VietNamNet Bridge – The required university entrance exam scores are being lowered for once-popular majors.

Meanwhile, the necessary score for the information technology department has been lowered from 20 to 18, and the marks for geology have decreased from 15 to 13.

The Hanoi University of Natural Sciences (HUNS) has also announced one to two point decreases in required scores for its faculties. For example, students needed to score a ‘25’ to enroll in biological technology at HUNS last year, but now only 21 marks are needed.

Meanwhile, the HCMC Agriculture and Forestry University requires a score of 20 marks for biological technology, down from 20.5 in 2008. The HCM City University of Natural Sciences has set an even lower mark: 17 for applicants in the A group (mathematics, physics and chemistry) and 18 for B-group (mathematics, chemistry and biology). Last year this university was able to require much higher marks — 20 and 25, respectively.

Finance and banking, very ‘hot’ in previous enrollment seasons, have also cooled substantially. The HCM City National University today requires an 18 for admission to the economics department, as opposed to 22 last year.

Literature, normally a favourite of students, now attracts fewer applicants. The required mark for literature at Hanoi National University decreased from 19.5 in 2008 to 18 in 2009, while the mark for literature-language study at HCM City National University has been lowered from 17.5 to 14.

. . . and the perennially unpopular

Every university has so-called ‘unmarketable’ study branches that attract a limited number of students.

These include non-English foreign language studies. Students need a score of just 14 to study German, Chinese and French philosophy, as well as English-Russian bilingual studies.

Various departments at the HCM City Agriculture and Forestry University have also set lower standards for specializations like farm produce preservation, forestry protection, and agriculture technique education.

Many trade schools also are having trouble filling up classes. HCM City Transport University and HCM City Agriculture and Forestry University officials say that many less-popular fields of study are, in fact, indispensable and claim that their graduates find employment easily. They cite rising company recruitment of their students as evidence.

Graduates of Russian-English bilingual study at HCM City National University learn two foreign languages, giving them special business skills. Additionally, more and more Russian-invested enterprises have arrived in Vietnam, and these companies recruit local employees who can speak Russian. However, Vietnamese students still turn their backs on the study branch.

VietNamNet/TP