12 Vietnamese universities gain international accreditation, up by three from last year

Updated: 14:10, 13/09/2024

Twelve Vietnamese universities have earned international accreditation this year, up from nine last year, the Ministry of Education and Training reported.

The newly accredited institutions are the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH), the National Economics University in Hanoi, and Van Lang University in Ho Chi Minh City.

Students in the library of the National Economics University in Hanoi.

These institutions join nine others that have previously been recognized: the University of Natural Sciences under Vietnam National University, Hanoi; Hanoi University of Science and Technology; Hanoi University of Civil Engineering; Ton Duc Thang University in HCMC; the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City; British University Vietnam; the International University; and the University of Technology under Vietnam National University, HCMC.

These universities have been accredited by five international organizations, with the most common being HCERES (High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education) from France, followed by the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) Network.

In addition to these 11 internationally accredited universities, 193 universities and 11 pedagogical colleges in Vietnam have met domestic accreditation standards. The Ministry of Education and Training currently licenses 17 educational quality accreditation organizations, including 10 foreign and seven domestic bodies.

The assessment criteria for higher education institutions vary depending on the accrediting organization. The HCERES standards evaluate institutions in six criteria: strategy and governance, training and scientific research, training process and career integration, compliance with foreign regulations, management and administration, and quality and ethics in education.

The AUN-QA's evaluation standards encompass 15 areas, including vision, mission, culture and governance, human resources, financial and physical resources, research policies, educational outcomes, and external relations.

Under the revised Higher Education Law (2018), accreditation in Vietnam is mandatory and periodic, aimed at ensuring and improving the quality of higher education.

University representatives believe that this process enhances institutional credibility and helps identify strengths and weaknesses for continuous quality improvement.

According to a government decree in 2021 on public tuition fees, universities are permitted to set their own fees for programs that have achieved quality accreditation.