Ho Chi Minh City has officially announced the schedule and enrollment plan for the 10th-grade entrance exam for the 2025–2026 academic year. The exam will take place on June 6–7, 2025. Notably, both of the city’s specialized high schools will be open for nationwide enrollment.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, the entrance exam will apply to public high schools across the city, ensuring a balance between the number of applicants and the enrollment quotas assigned to each school.

Meanwhile, admission through academic records (review-based enrollment) will be applied to private schools, continuing education centers, and Thanh An Secondary – High School in Can Gio District. The latter is reserved only for students who graduate from this school in the 2024–2025 academic year.

Two-stage admissions process

The entrance exam process will be carried out in two stages. In the first stage, students can register three prioritized choices (preference 1, 2, and 3) to apply to public high schools.

In the second stage, based on actual enrollment data and the needs of individual schools, the city’s Department of Education and Training will consider whether to hold a supplementary admissions round. Guidance documents will be issued to ensure student interests are protected and quotas are met for schools that remain under-enrolled.

Students will sit for three exams: Mathematics and Literature (120 minutes each), and a foreign language (90 minutes). Each student may choose three preferred schools in order of priority, and once admitted to a particular preference, they must enroll at that school—changes are not permitted afterward.

Students applying to specialized schools will take an additional subject-specific exam lasting 150 minutes. This subject will be weighted double in the total score calculation.

New for 2025: Nationwide enrollment for specialized schools

A notable change this year is that Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted and Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted will now recruit students nationwide. Applicants must meet all current eligibility requirements set by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Students applying to specialized schools may select two prioritized options for specialized programs. If they are not admitted or do not submit enrollment documents to these schools, and if they graduated from a junior high school in Ho Chi Minh City in the 2024–2025 academic year, they remain eligible to participate in the standard entrance exam for public high schools using their original three priority choices.

Bonus points for priority and encouragement categories will be awarded according to the Ministry of Education and Training’s admissions regulations. Students who qualify under multiple categories may receive a combined bonus of up to 3.5 points. These additional points will only be applied to the standard admissions process for the three prioritized public high school choices.

Le Huyen