Most students still flock to popular majors, while many other majors that allow students to easily obtain jobs cannot attract as many students. VietNamNet Bridge – After five days of receiving applications for second-choice universities, leaders of universities have noted that most students still flock to popular majors, while many other majors that allow students to easily obtain jobs that are in high demand cannot attract as many students.

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Contrary to all predictions that there would not be enough students for universities to enroll, many universities now feel secure with the high number of applications they received as second-choice schools.

In Vietnam, students who fail the entrance exams to universities for their first choice of study can apply to other universities as their second-choice. Second-choice universities set lower required marks for exams.

Majors related to economics and finance (such as finance and banking, business administration, and accounting) are currently very popular and remain the top choices for most students.

Huynh To Hap, PhD, Deputy Head of the Training Division of Saigon University, said the school has received 3,000 applications directly from students. This number does not include applications and documents sent through the post. Hap said that though there have been no official statistics, he knows for sure that many students have applied to become accounting and business administration majors.

HCM City Industry University is now leading universities in the number of applications. The overwhelming majority of the 5,000 applications the school has received so far have been for accounting, finance and banking, business administration, and international trade. Meanwhile, mechanics and polytechnic majors have very few candidates.

Non-state owned schools like Van Lang University, Hung Vuong University, and HCM City University of Technology have reportedly received 1,000 applications, most of them focused on studying economics or a related subject.

Associate Professor Dr Huynh Thanh Hung, Deputy President of the HCM City Nong Lam University, said in recent years, it has been very difficult for the university to enroll students for mechanics and forestry majors, even though the students studying these branches can easily find good jobs after they finish school.

Nong Lam University is not the only one. All the schools complain they find it hard to enroll students for mechanics majors, though the required marks for students from the university entrance exams are equal to the marks announced by the Ministry of Education and Training.

The floor mark is the minimum grade students must have from the university entrance exams in order to be able to register to study at universities. The floor mark is announced every year by the Ministry of Education and Training.

According to school administrators, the problem is that students and their parents do not want to study difficult majors and do not want to work hard when they finish school.

“The students from these majors can find good jobs right when they enter the work force,” Hung said, adding that the job prospects for these students are very good, from state-owned enterprises to private companies. Graduates can also work for themselves to earn money.

Co Tan Anh Vu, Head of the Training Division of the HCM City University of Transport, also said several majors at the university still cannot attract students. “Many businesses sent letters to the university asking us to introduce potential workers to them. However, we do not have enough graduates to introduce as potential employees,” Vu said.

Source: Tien phong