Vietnamese university pays students cash for high IELTS scores

The school announced that English pedagogy majors must score at least 7.5 to receive the cash reward, while students in other majors are eligible starting from 7.0.

Certificates must still be valid: within two years of issuance, and each student can only claim the reward once during their studies.

Tran Thanh Thuong, head of the Admissions and Student Affairs Office, said the policy is designed to encourage students to strengthen their foreign language skills and exceed graduation requirements. The goal is to help students integrate internationally and meet the demands of today's labor market, he explained.

Currently, the university requires students to score between IELTS 5.5–6.0 to graduate, with a 7.0 benchmark for English pedagogy majors.

Across Vietnam, international language certificates like IELTS are increasingly important. Many universities now factor them into admissions by adding bonus points, converting them into test scores, or granting exemptions from foreign language courses. Requirements typically start from IELTS 5.0–6.0, but competition has intensified: this year, the number of students using international certificates for admission rose 1.5-4 times at several institutions.

After admission, students with valid certificates often enjoy advantages such as skipping certain language classes or being recognized as already meeting graduation standards.