19 groups of people eligible for tuition exemption in Vietnam

What is tuition?

According to the provisions of Clause 2, Article 3 Decree 81/2021/ND-CP, tuition is the amount of money that students are required to pay to cover part or all of the costs of educational and training services.

19 groups of people eligible for tuition exemption

According to Article 15 Decree 81/2021/ND-CP, 19 categories eligible for tuition exemption include:

(1). Individuals as stipulated in the Ordinance on Preferential Treatment for People with Meritorious Services to the Revolution 2020 if they are studying at educational institutions within the national education system.

(2). Preschool children and students with disabilities.

(3). Preschool children and students under 16 years old without a caregiver and individuals from 16 to 22 years old studying at general education or first-degree programs within the category of individuals receiving monthly social allowances according to Clauses 1 and 2 of Article 5 in Decree 20/2021/ND-CP. Students at intermediate and college levels who are orphans without parental care, according to the Vocational Education Law 2014.

(4). Preschool children and general education students, learners at continuing education institutions following the general education program whose father, mother, or both parents or grandparents (in cases of living with grandparents) belong to poor households as defined by the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam.

(5). 5-year-old preschool children in especially difficult villages/communes, level 3 communes in ethnic and mountainous regions, particularly difficult coastal and island communes as specified by competent authorities.

(6). 5-year-old preschool children not included in category (5) are exempt from tuition starting from the 2024-2025 academic year (effective from September 1, 2024).

(7). Preschool children and general education students, learners at continuing education institutions following the general education program who are the biological or legally adopted children of non-commissioned officers and soldiers on active duty according to Clause 2, Article 6 of Decree 27/2016/ND-CP.

(8). Secondary school students in particularly difficult villages/communes, level 3 communes in ethnic and mountainous regions, particularly difficult coastal and island communes as specified by competent authorities are exempt from tuition starting from the 2022-2023 academic year (effective from September 1, 2022).

(9). Secondary school students not included in category (8) are exempt from tuition starting from the 2025-2026 academic year (effective from September 1, 2025).

(10). Enrolled students in the system of assigned education (including vocational boarding school students with training periods of three months or longer) according to Government policies for assigned education in higher education institutions and vocational education institutions within the national education system.

(11). Students of ethnic boarding schools, preparatory universities, and preparatory university departments.

(12). Students at vocational and higher education institutions who are minorities with either father, mother, or both parents or grandparents (in cases of living with grandparents) belonging to poor or near-poor households as specified by the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam.

(13). Students specializing in Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought.

(14). Students and postgraduates, doctoral candidates in one of the specializations such as Leprosy, Psychiatry, Forensic Medicine, Forensic Psychiatry, and Pathological Anatomy at public health training institutions with state-ordered enrollment quotas.

(15). Very small minority group students according to Clause 1, Article 2 of Decree 57/2017/ND-CP residing in areas with difficult or particularly difficult socio-economic conditions as specified by competent authorities.

(16). Learners belonging to categories of programs and projects exempt from tuition as regulated by the Government of Vietnam.

(17). Individuals having graduated from secondary school continuing to intermediate level.

(18). Learners at intermediate and college levels in fields difficult to recruit but with societal demand as prescribed by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs.

(19). Students in specialized fields meeting socio-economic development, defense, and security demands as regulated by the Vocational Education Law 2014. Specialized fields are determined by the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam.

19 groups of people eligible for tuition exemption in Vietnam (Image from the Internet)

Who is eligible for tuition reduction and tuition fee support?

According to Article 16 Decree 81/2021/ND-CP, the categories eligible for tuition reduction and tuition fee support are as follows:

- Categories eligible for a 70% tuition reduction include:

+ Students studying traditional and special artistic disciplines in public and private vocational education institutions and higher education institutions offering education in culture and arts including: ethnic music performers, traditional Hue musicians, Southern Vietnamese amateur music, stage performers, folk performing arts, ca tru, bai choi art, traditional musical instruments performance;

+ Students specializing in court music, chèo, tuồng, cải lương, dance, circus; certain labor-intensive, hazardous, and dangerous vocations in vocational education as listed by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs;

+ Preschool children and students of ethnic minorities (excluding very small ethnic minorities) in particularly difficult villages/communes, level 3 communes in ethnic and mountainous regions, particularly difficult coastal and island communes as specified by competent authorities.

- Categories eligible for a 50% tuition reduction include:

+ Preschool children and students who are children of officials, public employees, and workers with a parent who has suffered a labor accident or occupational disease and is receiving regular allowances;

+ Preschool children and general education students, learners at continuing education institutions following the general education program whose father, mother, or both parents or grandparents (in cases of living with grandparents) belong to near-poor households as defined by the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam.

- Categories eligible for tuition fee support: Primary school students in private educational institutions in areas lacking sufficient public schools are eligible for state support for tuition fees.