Will lower secondary school students in Vietnam be exempted from tuition fees in September 2025?

Will lower secondary school students in Vietnam be exempted from tuition fees in September 2025?

Based on Article 15 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP, the subjects eligible for tuition fee exemption are stipulated as follows:

Subjects eligible for tuition fee exemption

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7. Preschool children, students of formal education, and learners in continuous education facilities pursuing formal education program who are foster children or biological children of active servicemen and soldiers according to Clause 2 Article 6 of Decree No. 27/2016/ND-CP dated April 6, 2016 of the Government.

8. Students in lower secondary education in particularly difficult hamlets, communes in category III areas with ethnic minorities in mountainous regions, communes with particular difficulty in coastal areas, and islands according to regulations of competent authority are eligible for exemption from tuition from the school year of 2022 – 2023 (starting from September 1, 2022).

9. Lower secondary school students not specified under Clause 8 of this Article shall be exempted from tuition for the school year of 2025 - 2026 (starting from September 1, 2025).

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Lower secondary school students will be exempt from tuition fees from the school year 2025 - 2026 (effective from September 1, 2025).

Except for lower secondary school students in particularly difficult villages/hamlets, Zone III ethnic minority and mountainous areas, particularly difficult coastal and island areas as prescribed by competent authorities, who are exempt from tuition fees from the school year 2022 - 2023 (already exempted from September 1, 2022).

Download the latest tuition fee exemption and reduction application form here.

Will lower secondary school students in Vietnam be exempted from tuition fees in September 2025?​ (Image from the Internet)

What documents are required for tuition exemption, reduction for lower secondary school students in Vietnam?

Based on Clause 1, Article 19 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP (amended by Clauses 1 and 2, Article 5 of Decree 104/2022/ND-CP), parents of lower secondary school students will need to prepare the following documents to apply for tuition fee exemption and reduction:

(1) Application for tuition fee exemption, reduction, and support for learning expenses:

- For subjects eligible for support for learning expenses in preschool, general education, continuing education: Form as per Appendix 3 (download)

(2) Certified copy or copy with original for comparison, or copy from the original of documents proving eligibility for tuition fee exemption and support for learning expenses for the following subjects:

- Confirmation document from the managing agency of the public benefit recipient for subjects defined in Clause 1, Article 15 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP;

- Disability confirmation issued by the communal People’s Committee or Decision on social allowance granted by the District-level People’s Committee Chairman for subjects defined in Clause 2, Article 15 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP;

- Decision on social allowance granted by the District-level People’s Committee Chairman for subjects defined in Clause 3, Article 15 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP;

- Poverty confirmation issued by the communal People’s Committee for subjects defined in Clause 4, Article 15 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP;

- Certificate of eligibility for tuition fee exemption policies according to the provisions of Decree 27/2016/ND-CP dated April 6, 2016, of the Government of Vietnam stipulating certain policies for non-commissioned officers, soldiers serving on duty, discharged and their relatives as well as guidance documents from the Ministry of Defense for subjects prescribed in Clause 7, Article 15 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP;

- Birth certificate and poverty or near-poverty confirmation issued by the communal People’s Committee for subjects defined in Clause 12, Article 15 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP;

- Birth certificate and citizen identification card or ID card, confirmation of residence information, or notification of personal identification number and citizen information in the National Population Database in case the agency or organization cannot access residence information of citizens in the National Population Database.

* Note: for subjects prescribed in Clauses 5, 8, 15, Article 15 and Point c, Clause 1 and Clause 3, Article 16 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP. From the school year 2024 - 2025 (from September 1, 2024), subjects prescribed in Clauses 5, 6, Article 15 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP.

From the school year 2025 - 2026 (from September 1, 2025), subjects prescribed in Clauses 8, 9, Article 15 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP only need to submit the birth certificate;

- lower secondary school graduate certificate or temporary graduation certificate for subjects defined in Clause 17, Article 15 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP;

- Monthly electricity allowance passbook of the father or mother who suffered an occupational accident or disease issued by the social insurance organization for subjects defined in Point a, Clause 2, Article 16 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP;

- Near-poverty confirmation issued by the communal People’s Committee for subjects defined in Point b, Clause 2, Article 16 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP.

(3) For preschool children and high school students, learners at continuing education institutions under the national education program who are both eligible for tuition fee exemption, reduction, and support for learning expenses, only one set of the above documents with a form as per Appendix 4 (download here) of this Decree is required.

(4) Learners eligible for tuition fee exemption and reduction and learning expense support only need to submit one set of documents initially for the entire study period. For learners from poor or near-poor households, supplemental poverty or near-poverty confirmation must be submitted at the beginning of each semester to consider tuition fee exemption and reduction and support for learning expenses for the next semester.

(5) For students with a citizen identification card and who have been issued a personal identification number, residence information can be accessed through the data connection and sharing of residence information with educational institutions, Departments of Education and Training, Departments of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, Departments of Finance; parents (or guardians) of children, students do not need to submit a birth certificate and documents proving residence.

Are students, who graduate from lower secondary education and pursue intermediate education in Vietnam, eligible for tuition fee exemption?

Based on Clause 17, Article 15 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP, the subjects eligible for tuition fee exemption:

Subjects eligible for tuition fee exemption

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17. Graduates of secondary education and pursuing intermediate education.

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People, who graduate from lower secondary education and pursue intermediate education in Vietnam, are eligible for tuition fee exemption.

Thus, under the above regulations, students who have graduated from lower secondary school and intend to continue at the intermediate level will be exempt from tuition fees.