Latest Directive on tuition exemption for public school students for the 2025-2026 academic year in Vietnam

Latest Directive on tuition exemption for public school students for the 2025-2026 academic year in Vietnam (Image from the Internet)

Latest Directive on tuition exemption for public school students for the 2025-2026 academic year in Vietnam

On March 1, 2025, the Prime Minister of Vietnam issued Directive 05/CT-TTg regarding key tasks and breakthrough solutions to promote economic growth and accelerate public investment disbursement, ensuring the nationwide growth target for 2025 reaches 8% or more.

Regarding the task of vigorously promoting new growth drivers, breakthrough developments in science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and high-quality human resources, the Prime Minister requests:

…

…

h) The Ministry of Education and Training, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance, other Ministries, agencies, and localities, is urged to develop a plan and organize the implementation of the Politburo's conclusion on fully exempting tuition fees for students from preschool to the end of public high school nationwide starting from the new academic year 2025-2026; simultaneously researching a project to establish boarding schools for high school students in remote, border, and island areas.

Entities eligible for tuition fee exemption in Vietnam

Under Article 15 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP, the following cases are eligible for tuition fee exemption:

(1) Entities stipulated in the Ordinance on Preferential Treatment of Persons with Contributions to the Revolution if they are attending educational institutions in the national education system.

(2) Preschool children and students with disabilities.

(3) Preschool children and students under 16 years of age without guardians and individuals from 16 to 22 years of age attending high school, or obtaining their first degree in higher education, who qualify for monthly social assistance as per Clause 1 and Clause 2, Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP.

Learners at intermediate or college levels who are orphans or have no one to rely on as defined by the Vocational Education Law 2014.

(4) Preschool children, students, and learners at regular education institutions following the standard education program whose parents (or grandparents, if living with them) are classified as poor according to regulations by the Prime Minister of Vietnam.

(5) Five-year-old preschool children in extremely difficult communes/villages, in ethnic minority and mountainous regions or particularly difficult rural coastal and island areas as defined by competent authorities.

(6) Five-year-old preschool children not covered under (5) are exempted from tuition fees from the 2024-2025 academic year (valid from September 1, 2024).

(7) Preschool children and students, learners at regular education institutions following the standard education program who are children or lawful adopted children of non-commissioned officers and enlisted men per Clause 2, Article 6 of Decree 27/2016/ND-CP.

(8) Secondary school students in extremely difficult communes/villages, ethnic minority and mountainous regions, or particularly difficult rural coastal and island areas as defined by competent authorities are exempted from tuition fees from the 2022-2023 academic year (valid from September 1, 2022).

(9) Secondary school students who do not fall under Clause 8 of this Article are exempted from tuition fees from the 2025-2026 academic year (valid from September 1, 2025).

(10) Students under the quota admission system (including intern students under the boarding vocational training program for three months or more) according to policies by the Government of Vietnam for quota admission into national higher education and vocational training institutions.

(11) Students of ethnic boarding schools, pre-university schools, and pre-university faculties.

(12) Students at vocational and higher education institutions from ethnic minorities with parents or grandparents (if living with them) classified as poor or near-poor according to regulations by the Prime Minister of Vietnam.

(13) Students studying Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh's Thought.

(14) Students, postgraduate learners, and research fellows in specialization fields of Leprosy, Mental Health, Forensic Medicine, Psychiatric Forensics, and Pathological Anatomy at public medical training institutions as per state order quotas.

(15) Students from ethnic minorities with extremely few people as defined in Clause 1, Article 2 of Decree 57/2017/ND-CP.

(16) Learners covered under specific programs or projects entitled to tuition exemption according to regulations by the Government of Vietnam.

(17) Graduates of secondary school continuing to pursue intermediate level education.

(18) Learners in intermediate or college levels for sectors or specialties that are hard to recruit but in social demand as stipulated by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs.

(19) Learners in specific specialized fields meeting socio-economic, defense, and security development needs according to the Vocational Education Law 2014. Specific specialized fields are defined by the Prime Minister of Vietnam.

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE