The Ministry of Education and Training in Vietnam is considering a proposal to adjust university tuition fees, particularly for the Dentistry sector, which is expected to see a notable increase. This proposal is part of a draft decree aimed at revising the tuition fee policy outlined in Decree No. 238, which is set to be implemented in the 2026-2027 academic year.

According to the draft, the maximum tuition fee for public universities that do not yet ensure their regular operating costs will remain unchanged for most disciplines in the upcoming academic year. However, the tuition fee for the Dentistry program is set to rise from 2.66 million VND per month to 3.5 million VND, aligning it with the fees for Pharmacy and Medicine programs. Typically, an academic year consists of ten months.

The increase is based on proposals from medical institutions, reflecting the specialized nature of Dentistry education, which incurs high practical training costs. For the 2026-2027 academic year, the maximum tuition fees for non-autonomous universities will be adjusted according to the economic conditions and the public's ability to pay, but will not exceed the rate of inflation.

For universities that are partially self-sufficient, the maximum tuition fee can be 2.5 times the aforementioned cap. This is a new provision, as currently, only fully autonomous universities are allowed to charge this rate. Furthermore, institutions with programs accredited by the Ministry of Education or international standards will have the autonomy to set their own tuition rates.

The draft decree also introduces a list of programs eligible for tuition fee exemptions. In addition to the traditional fields of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought, students in agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, construction, arts, and sports are expected to receive tuition fee waivers. This policy aims to attract students to these fields, which have low enrollment despite societal demand.

Another significant change includes the establishment of tuition fee caps for vocational education programs under the new vocational education law, which was approved by the National Assembly in December 2025. For the 2026-2027 academic year, common tuition fees at universities are projected to range from 20 to 35 million VND, with the highest fees approaching 200 million VND. Notably, high-quality and advanced programs, as well as private institutions, often charge more than 50 million VND, while those below 20 million VND are typically non-autonomous universities.

As Vietnam prepares for the 2026 high school graduation exams, nearly 120 universities have announced their tuition fees for the upcoming academic year, with most fees falling between 20 and 35 million VND.