University, sharing information about the school's medical industry benchmark scores in 2025

Speaking with Thanh Nien Newspaper reporter, Dr. Dinh Huu Hung, Head of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tay Nguyen University, confirmed that the above open letter was indeed from the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tay Nguyen University, and the content was approved by the school's leadership.

However, according to Dr. Hung, to specifically explain why the benchmark score for the medical industry is lower than that of nursing and medical laboratory technology, there needs to be a discussion with the school leaders and the training department leaders.

Sharing with reporters, a former medical student of Tay Nguyen University, currently a doctor at a hospital in Da Nang City, said that since 2012 until now, there has never been a case at Tay Nguyen University in particular and health training universities in general, where the medical major has a lower standard score than other health majors.

"It may be due to social needs, students see that nursing is shorter, less difficult and has more job opportunities both domestically and internationally, so the number of candidates registering is higher, leading to higher benchmark scores. But the school also needs to determine what the most important reason is, is it necessary to improve facilities and training quality to meet reality and attract more students?", this doctor expressed his opinion.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/truong-dh-noi-gi-khi-diem-chuan-nganh-y-khoa-thap-hon-nganh-dieu-duong-185250824151707535.htm