Circular No. 53/2026/TT-BGDĐT Issuing Regulations on Graduate Admissions and Training

CIRCULAR

Issuing Regulations on Admissions and Postgraduate Education

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Based on the Education Law number 43/2019/QH14;

Pursuant to the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Education Law No. 123/2025/QH15;

Pursuant to the Higher Education Law No. 125/2025/QH15;

Pursuant to Decree No. 91/2026/NĐ-CP dated March 30, 2026, of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the Higher Education Law;

Pursuant to the Government Decree No. 37/2025/NĐ-CP dated February 26, 2025, stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training;

7. Components of a training program include a group of courses and other learning and research activities with common characteristics in specialized fields; clearly playing a role in achieving a set of goals and requirements of the training program. These components are used to design the overall structure of the training program (such as general education, basic sciences, core subjects, internships and experiences, scientific research, and other components).

The Minister of Education and Training issues this Circular on Regulations on Admissions and Postgraduate Education.

Article 1. These Regulations on Admissions and Postgraduate Education are promulgated together with this Circular.

Article 2. This Circular takes effect from July 1, 2026, and applies to master's and doctoral programs starting from January 1, 2027. This Circular replaces Circular No. 23/2021/TT-BGDĐT dated August 30, 2021, issued by the Minister of Education and Training on Regulations on Admissions and Master's Education, and Circular No. 18/2021/TT-BGDĐT dated June 28, 2021, issued by the Minister of Education and Training on Regulations on Admissions and Doctoral Education.

Article 3. The Director of the Office, Heads of the Department of Higher Education, heads of relevant units under the Ministry of Education and Training; rectors of universities and academies; principals of university schools; principals or directors of other educational institutions permitted to conduct postgraduate education; organizations and individuals concerned are responsible for implementing this Circular./.

REGULATIONS ON ADMISSIONS AND POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION

(Issued together with Circular No. 53/2026/TT-BGDĐT dated June 30, 2026, of the Minister of Education and Training)

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PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

1. These regulations stipulate admissions and organization of postgraduate education at the master’s and doctoral levels.

2. These regulations apply to higher education institutions, other educational institutions conducting higher education activities (hereinafter referred to collectively as training institutions), organizations, and individuals concerned.

3. These regulations do not apply to admissions and organization of postgraduate education for advanced training programs in the health sector leading to specialist doctor and resident doctor qualifications as specified in Point d Clause 2 Article 8 of the Higher Education Law No. 125/2025/QH15.

4. Programs leading to master’s and doctoral degrees conducted by foreign educational institutions in Vietnam shall be implemented in accordance with laws on cooperation and investment by foreigners in the field of education and related laws, while ensuring that entry requirements and exit standards are not lower than those prescribed in these regulations.

Article 2. Principles of Admissions and Organization of Postgraduate Education

1. Admissions for master’s and doctoral programs must ensure transparency, fairness, and objectivity; all applicants meeting the conditions have equal opportunities to apply according to the program requirements and quality assurance conditions of the training institution.

2. Training is organized according to the approved curriculum, ensuring uniformity in exit standards, training quality, and degree value across different forms, methods of training, and student categories.

3. Students who complete the program and meet the required conditions will be recognized as graduates and awarded a degree.

Students who complete one or more courses of the master’s or doctoral program as prescribed will be awarded a higher education certificate or a study result confirmation.

4. Training institutions implement autonomy and self-responsibility tied to accountability; ensuring transparency, fairness, and objectivity in admissions and organization of postgraduate education.

Article 3. Forms, Methods, and Duration of Training

1. Training institutions decide on the form, method of organizing training, and the full course study plan for each program, ensuring compliance with the Higher Education Law, meeting the program standards, and the provisions of these regulations.

2. Doctoral training is only organized through regular training. Doctoral candidates are managed, supervised, and evaluated by the training institution throughout their training period, participating in professional activities, teaching, and scientific research in the following ways:

a) Full-time study and research at the training institution according to the full course study plan issued by the training institution, participating in professional activities of the training institution including tutoring, practical guidance, internships, laboratories; not working full-time at another agency or organization during the study period.

b) Studying and researching at the training institution ensuring sufficient time according to the full course study plan issued by the training institution, registering at least 30 credits in one academic year.

