Six Standards for Higher Education Institutions Applicable from March 22, 2024

On February 5, 2024, the Minister of Education and Training issued Circular 01/2024/TT-BGDĐT on Standards for Higher Education Institutions. Under the Circular, the standards for higher education institutions comprise six standards with 20 criteria, as follows:

* Standard 1: Organization and Governance

– Key leadership positions (Chair of the University Council and rector/president or director of the higher education institution) must be filled promptly, with simultaneous vacancies in both positions lasting no longer than six months.

– A complete set of internal rules and regulations must have been issued in accordance with the Law on Higher Education.

– The higher education institution’s development strategy and plans must be issued, implemented, and effectively monitored through a set of key performance indicators, ensuring that at least 50% of these indicators improve annually.

– Management data on learners, quality assurance conditions, and the higher education institution’s performance must be interconnected and updated fully, accurately, promptly, and consistently on the HEMIS system.

* Standard 2: Lecturers

– The ratio of learners, weighted by level, field, and mode of study, to full-time-equivalent lecturers must not exceed 40.

– The ratio of full-time lecturers of working age to full-time-equivalent lecturers must be at least 70%.

– The percentage of full-time-equivalent lecturers holding doctoral degrees must be:

+ At least 20%, rising to at least 30% from 2030, for higher education institutions that do not offer doctoral programs; at least 5%, rising to at least 10% from 2030, for institutions providing education in specialized disciplines that do not offer doctoral programs;

+ At least 40%, rising to at least 50% from 2030, for higher education institutions that offer doctoral programs; at least 10%, rising to at least 15% from 2030, for institutions providing education in specialized disciplines that offer doctoral programs.

* Standard 3: Facilities

– From 2030, the average land area (adjusted by a coefficient based on campus location) per full-time learner, weighted by level and field of study, must be at least 25 m2.

– The building floor area serving teaching and learning per full-time learner, weighted by level and field of study, must be at least 2.8 m2; at least 70% of full-time-equivalent lecturers must be provided with individual workspaces.

– The Library and learning resource center must have sufficient textbooks, monographs, and other learning materials to meet academic program requirements, including:

+ An average of at least 40 textbook and monograph titles per field of study at each educational level;

+ An average of at least five textbook and monograph copies per learner, weighted by educational level.

– Courses ready for online delivery must account for at least 10% of all courses taught during the year; Internet bandwidth per 1,000 learners must be no lower than Vietnam’s average fixed broadband speed.

* Standard 4: Finance

– The operating margin, defined as the difference between revenue and expenditure divided by total revenue and averaged over the most recent three years, must range from 0% to 30%.

– The sustainable growth index, defined as the arithmetic mean of the growth rate of total revenue and the growth rate of revenue excluding tuition fees and state budget/investor support for recurrent expenditure over the most recent three years, must be nonnegative.

* Standard 5: Admissions and Education

– The enrollment rate relative to the quota announced in the annual admissions plan, averaged over the most recent three years, must be at least 50%; total enrollment must not decline by more than 30% compared with three years earlier, unless the reduction aligns with the higher education institution’s development direction.

– The annual dropout rate, defined as the percentage of learners who have not graduated and do not continue their studies, must not exceed 10% overall and must not exceed 15% for first-year learners.

– The graduation rate, defined as the percentage of learners graduating no more than two years later than the standard study plan, must be at least 60%; the on-time graduation rate must be at least 40%.

– The percentage of learners satisfied with their lecturers’ teaching quality and effectiveness must be at least 70%; the percentage of graduates satisfied overall with their learning process and experience must be at least 70%.

– The percentage of undergraduate degree holders who, within 12 months of graduation, obtain employment appropriate to their professional qualifications, create their own employment, or pursue further study at a higher level must be at least 70%.

* Standard 6: Research and Innovation

– Revenue from science and technology activities as a share of total revenue at higher education institutions offering doctoral programs (weighted by field), averaged over the most recent three years, must be at least 5%.

– The average number of science and technology publications per full-time-equivalent lecturer must be at least 0.3 articles/year; for higher education institutions offering doctoral programs, other than institutions providing education in specialized disciplines, the figure must be at least 0.6 articles/year, including at least 0.3 articles/year indexed in Web of Science or Scopus (weighted by field).

For details, see Circular 01/2024/TT-BGDĐT, which takes effect on March 22, 2024, and replaces Circular 24/2015/TT-BGDĐT dated September 23, 2015.

This is an automated translation. If you notice any errors, please contact the Department of Communications, National Economics University at phongtruyenthong@neu.edu.vn.