College Admissions 2025: When Virtual is More Real than Real

Ensuring fairness for candidates

According to the instructions of the Ministry of Education and Training , the virtual filtering process consists of 6 times. The first time is on August 17, the last virtual filtering is on the afternoon of August 20. This is a process to ensure that each candidate is only admitted to one wish among the registered wishes, according to the principle of considering from wish 1 to the last wish. The system will stop at which wish the candidate is admitted and remove the candidate from the virtual filtering list in the next times. From there, limit the situation of virtual admission and help schools implement the enrollment plan conveniently and accurately.

Candidates learn about registration information for 2025. Photo: NGHIEM HUE

After the virtual filtering process is over (5:00 p.m. on August 20), training institutions will enter the admission scores and admission results into the system. Review and prepare to announce the first round of admission results according to the general schedule. Universities can announce the benchmark scores from 5:00 p.m. on August 20 to 5:00 p.m. on August 22 (this regulation does not apply to public security and military schools).

This year, Hanoi University of Science and Technology continues to preside over the Northern virtual filtering group. Ho Chi Minh City National University is in charge of the Southern virtual filtering group.

Associate Professor Dr. Vu Duy Hai, Head of Admissions and Career Guidance Department, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, said that for Hanoi University of Science and Technology, the task of chairing the Northern virtual filtering group has been implemented for many years and has become a unified, strict and accurate process.

Every step in the selection process is a commitment to transparency and accountability on the part of the team. Candidate registration data must be kept confidential, securely stored, and available for cross-checking upon request.

With this year's adjustments, Hanoi University of Science and Technology has coordinated with units in the group to update and perfect the software, adjust the process and plan a general technical solution for the entire system.

Mr. Hai said that, in terms of technology, virtual filtering is like a “test” for the information technology system of Hanoi University of Science and Technology. Huge data is transmitted continuously in a short time, requiring stable infrastructure and strict backup and comparison processes. Along with that are backup scenarios for many unexpected situations. Most importantly, the virtual filtering process must ensure absolute accuracy, fairness and transparency for the entire admission period.

Huge virtual amount in lower-ranked schools

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training , this year, nearly 850,000 candidates registered for university admission. The total number of registered wishes is about 7.6 million, an average of nearly 9 wishes/candidate. In previous years, the average number of wishes was around 5 wishes/candidate. The reason for the sharp increase in the number of registered wishes is because this year there was no early admission, all candidates' wishes were "bet" on this virtual filtering.

In 2025, the total number of candidates applying to the National Economics University will increase by about 25% compared to 2024. At the Banking Academy, in 2025, the number of candidates applying for admission will increase by 26% compared to 2024, of which one-third of candidates have international certificates. MSc. Nguyen Quang Trung, Deputy Head of the Communications and Admissions Department of the University of Commerce, informed that the number of applications to the school increased 1.5 times compared to 2024, so the school predicts that the admission score may be higher than initially expected.

This year, preliminary statistics show that the number of candidates with English certificates such as IELTS, TOEFL ITP, APTIS (General), APTIS (Advanced), VSTEP applying to the Academy of Journalism and Communication has increased significantly compared to 2024, estimated at tens of thousands of applications. Although the English score range for the high school graduation exam is low, the admission score when converted to certificate scores is still high. It is predicted that the majors with the highest benchmark scores will still be hot majors in the field of journalism and communication, such as Multimedia Communication, Marketing Communication, Television Journalism, Electronic Online Newspapers, etc.

This year, the number of applications has increased sharply, while the number of candidates participating in the admission exam has only increased by about 100,000 students, equivalent to the increased quota of universities. The unusually high number of applications at some universities does not mean that the institution will meet the quota and recruit the right students. Because this year there is no early admission process, a candidate registers many applications, the virtual filtering process is based on the slope of the candidate's application order, so many applications do not necessarily mean a high standard score, and few applications do not necessarily mean a low standard score. Because the lower-ranking schools are often the safe places for many candidates to register their applications.

When the Ministry of Education and Training announced the high school graduation exam score distribution, experts predicted that universities would set the benchmark scores from previous years at 25/30 points or lower, and this year the benchmark scores would drop sharply. Associate Professor, Dr. Le Dinh Tung, Vice Principal of Hanoi Medical University, affirmed that the benchmark scores for the school's top majors would remain the same or increase compared to last year (from 28/30 points or higher).

Hanoi University of Science and Technology is predicted to have many top majors, with admission scores ranging from 26.5 to over 28 points. Thus, for schools and majors with admission scores that were high in previous years, this year is unlikely to see a decrease. The competition this year will be among the top 2 and 3 schools and majors.

In previous years, with early admissions, middle and lower-ranking schools could rest assured because they could “catch” candidates based on their academic records. This year, with only one admission round left, some experts predict that the brands and positions of schools will officially be “exposed”.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/tuyen-sinh-dai-hoc-2025-khi-ao-nhieu-hon-that-post1770102.tpo