3. The duration of training is defined as follows:

a) The duration of master’s training is calculated from the effective date of the decision to admit students until the completion of thesis submission or fulfillment of other graduation requirements according to the program exit standards;

b) The standard duration of doctoral training ranges from three years (36 months) to four years (48 months) decided by the training institution, ensuring that most doctoral candidates complete the program within this period; each doctoral candidate has a full course study and research plan within the approved standard training duration framework attached to the decision recognizing doctoral candidacy. The duration of doctoral training is calculated from the effective date of the decision recognizing doctoral candidacy until the student submits the dissertation to the training institution before the independent review process;

c) The minimum duration to complete the program is not less than two-thirds (2/3) and the maximum duration does not exceed 2.5 times the standard duration of the program;

d) The full course duration for continuous training must be longer by one-quarter (1/4) to one-half (1/2) compared to the standard duration of the same program organized through regular training.

đ) The time spent by students on national and international tasks as decided by the Minister or the head of an equivalent agency for three (03) months or more shall not be counted towards the training period of the students;

4. Students who have not completed their studies at the end of the maximum training period of the training program, including those who have been forcibly withdrawn from school, may reapply for admission. Academic results and research outcomes within the validity period as stipulated in Clause 6 of Article 4 of this Regulation will be considered for recognition by the training institution when the student is admitted again to continue their studies and to graduate.

Article 4. Recognition of academic results and credit transfer

1. Students may be considered for recognition of academic results and credit transfer for courses conducted at training institutions authorized to train at corresponding levels and fields, and meeting the requirements of workload, content, and output standards of the corresponding courses.

2. The total recognized and transferred workload shall not exceed forty percent (40%) of the total workload of the training program that the student is currently following, except in cases provided for in Clause 5 of this Article.

3. Students currently enrolled in a bachelor's degree training program, achieving good or better grades, may register to study some courses of a master's degree training program; the recognized and transferred workload shall not exceed forty percent (40%) of the total workload of the master's degree training program in the same field.

4. Students may register to study some courses of a doctoral degree training program with a total recognized and transferred workload not exceeding twenty-five percent (25%) of the total workload of the doctoral degree training program upon meeting the following requirements:

a) Students currently enrolled in a bachelor's degree training program, having accumulated at least seventy percent (70%) of the program's workload and having a cumulative grade point average of excellent or better;

b) Students currently enrolled in a master's degree training program, having accumulated at least forty percent (40%) of the program's workload and having a cumulative grade point average of good or better.

5. For integrated training programs, the recognition and credit transfer shall be carried out according to the design of the training program and shall not apply the provisions of Clause 2 of this Article.

6. Academic results and higher education certificates used for recognition and credit transfer shall be valid during the maximum training period of the training program from the date of completion of the course or from the date of issuance of the certificate confirming completion; foreign language certificates used as proof of meeting entry and output language standards must belong to the list or catalog of foreign language certificates recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training.

7. The training institution shall specify the procedures for recognizing academic results and transferring credits for students according to the training programs and levels, and shall comply with the requirements stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article.

Article 5. Postgraduate Joint Training

1. Domestic postgraduate joint training is the cooperation between domestic training institutions to recruit students, teach, assess students, and issue degrees in accordance with the law, wherein:

a) The training institution authorized to train at the master's and doctoral levels is the main institution responsible for recruitment, organizing training, student rights, ensuring quality, assessing students, recognizing graduation, and issuing degrees;

b) The cooperating institution is higher education institutions and other educational institutions engaged in higher education activities at corresponding levels, fields, and groups with functions and responsibilities and sufficient capacity to participate in implementing certain parts of the joint training program;

c) Joint training activities in health-related fields shall be carried out between training institutions authorized to operate within the same health sector; the joint training institutions must meet all regulations regarding training program standards and higher education institution standards for training in health-related fields as prescribed by law.

2. For doctoral level joint training, the main institution is responsible for organizing training, guiding doctoral candidates, evaluating dissertations, and ensuring academic quality; the cooperating institution participates in implementing the training program contents suitable to its capacity and quality assurance conditions.

