Tuition waivers are planned for students in several fields of study starting in the 2026–2027 academic year

The Ministry of Education and Training has just released a draft decree amending and supplementing Decree No. 238/2025/NĐ-CP dated September 3, 2025, issued by the Government, which regulates policies on tuition fees, tuition waivers, reductions, and support, as well as support for educational expenses and service fees in the field of education and training.

Accordingly, the draft decree adds provisions for tuition waivers for students in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, construction, arts, and physical education and sports.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the addition of these tuition exemption provisions is due to the fact that these fields currently face difficulties in student recruitment and have low student demand, despite being fields that society needs. Therefore, a tuition support policy is necessary to attract students to these fields.

In addition, the draft decree also includes provisions for tuition waivers for students in vocational high school programs; students who have graduated from lower secondary school and are continuing their education to the intermediate level in accordance with the provisions of the 2025 Vocational Education Law; students in specialized fields and occupations within the defense and security sectors, as specified in a list established by the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Public Security.

The draft also transfers the authority to define the list of training fields and occupations that are difficult to recruit for but are in high social demand; specialized fields and occupations; certain key economic sectors and fields that meet socio-economic development requirements—to the Minister of Education and Training, replacing the Prime Minister as previously stipulated./.