English Language Requirements For Undergraduate Admissions

1. Abbreviations and Definitions

Recurring or important terms used throughout this document will be briefly explained below:

Conditional Admission: student does not meet the minimum English proficiency requirement for the University (IELTS 6.5 or equivalent), s/he will receive a conditional offer of admission and be placed in Pathway English Program based on their current level of English.

Pathway English Program: is designed to assist students with improving their English proficiency to satisfy the condition of their admission and transition into their degree program upon completion of Pathway English. There are two levels of Pathway English: Intermediate and Advanced.

VinUniversity Placement Test: students who do not have, or are not able to take, a recognized English language test must take the VinUniversity English Placement Test. Students who do not have, or are not able to take, a recognized English language test must take the VinUniversity English Placement Test.

2. Purpose

This guideline is to establish the English requirements for admission to the full-time undergraduate programs at VinUniversity.

3. Area of Application

This applies across the University and to applicants entering undergraduate programs. These requirements are for entry to the University only.

4. Content

4.1 General Principles

1. As the medium of instruction at VinUniversity is English, it is important that all admitted students are able to communicate effectively in VinUniversity will assist candidates who are recommended for admission but do not meet the minimum requirements for admission (refer to conditional admission) to improve their English skills.
2. This guideline should be read in conjunction with relevant requirements of the
3. Applicants, whether domestic or international, for admission to any VinUniversity undergraduate programs, must provide evidence that their English language ability meets the minimum requirements for admission by the time required by the
4. The University reserves the right to require that an applicant undertakes an English test in addition to any other evidence of English proficiency provided.

4.2  Recognized English Language Proficiency

The following mechanisms can be used as evidence of English language proficiency:

4.2.1  English Language Proficiency Tests

The following English language proficiency tests and scores are recognized by VinUniversity as meeting the standard minimum English language requirements, provided they were taken within the last 24 months from the date of application. Note that each applicant will normally be required to provide evidence of having taken one of the tests, but VinUni reserves the right to require additional testing as in 4.1 (d).

Note:

1. Results from multiple tests cannot be combined to meet requirements unless otherwise specified.
2. The most recent evidence will be used as proof of English language proficiency unless otherwise specified.
3. The University reserves the right to change an offer of admission to conditional on meeting English language requirements if subsequent evidence is provided which demonstrates that the applicant’s English language proficiency is insufficient.
4. The TOEFL institutional code for VinUniversity is 0506. Applicants may use this code to report their TOEFL results to the university.
5. Test of English as a Foreign Language Paper-Based Test (TOEFL PBT) and Institutional Testing Program (TOEFL ITP) are not currently accepted. Only the Internet-based Test (TOEFL IBT) is accepted at this time.
6. IELTS Indicator and IELTS General Training module tests are not currently Only the IELTS Academic module is accepted at this time.

4.2.2  VinUniversity English Placement Test

The table below summarizes the format, duration, and scoring mechanisms of the test:

After taking the Placement tests, the applicant will receive an overall level based on the average results of the four skills listed above (Reading, listening, speaking, writing):

1. Meets direct entry requirements (equivalent or higher than IELTS 6.5)
2. Pathway English Advanced (equivalent to IELTS 6.0)
3. Pathway English Intermediate (equivalent to IELTS 5.5)
4. Below Intermediate (equivalent to IELTS 5.0 or below)

In the event of a jagged profile (one or more skills being higher or lower than the other skills), the lower overall level of Pathway English will be selected in order to provide the best chance of students’ success by attending the Pathway English program in the Summer semester. To be awarded “Meets direct entry requirements”, candidates must meet this score in all four skills.

4.2.3  Citizenship/Resident Status

Citizens or permanent residents of a majority English speaking country who have undertaken secondary and/or tertiary study in English, at a recognized institution, in the national education system, will be considered to have met the VinUni English proficiency requirements and will not need to take standardized or placement tests. Countries recognized as majority English speaking are based on the guidance of the government of the United Kingdom and can be found here.

4.2.4  Prior Study

Applicants will be considered to have met the VinUniversity English proficiency requirements and will not need to take standardized or placement tests if they have successfully completed at least two years of full-time secondary (up to year 12 equivalent) or college education within the last four years, in the medium of English. This may be conducted in a majority English- speaking country or in a recognized international high school in the applicant’s home country which uses English as the primary language of instruction. Successful completion is considered to be a pass result in no less than 50 percent of attempted units/courses in any assessable period (for example, term or semester) in the academic year.

Enrolled students who hold international secondary school qualifications (i.e French Baccalaureate, International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), GCE A- Level, Singapore A-Level, Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), and others may be eligible to apply for transferring credits of Academic English 1 & 2 in accordance with VinUniversity’s current policy for transferring credits.

5. VinUniversity Pathway English Program

The diagram below shows the indicative course map for students at different levels of English proficiency upon commencement. Note: this map is indicative only and subject to the current Academic Regulations and enrollments in each semester:

Figure 1: Indicative course map for students with different English language proficiency levels.

Conditionally-admitted students who are required to attend the Pathway English program are subject to the following conditions:

• Conditionally-admitted students who pass Pathway English Intermediate in Summer, or who are placed in Pathway Advanced in the Fall semester, will study Pathway English Advanced over two semesters in the first year of study.
• Conditionally-admitted students must complete the Pathway English program no later than the end of the first Summer semester of the first academic year.
• In the first academic year, conditionally-admitted students can enroll in some core and General Education courses, according to the University Academic Regulations. However, such students will take fewer of the core courses in regular semesters and are not eligible to take some courses which require students to have met the full English entry requirements, including some Humanities Arts & Social Science (HASS) courses (except those are delivered in Vietnamese) and some program-specific courses offered by the colleges which have higher English language demands. These prerequisites are subject to change and will be conveyed to candidates when before they enroll in the Pathways program.

6. Approved Variations to Language Proficiency Levels

1. All applicants must meet the English Language requirements of the University as outlined in this policy. Requests for exceptions or variations for particular candidates or programs must be approved by the respective College and the Director of the English Language program.
2. In rare cases, requests for exceptions or variations may be submitted on behalf of the applicant by the relevant College/Admissions Department. Note: Applicants may not establish English language equivalency on their own.