3. Joint training must ensure the following requirements:

a) Meeting the requirements of training program standards, training programs, and regulations of the main training institution;

b) Ensuring training quality, quality assurance conditions, and student rights;

c) Clearly defining the responsibilities of the main institution and the cooperating institution in organizing training, managing students, ensuring quality, and accountability;

d) The cooperating institution implements joint training contents assigned by the main institution and agreed upon in the joint training agreement;

đ) The main institution is directly responsible for implementing at least fifty percent (50%) of the total workload of the joint training program;

e) The number of admissions for the joint training program is included in the admission quota of the main training institution and the cooperating training institution according to each party's participation ratio as specified by the Minister of Education and Training for determining the admission quota for master's and doctoral levels;

g) Publicizing quality assurance conditions, joint training contents, and the responsibilities of the parties involved.

4. For postgraduate joint training programs with foreign higher education institutions:

a) Foreign higher education institutions (implementing joint training and issuing degrees) must be legally established and operating in the home country; they must have legal personality and be authorized to train and issue degrees from the bachelor's level upwards;

b) Foreign higher education institutions must be recognized by the competent quality assurance agencies in the home country as meeting higher education quality standards or recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training according to current regulations.

c) A joint training program is a program currently implementing direct training at the main campus of the foreign higher education institution;

d) The entry requirements and exit standards of the joint training program must not be lower than those stipulated for the corresponding level, field, and major in Vietnam's standard training programs;

đ) The certificates issued to students in Vietnam by the foreign higher education institution must ensure equivalence in form, legal value, and the right to pursue higher levels of study with those issued to students at the main campus;

e) The foreign higher education institution must arrange for its lecturers to participate in delivering at least 25% of the total workload of the joint training program; lecturers involved in teaching must meet the professional qualifications, academic titles, and degrees specified from doctoral level upwards, and possess language proficiency sufficient to convey the content of the training program;

PART II

GRADUATE STUDY AT THE MASTER'S LEVEL

Article 6. Eligibility and Admission Requirements

1. Applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

a) Having graduated or meeting the conditions to be recognized as having graduated from a bachelor’s degree or higher;

b) Meeting the entry requirements set by the training institution;

c) For applicants who are foreign citizens, they must meet the language proficiency requirements for the training program and other conditions ensuring their ability to study as stipulated by the training institution;

2. The training institution shall specify the entry requirements for each training program, but these must not be lower than the entry requirements stipulated in the standard training program for the corresponding level, field, and major, including:

a) The relevant expertise of the applicant;

b) Requirements regarding the applicant's learning capacity, academic performance, and experience (if any);

c) Language proficiency requirements appropriate to the training program;

3. The training institution may set higher entry requirements than those stipulated in this Regulation; it may also establish additional requirements concerning course components, knowledge, professional experience, or research capabilities that align with the program's objectives, exit standards, and quality assurance requirements;

Article 7. Organizing Admissions

1. The training institution shall organize admissions one or more times a year, in accordance with the program's requirements, its training capacity, and the conditions ensuring quality;

2. Admissions must ensure transparency, fairness, objectivity, honesty, and accurate assessment of the applicant's capabilities;

3. The training institution may apply information technology in organizing admissions provided that it ensures reliability, authenticity, and fairness in assessing applicants;

4. Admissions announcements must be publicly disclosed on the training institution's website at least thirty working days before the deadline for submitting application forms, providing comprehensive information about the applicant eligibility, admission criteria, admission methods, number of admissions, training programs, tuition fees, rights and obligations of students, and other necessary information for applicants to complete their applications;

5. The training institution shall issue internal regulations on admissions; conduct internal inspections and supervision; retain all admission files and data; and fulfill accountability responsibilities as prescribed by law.

Article 8. Recognition of Admitted Students

1. The training institution recognizes admission for applicants who meet the entry requirements of the training program and the conditions for admission as prescribed, and complete their enrollment application as required by the institution.

2. For integrated training programs, the training institution specifies the training pathway, stages of training, and conditions for transitioning between stages of the program; transitions are implemented when students meet the conditions stipulated by the training program.

Article 9. Lecturers Teaching Master's Programs

1. Lecturers teaching master’s degree training programs must meet the university lecturer standards prescribed in the Law on Teachers No. 73/2025/QH15, the professional standards for university lecturers, program standards by field, and other relevant laws.

2. Lecturers teaching individual courses within the training program must meet the requirements regarding professional qualifications, research capabilities, and occupational skills appropriate to the course objectives, output standards, training orientation, and quality assurance requirements.

