Under Government Decree 179/2026/ND-CP, college students admitted to eligible programmes who meet entrance rating necessities or are immediately admitted, and rank among the many high 30 per cent of entrants, will likely be eligible for Government scholarships. The scholarships will likely be renewed yearly based mostly on educational efficiency and conduct.
The Government’s Decree 179/2026/ND-CP, which takes impact on July 15, marks a shift from funding academic establishments to offering scholarships immediately to college students pursuing primary sciences, key engineering and strategic technology programmes, contributing to creating high-quality human assets in these fields.
Under the decree, college students admitted to eligible programmes who meet entrance rating necessities or are immediately admitted, and rank among the many high 30per cent of entrants, will likely be eligible for Government scholarships. The scholarships will likely be renewed yearly based mostly on educational efficiency and conduct.
The Ministry of Education and Training has issued the record of eligible disciplines coated by the coverage.
The scholarship scheme types a part of broader efforts to increase STEM schooling, masking science, technology, engineering and arithmetic, whereas bettering the standard of entrants to strategic fields.
Nguyen Tien Thao, Director General of the ministry’s Higher Education Department, stated Vietnam at the moment has 771,475 STEM college students, accounting for about 29 per cent of complete increased schooling enrolment. Of these, 475,833 full-time college students are finding out within the 15 self-discipline teams coated by Decree 179. The nation goals to elevate the share of STEM college students to 35 per cent by 2030 to meet the calls for of science, technology and innovation.
To obtain this, the ministry is implementing a variety of programmes to develop high-quality talent and has authorized 90 honours programmes at 23 universities, integrating schooling with scientific analysis and strategic applied sciences.
For the 2025 admissions cycle, about 22,250 college students are anticipated to qualify for Government scholarships from September 1, 2026. In 2026, round 30,000 college students are projected to obtain scholarships, with annual funding estimated at VND 1.3 trillion (USD 49.53 million).
The coverage can also be anticipated to reshape college admissions and coaching. Professor Nguyen Van Hieu, Vice President of Phenikaa University and Rector of Phenikaa School of Engineering, stated Decree 179 might considerably affect college students’ decisions. Science, engineering and technology will more and more be recognised as strategic fields providing robust profession prospects and alternatives to contribute to nationwide improvement, moderately than merely being considered as troublesome topics. The scholarships are anticipated to entice extra high-achieving college students with strengths in arithmetic, physics, chemistry, biology and laptop science.
Hanoi University of Science and Technology has introduced an enrolment goal of 9,700 college students throughout 68 programmes in 2026, together with 55 eligible for scholarships below Decree 179. Students enrolled in these programmes will obtain month-to-month monetary assist starting from VND 3.7 million to VND 5.5 million, relying on the programme.
At the National Economics University, eligible programmes embody knowledge science, synthetic intelligence, data techniques, data technology, cybersecurity, software program engineering, laptop science and utilized arithmetic.
While welcoming the scholarship coverage, consultants stress that creating high-quality talent additionally requires coordinated funding tailor-made to the wants of various disciplines.
Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son stated strong coaching in primary sciences and key engineering disciplines would allow graduates to adapt rapidly to, grasp and develop future strategic applied sciences. He added that the Government’s scholarship programme not solely permits extra college students, significantly these from deprived backgrounds, to pursue science and technology research, but additionally helps enhance coaching high quality and provide the expert workforce wanted for Vietnam’s industrial improvement and strategic technology sectors.- (VNA/VLLF)