In a notable shift in the educational landscape, over 367,000 students in Vietnam have opted out of the university admissions process this year. This figure represents nearly 30% of the total 1.24 million candidates, an increase from the previous year. The Ministry of Education and Training reported on July 15 that more than 874,800 students have submitted their admission preferences, which is an increase of nearly 25,000 compared to last year's admissions cycle.

The total number of preferences submitted this year exceeded 7.18 million, with an average of over eight preferences per student. This is a decrease from nearly nine preferences last year. One reason for this decline could be the new regulation limiting students to a maximum of 15 preferences, as opposed to the unlimited options available in previous years. Consequently, the trend of students submitting hundreds of preferences has diminished.

As a result, the number of students missing out on university opportunities has increased, now accounting for 29.56% of candidates, which is a rise of 2.76% from last year. Various factors contribute to this trend, including the Ministry's introduction of a minimum score requirement of 15 points across three subjects for candidates to register. Additionally, many students are opting for overseas study, vocational training, or immediate employment instead of pursuing higher education.

This year also marks the first time the Ministry has disclosed the number of students applying for STEM fields, which totaled nearly 467,600 students submitting around 2.37 million preferences. Students are required to pay their admission fees online from July 21 until 5 PM on July 21. The university admission scores will be announced after the final filtering process, which concludes at 5 PM on August 10. Successful candidates must confirm their enrollment in the system by 5 PM on August 21, after which universities may conduct supplementary admissions if needed.