Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training asked universities to review tuition for the 2026/2027 academic year, limit sharp and substantial increases, and avoid charging tuition by credit at an amount higher than the total annual charge for the full course.
The ministry sent Letter No. 7526/BGDĐT-KHTC to ministries, agencies, local authorities and higher education institutions, asking them to review and correct compliance with tuition rules for the 2026/2027 academic year.
Public and private universities must review tuition for each level, field and training programme under the government's Decree No. 238/2025/NĐ-CP.
For fields and programmes with high tuition or a sharp increase from the previous academic year, universities must review the basis for their calculations, training costs, quality assurance conditions and the impact on students.
The ministry asked universities to limit sharp and substantial tuition increases while balancing higher training quality with students' ability to pay. They were also told to cut unnecessary costs and use lawful income sources other than tuition to reduce the burden on students.
Universities must follow the tuition schedule announced during admissions and must not charge more through credits than the total amount set for an academic year across the full course.
For autonomous public universities in group 2, tuition calculations must still comply with government rules. They may set fees independently only for quality-assessed programmes, based on approved economic and technical norms or cost norms. Private universities must comply with the prescribed conditions and maximum tuition-increase rate.
The Ministry of Education and Training also asked universities to fully implement tuition exemptions and reductions and make it easier for students to access scholarships and preferential loans. For programmes with high tuition or a sharp increase, universities must increase scholarships and support for study costs to minimise the risk of students stopping their studies because of financial difficulties.
Universities must submit reports and explanations on implementation by November 5.
Sources: Thanh Niên
