Vietnam: What is the Cambridge Certificate? What is the minimum score on the Cambridge Certificate required to pursue a master's degree?

Vietnam: What is the Cambridge Certificate?

The Cambridge Certificate is awarded upon completing the Cambridge English Language Assessment, a system of questions that test English language skills across various levels. Its objective is to provide an impartial assessment of the examinee's proficiency in and ability to use a foreign language, through which an International English Language Certificate is issued.

The examination is administered by the Cambridge ESOL Examinations Board, a division of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and a branch of Cambridge Assessment, a globally recognized organization in the field of educational quality assessment.

Additionally, per Clause 1, Article 2 of Circular 11/2022/TT-BGDDT, a foreign language proficiency certificate is a document confirming the results of a foreign language proficiency test issued by a foreign agency, organization, or institution. A foreign language proficiency certificate is not part of the national education system.

Vietnam: What is the Cambridge Certificate? What is the minimum score on the Cambridge Certificate required to pursue a master's degree? (Image from the Internet)

Vietnam: What is the Cambridge Certificate? What is the minimum score on the Cambridge Certificate required to pursue a master's degree?

Based on Clause 1, Article 5 of the Admission and Training Regulations for master's degree programs issued with Circular 23/2021/TT-BGDDT, the eligibility and conditions for applicants are outlined as follows:

Eligibility and Conditions for Applicants

1. Requirements for applicants:

a) Graduated or qualified to graduate from an appropriate undergraduate program (or an equivalent or higher level); research-oriented programs require a graduation ranking of quite good or better, or scientific publications relevant to the field of study and research;

b) Foreign language proficiency of Level 3 or higher according to the Vietnam six-level framework for foreign language proficiency;

c) Meeting other requirements of the training program standards as issued by the Ministry of Education and Training and the training program regulations.

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3. Applicants meet the foreign language requirement of point b, Clause 1 of this Article if they possess one of the following degrees or certificates:

a) An undergraduate or higher degree in a foreign language; or an undergraduate or higher degree with the program mainly conducted in a foreign language;

b) An undergraduate or higher degree issued by the training institution within no more than 02 years where the program's output standard complies with foreign language proficiency requirements of Level 3 or higher according to the Vietnam six-level framework for foreign language proficiency;

c) One of the degrees or foreign language certificates with a proficiency level equivalent to Level 3 or higher according to the Vietnam six-level framework for foreign language proficiency, as stipulated in the Appendix of this Regulation or other equivalent certificates announced by the Ministry of Education and Training, valid at the time of application.

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Referencing the conversion table for some diplomas or foreign language certificates equivalent to levels 3 and 4 of the Vietnam six-level framework for foreign language proficiency, applicable in master's degree admissions and training, as appended to the Admission and Training Regulations for master's degree programs issued with Circular 23/2021/TT-BGDDT:  

Download the appendix

Thus, according to the above regulations, to pursue a master's degree, one must have at least a Level 3 English proficiency, which equates to a Cambridge Certificate score of at least 140-159 points.

What are the methods of enrolment of master training programs​ in Vietnam?

Based on Clause 2, Article 6 of the Admission and Training Regulations for master's degree programs issued with Circular 23/2021/TT-BGDDT, the enrolment and learner acknowledgement are as follows:

- Admission can be conducted one or multiple times a year as decided by the training institution when the quality assurance conditions for master's degree program implementation according to current regulations are met.

- The method of admission is decided by the training institution and can include examinations, dossier evaluation, or a combination of both; ensuring a transparent, fair, impartial, and honest assessment of the applicants' knowledge and competency.

- The training institution is authorized to conduct online admissions when quality assurance conditions are met to ensure reliable and fair assessment results as in direct admissions.

- Admission announcements must be publicly posted on the training institution's website at least 45 days before the application deadline, including the following information:

+ Eligibility and application conditions;+ Admission quotas by training program and form of training;+ List of appropriate fields for each training program and conditions for completing supplementary courses;+ Application dossier;+ Admission plans and methods;+ Tuition fees, admission service fees, and other service charges for each academic year and the entire course;+ Other necessary information.

- The training institution decides to recognize admitted students when they fully meet the program's entry requirements with appropriate documentation.