Previously, since 2023, the School of Management and Business has set height requirements for all admission majors. In 2021 and 2022, the Security and Management major required female candidates to be at least 1.58 meters tall, and male candidates to be at least 1.65 meters tall, with good physical fitness and vision. Typically, only specialized majors set physical requirements for admission, such as police or military schools. Specifically, military schools recruit male candidates who are 1.65 meters or taller, and female candidates who are 1.54 meters or taller. Police schools recruit male candidates who are 1.64 meters or taller, and female candidates who are 1.58 meters or taller.
For most universities and colleges nationwide, criteria regarding physical fitness are rarely mentioned, except for Physical Education and Sports schools. The Journalism Academy and Broadcasting requires film production candidates to be 1.65 meters tall for males and 1.60 meters for females. Hanoi Pedagogical University accepts males at 1.6 meters and females at 1.55 meters for the national defense and security education sector. However, the practice of using physical appearance as an admission criterion for a business-related major has sparked a lot of controversy.
In response to this information, the school representative stated that the school's admission regulations aim to train excellent leaders in management and administration for both the public and private sectors. The school has clearly presented to the German quality assurance organization the school's mission, emphasizing the continuous improvement of the output standards of the training programs to ensure that all graduating students have the necessary skills and qualities to succeed in their future positions. The school representative also mentioned that over the past 5 years, thousands of candidates have participated in the admission exams for the School of Management and Business, and the majority of parents are very satisfied with the quality of our training.
The school's input quality and training process have been internationally accredited, ensuring that 100% of graduates have job opportunities after graduation. During the training process, it has been observed that besides academic performance and skills, physical appearance also plays an important role in building a professional and confident image for future leaders. Health, ethics, willpower, talent, and a sense of responsibility are also core values of students at the School of Management and Business. It is not emphasized that candidates with special talents will still be considered separately; the school always maximizes opportunities for talented young people to develop and succeed based on excellence in academics and other skills.
This year, the School of Management and Business is recruiting 500 regular university degree students in four majors: Business Administration, Technology, Marketing and Communication, Human Resources and Talent Management, and Security and Management. The school's admission process differs from most training institutions; candidates must pass two preliminary rounds with a minimum of 4.5 IELTS or equivalent. Before the final admission round, in the first preliminary round, the school evaluates the application file, including academic performance, English and Vietnamese questionnaires. Certificates and recommendation letters from teachers with a score of 60/100 in the application file are considered passing. The second preliminary round assesses intelligence, emotions, and the school's AQ; candidates will be interviewed directly online or via video submitted by the candidates.
The minimum requirement is 70/100 to pass these two rounds and proceed to the final admission round, with admission methods including direct admission, priority admission, and admission according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training. The National University of Hanoi evaluates the competency assessment exam combined with English proficiency certificates and the remaining two subjects' academic scores based on international certificates such as A level, SAT, ACT, and the competency assessment exam scores of the National University of Ho Chi Minh City. The estimated tuition fee for the upcoming academic year at the School of Management and Business is 70 million VND for majors in Network Security, Business Administration, and Technology. The other two majors have a tuition fee of 60 million VND. The School of Management and Business, under the National University of Hanoi, has been fully autonomous since its establishment in 1995. The school's training programs are internationally accredited, and tuition fees are self-determined.
Some online opinions suggest that with these criteria, the school may not have enough candidates to meet the requirements because the stature of Vietnamese people, although improved compared to previous generations, is still relatively short compared to the world. There are still many young men reaching university age who are not even 1.60 meters tall, and young women just slightly over 1.5 meters. Among them are students with excellent academic performance, and if they are excluded, it would be a waste of talent. Agreeing with this view, Associate Professor Dr. Tran Xuan Nhi, former Deputy Minister of Education, believes that physical criteria are necessary for specialized fields such as the military, police, and other professions, but not suitable for the Management and Business field, especially considering that not all Vietnamese people are tall.
In reality, there are talented individuals who are short in stature, so introducing specific criteria into regular training programs is unnecessary. The school's claim that it aims to train excellent leaders in management and administration for both the public and private sectors is not accurate because not all students trained here will become leaders; only a certain percentage will. Another education expert believes that no top business school in the world requires physical appearance criteria for Business Administration; talent is the primary factor, not physical appearance. Some social media comments suggest that the School of Management and Business at the National University of Hanoi is setting criteria to recruit leaders rather than students, even though not all leaders need to be over 1.60 meters tall; what matters is their abilities and vision.
Another opinion states that even NEU and FTU dare not play this game. NEU is the National Economics University, and FTU is the Foreign Trade University, the two most prestigious universities in the North that have produced many outstanding talents for the country. Some female students jokingly say, "Okay, I'm only 1.53 meters tall, let me have the guys who are 1.65 meters or taller that the school can train." There is no problem if it can be done. According to the latest information, the Ministry of Education and Training has taken action regarding the School of Management and Business, urging the National University of Hanoi to promptly direct the School of Management and Business to review the criteria and admission conditions to ensure basic principles in admissions.
According to the official letter from the Ministry of Education and Training, it is stated that "to ensure fairness for candidates in terms of admission opportunities, schools must comply and ensure that no candidate misses the opportunity to apply due to regulations unrelated to their qualifications and abilities (except for regulations of the police and defense ministries with specific requirements in the field of national defense and security or admission procedures causing inconvenience and expenses)." The ministry's requirement is based on the education law admission regulations, which stipulate that all citizens, regardless of personal characteristics, have equal opportunities for education. Article 13 of the education law outlines the rights and obligations of citizens regarding education as follows: "Education is the right and obligation of citizens. All citizens, regardless of ethnicity, religion, beliefs, gender, personal characteristics, family background, social status, and economic circumstances, have equal opportunities for education. The state implements social equality in education, creating a safe educational environment to ensure inclusive education and provide conditions for learners to develop their potential and talents. The state prioritizes creating conditions for learners who are children with special circumstances, as stipulated by the law on children, learners with disabilities, as stipulated by the law on persons with disabilities, learners from poor households and near-poor households to exercise their right and obligation to education."
Never before has the path to entering university been as difficult as it is now. While it was thought that the past few years of eliminating the university entrance exam would make it easier for candidates, there is still a lot of debate and no consensus. Previously, in 2022 and 2023, hundreds of universities implemented admissions based on high school transcripts. However, in the university admissions season of 2024, some universities announced the elimination of the high school transcript evaluation method. The reason given was that evaluating transcripts would lead to the admission of candidates who do not meet the competency requirements, resulting in a decrease in training quality, a loss of the school's reputation, and the practice of inflating grades and loosening grading standards by teachers to ensure achievements for the school and class.
This has caused a series of negative issues affecting many future generations of the country. Therefore, some leading universities this year, such as the National Economics University, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, and other training institutions, have announced the removal of the high school transcript evaluation method. The current university admissions process in Vietnam still has many shortcomings, and introducing physical criteria for the Business Administration field is one of them. It is hoped that educators and management agencies will rectify and unify the selection methods to create a good foundation for the country's future talents, as talents are the nation's precious resources.