In India, higher education includes the education imparted after schooling for 10 + 2 years i.e. ten years of primary and secondary schooling followed by two years of higher / senior secondary schooling equivalent to graduation from high schools in Vietnam. The annual academic session starts in July to August. College admissions start in May to June or even much earlier, on the basis of written examination or interview. Some universities / institutes reserve a limited number of seats for foreign / NRI students, which are given on the basis of the applicant’s academic records.

More than 10,000 foreign students including more than 500 Vietnamese are presently studying in India on a self-financing basis. In addition to the Vietnamese students studying on self-financing basis, India also provides to Vietnam every year around 30 scholarships for graduate and post-graduate studies and 110 scholarships for short-term training courses. These applications are generally processed through Ministry of Education & Training or Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam (for MGCSS).

Education Consultants of India Ltd. (EdCIL), a state owned enterprise under the Ministry of Human Resource Development of Government of India is responsible for promotion of study in India. Applications for most of the graduate and post-graduate courses in India including Arts, Science, Commerce, Education, Law or M. Phill can either be made directly or through EdCIL, by the overseas students. Admissions for engineering or technology courses can also be sought against seats reserved for overseas students.

Visa requirements for students going to India for study are also very simple. Students can apply for a student visa at Embassy of India in Hanoi or at Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City.

Undergraduate courses:

Minimum qualification: 60% marks in STPM or any other qualification which is equivalent to India’s 10 + 2 CBSE level.

Postgraduate courses:

Minimum qualification: graduate degree in the appropriate field with 50% marks.

Doctorate (PhD):

Students are admitted to PhD courses if they are able to fulfill the eligibility criteria regarding their research competence and genuine interest in the subject of study. The admission is approved by the Board of Studies and in some cases on the recommendation of a Research Degree Committee of the university concerned. The University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) conduct a joint selection test twice a year and a good number of fellowships are available for those who have qualified the test for higher research.

Students can pursue their higher education in India under the Distance Education scheme through various universities in India, such as the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Jawaharlal Nehru Univeristy, Osmania University, Annamalai University, etc.