Circular 04/2025 stipulating on the quality assessment of higher education training programs in Vietnam from April 4, 2025

Circular 04/2025 stipulating on the quality assessment of higher education training programs in Vietnam from April 4, 2025​ (Image from internet)

On February 17, 2025, the Minister of Education and Training of Vietnam signed the issuance of Circular 04/2025/TT-BGDDT regulating the accreditation of university-level training programs.

Circular 04/2025 stipulating on the quality assessment of higher education training programs in Vietnam from April 4, 2025​

Circular 04/2025/TT-BGDDT regulates the quality accreditation of programs at higher education levels, including:

- Standards for evaluating the quality of training programs;

- Procedures for implementing accreditation and the cycle of quality accreditation for training programs.

These regulations apply to:

- Higher education institutions, schools under state agencies, political organizations, socio-political organizations, and the people's armed forces with a mandate to train in university education levels; academies and institutes established by the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam in accordance with the Law on Science and Technology, authorized to offer doctoral degrees (hereinafter referred to as training institutions);

- Domestic educational quality accreditation organizations established, permitted to establish, and allowed to operate by decision of the Minister of Education and Training (hereinafter referred to as domestic educational quality accreditation organizations);

- Other organizations and individuals related to the quality accreditation activity of higher education.

For training programs evaluated based on the standards for evaluating the quality of teacher training programs at the college level as prescribed in Circular 04/2025/TT-BGDDT dated February 05, 2020, by the Minister of Education and Training, evaluation and recognition are carried out according to the provisions of Chapters III, IV, and V of Circular 04/2025/TT-BGDDT.

If a training institution chooses a foreign educational quality accreditation organization, already recognized for operation in Vietnam by the Ministry of Education and Training, the quality standards for training program evaluation, the accreditation process, and cycle for the training program shall be applied according to the operational registration dossier.

* Conditions and recognition of university education quality standard training programs in Vietnam

- Based on the resolution on the appraisal of the evaluation results by the education quality accreditation council, the educational quality accreditation organization shall consider and recognize the quality standards of the training program when the following requirements are met:

+ At least one cohort of learners has graduated as of the completion date of the self-evaluation report;

+ External evaluation has been carried out, and there is a document from the training institution requesting the educational quality accreditation organization to consider and recognize the training program's quality standards;

+ The evaluation results of the training program meet the provisions of either point a or point b, clause 4, Article 13 of Circular 04/2025/TT-BGDDT.

- Recognition of meeting the quality standards:

+ Training programs meeting the provisions of both point a and point b, clause 1, Article 33 of Circular 04/2025/TT-BGDDT and point a, clause 4, Article 13 shall be recognized by the educational quality accreditation organization and issued a certificate of meeting educational quality standards, valid for a period of 5 years from the date of issue;

+ Training programs meeting both point a and point b, clause 1, Article 33, and point b, clause 4, Article 13 shall be conditionally recognized by the educational quality accreditation organization and issued a certificate, valid for a period of 2 years from the date of issue;

+ For training programs meeting the requirements of clause 4, Article 12 of Circular 04/2025/TT-BGDDT, they shall be recognized by the educational quality accreditation organization and issued a certificate of meeting educational quality standards, valid for a period of 7 years from the date of issue;

+ Within 24 months from the date the training program is conditionally recognized, the training institution should improve the quality of the training program to meet the provisions of point b, clause 1, Article 33, and point a, clause 4, Article 13 of this Circular and may send a written request to the educational quality accreditation organization to review, evaluate, and recognize the quality standards in accordance with Section 6 of Chapter II of Circular 04/2025/TT-BGDDT;

+ At least 9 months before the expiration of the educational quality accreditation certificate for the training program, the training institution shall conduct a self-evaluation for the next cycle, clarifying quality improvements compared to the previous cycle, and register with the educational quality accreditation organization for the next cycle accreditation.

More details can be found in Circular 04/2025/TT-BGDDT effective from April 04, 2025.

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