3. For training programs in fields such as arts, sports, teacher education, and health, lecturers without a doctoral degree but holding one of the titles of People's Artist, Outstanding Artist, National Artisan, Outstanding Artisan, People's Teacher, Outstanding Teacher, People's Doctor, Outstanding Doctor, Coach, or Athlete with national, continental, or world championship achievements or conferred national grandmaster status, and possessing the necessary professional expertise and occupational experience consistent with the course content, meeting the program standards, may participate in teaching according to the Circular issued by the Minister of Education and Training on the training programs at various levels of higher education.

Article 10Organization of Training and Assessment of Learning Outcomes

1. The training institution implements the training program at its main campus, branch campuses, and other training locations in accordance with the number of admissions determined for each location as specified by the Minister of Education and Training regarding the determination of the number of admissions for master's and doctoral degrees within the permitted scope, approved organizational implementation, and quality assurance requirements.

2. Practical activities, internships, research, and real-world experiences can be organized outside the institution's premises but shall not exceed thirty percent of the total training program volume unless otherwise provided by the program standards or specific laws.

3. For training programs in fields such as health, arts, sports, and certain specific areas, the organization of practical activities, internships, and training outside the institution's premises shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of specific laws, program standards, and the requirements of the training program.

4. The training institution may cooperate with higher education institutions, research organizations, practice bases, enterprises, and other organizations to mobilize and utilize expert teams, internship bases, laboratories, learning materials, technical infrastructure, and other training conditions as required by the training program.

5. Planning for teaching, organizing training, registering for study, assessing, and handling learning outcomes shall be conducted in accordance with the institution's regulations, consistent with the program standards and this Regulation.

6. The training institution specifies the registration process for students for each training program, including:

a) The registration process;

b) The minimum and maximum credit load that a student may register for each semester;

c) Conditions, principles, and procedures for re-registration, improvement registration, advanced registration, concurrent registration, and other adjustments to the study plan (if applicable).

7. The training institution specifies the circumstances under which students who fail to complete the training program within the maximum prescribed time or violate study, research, and academic integrity regulations as stipulated by law will be required to withdraw from the program.

8. The assessment and grading of courses in the master's program are conducted similarly to undergraduate assessments, in accordance with the institution's regulations and the Ministry of Education and Training's regulations.

9. The training institution may organize online training and assessment when it meets the current quality assurance conditions and the following requirements:

a) Online teaching and learning activities must align with the program's objectives, output standards, content, and training methods;

b) The volume of online learning shall not exceed thirty percent of the total training program volume, except in cases of natural disasters, epidemics, or other force majeure situations as defined by the competent authority;

c) Online assessments must ensure authenticity, reliability, fairness, objectivity, and equivalence to direct assessments;

d) Online training must comply with the Minister of Education and Training's regulations on the application of digital technology in higher education.

10. The training institution is responsible for maintaining compliance with quality assurance requirements, faculty strength, physical facilities, learning materials, and student scale consistent with its training capacity at the main campus, branch campuses, or other training locations as specified by the Minister of Education and Training regarding the determination of the number of admissions for master's and doctoral degrees.

Article 11. Implementation of Master's Thesis

1. For research-oriented training programs, students must complete a thesis to be recognized for graduation.

2. The thesis shall be carried out under the guidance of at least one (01) supervisor meeting the lecturer standards for master’s degree training as stipulated in Article 9 of this Regulation and having scientific publications relevant to the field of supervision.

3. The thesis shall be evaluated through a defense or grading process according to the regulations of the training institution, ensuring objectivity, fairness, and transparency. The thesis evaluation board must ensure independence and academic responsibility, with an odd number of members from three (03) or more; all members of the board must have doctoral degrees or higher, be lecturers within and outside the training institution, scientists, or experts from enterprises, with appropriate expertise. Within a maximum period of three (03) months from the date the student submits the draft thesis, the training institution has the responsibility to organize the evaluation of the thesis.

4. The thesis and the thesis evaluation file shall be managed, stored, and made public in accordance with the provisions of the law, ensuring accessibility for verification purposes to serve inspection, audit, complaint resolution, and accusation handling; in cases involving state secrets, they shall be handled in accordance with the laws on protecting state secrets.

5. The training institution shall organize a review of the thesis when necessary to serve quality assurance work or when there are complaints or accusations, ensuring the following requirements:

a) The thesis review board must ensure independence, objectivity, and meet the professional requirements suitable for the research field of the thesis;

b) Members who have participated in evaluating the thesis shall not participate in the thesis review board.

Article 12. Organization of Other Graduation Forms

1. For application-oriented and professional training programs, the training institution shall specify whether to implement or not implement a thesis, organize project implementation, final exams, or other appropriate graduation forms consistent with the program's objectives, output standards, and training orientation.

2. Guidance, organization, evaluation, and recognition of graduation results must ensure independence, objectivity, transparency, academic responsibility, and compliance with the program's requirements.

3. Projects, results of final exams shall be stored and published in accordance with relevant laws; ensuring accessibility for verification purposes to serve inspection, audit, complaint resolution, and accusation handling; in cases involving state secrets, they shall be handled in accordance with the laws on protecting state secrets.

Article 13. Recognition of Graduation and Issuance of Master's Degree Certificates

1. Students shall be recognized for graduation and issued a master's degree certificate upon meeting the following requirements:

a) Completion of the training program and meeting the graduation requirements as stipulated in the training program, including output standards regarding knowledge, skills, level of autonomy and responsibility, language proficiency, digital literacy, and artificial intelligence, and other requirements (if applicable);

b) Fulfillment of student obligations as prescribed by the training institution and not being in a situation where studies are suspended.

2. The training institution shall organize the examination and recognition of graduation within two (02) months from the date the student completes the requirements stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article; in case of a review, this period may be extended up to three (03) months.

3. The training institution shall issue a master's degree certificate and update the diploma data in accordance with the Ministry of Education and Training's regulations and related laws.

4. The content recorded on the diploma and its appendices shall be implemented in accordance with the Ministry of Education and Training's regulations.

5. The training institution shall issue a higher education certificate or confirm study results for completed courses or credit loads as prescribed.

6. The training institution shall specify in detail:

a) Standards, responsibilities, and authorities of thesis supervisors;

b) Maximum number of students that one (01) lecturer can supervise simultaneously, ensuring that the lecturer fulfills their supervisory responsibilities appropriately, in line with workload and standard working hours for university lecturers, and the quality assurance requirements of the training program;

c) Recognition, conversion of study results, higher education certificates, and re-study of courses or study results that are no longer valid;

d) Conditions for continued study and retention of study results for students who have not completed the training program within the maximum time frame;

đ) Procedures for assignment, change of thesis topics and supervisors; time for completing the thesis, project, or proposal;

e) Conversion between different grading scales;

g) Requirements regarding professional content, structure, form, and academic integrity for theses, projects, proposals, and other learning products used to meet graduation requirements.

Chapter III

ADMISSION AND TRAINING FOR DOCTORAL DEGREE LEVEL

Article 14. Eligibility and Requirements for Application

1. Eligible Applicants:

a) Having graduated or meeting the conditions for recognition of graduation at the master's level;

b) Having graduated or meeting the conditions for recognition of graduation at the bachelor's level with honors or higher, including specialized training programs; in cases of graduation with good grades, additional requirements regarding scientific research works or work experience must be met according to the training program regulations.

2. Requirements for Application for Doctoral Degree

a) Meeting the entry requirements of the training program as specified by the training institution, and not lower than the standards set for the corresponding level, field, and discipline;

b) For programs taught and studied in a foreign language, applicants must meet the corresponding language proficiency requirements;

c) For applicants who are foreign citizens, they must meet the language proficiency requirements for the training program and other conditions ensuring their ability to study as stipulated by the training institution;

3. The training institution specifies detailed requirements for foundational knowledge; course components, study load, or additional conditions; research capabilities; language skills; work experience; research orientation, and other necessary requirements for applicants.

Article 15. Admissions and Recognition of Research Students

1. The training institution organizes admissions one or more times a year, consistent with its training capacity, quality assurance conditions, and program entry requirements.

2. Admission methods include competitive examinations, assessments, or a combination thereof, decided by the training institution to ensure transparent, fair, objective, and truthful evaluation of the applicant's knowledge and capabilities.

3. The training institution may organize online admissions when it meets equivalent quality assurance requirements compared to direct admissions.

4. Admissions announcements are publicly disclosed on the training institution's website at least 30 working days before the deadline for submitting application files and must include all necessary information for applicants to register, participate in admissions, and follow the training program, including details about eligibility criteria, fields of admission, enrollment quotas, admission methods and plans, curriculum, tuition fees, student support policies (if applicable), and other information as stipulated by the training institution.

5. The decision recognizing research students includes basic information such as the research student's name, training program, duration of training, and the managing department; research students must submit their successful application file to the training institution upon enrollment.

6. The training institution implements internal checks, monitors, archives records, and bears responsibility for explaining the entire process of organizing admissions in accordance with laws and institutional regulations.

Article 16. Lecturers Teaching at the Doctoral Level

1. Lecturers teaching at the doctoral level must meet the following requirements:

a) Being a Vietnamese citizen or a foreign citizen meeting the provisions of Article 29 of the Higher Education Law No. 125/2025/QH15 and other relevant legal provisions;

b) Holding the title of professor, associate professor, or having a doctoral degree in a field relevant to the courses they will teach in the training program;

c) Possessing research, teaching, language, and digital technology application capabilities that meet the requirements for teaching, scientific research, and international cooperation in their specialized field.

2. Lecturers without the titles of professor or associate professor must have at least two years of teaching or research experience since obtaining their doctoral degree, with research results appropriate to their teaching specialty as stipulated by the training institution, and must publish scientific works annually.

3. In addition to the categories specified in Clause 1 of this Article, the training institution may invite lecturers holding the titles of professor or associate professor or having a doctoral degree currently working at foreign higher education institutions, experts, and scientists under the Program for Attracting Experts and Scientists from Abroad, both Vietnamese and foreigners, as prescribed by the Government, to participate in teaching at the doctoral level in accordance with the training institution's regulations and relevant laws.

Article 17. Research Supervisor

1. The research supervisor must meet the standards for lecturers teaching at the doctoral level as stipulated in Article 16 of this Regulation (including those covered under Clause 3 of Article 16 of this Regulation) and possess the ability to guide research, with scientific publications listed in the Web of Science (WoS) or Scopus databases, or published books, or patents or utility models relevant to the field of research within five years prior to the time of guiding doctoral candidates, while also meeting the requirements of the doctoral training program standards for the respective field of study.

2. In cases where the research supervisor does not hold the title of professor or associate professor, they must comply with the provisions set out in Clause 2 of Article 16 of this Regulation and Clause 1 of this Article.

3. Each doctoral candidate shall have one or two research supervisors, including one who is a permanent staff member or co-permanent staff member of the training institution, ensuring sufficient working time at the training institution in accordance with the full course study and research plan of the doctoral candidate.

4. A lecturer may supervise a number of doctoral candidates in each doctoral training program that does not exceed the maximum number specified by the Ministry of Education and Training regarding the number of admissions for doctoral programs at the same time; in cases of joint supervision of one doctoral candidate, it is equivalent to supervising half a doctoral candidate independently.

5. Responsibilities of the research supervisor:

a) Guide, support, monitor, evaluate, and urge doctoral candidates to implement their study and research plans and academic tasks according to the training program;

b) Propose or provide opinions on adjustments to the study and research plans, thesis topics, and other contents related to the training process of doctoral candidates;

c) Confirm the doctoral thesis topic of the doctoral candidate and propose the President of the training institution to approve it within a maximum period of 18 months from the date the doctoral candidate is recognized as admitted;

d) Propose the evaluation of the thesis at the specialized unit and the defense of the thesis before the Thesis Evaluation Council of the training institution when the doctoral candidate meets the required conditions as stipulated;

đ) Implement and guide doctoral candidates in complying with regulations on research ethics, academic integrity, and scientific integrity; bear responsibility for scientific works and products jointly published with doctoral candidates within the scope of co-authorship as prescribed by law and the training institution;

6. The training institution shall specify in detail the standards, rights, responsibilities, and commitments to scientific integrity of lecturers, the assessment of the performance of research supervisors, and related contents in accordance with the provisions of this Regulation.

Article 18. Organization of Training and Assessment of Learning Outcomes

1. The training institution organizes training for doctoral candidates according to the doctoral training program oriented towards research or application, wherein the research orientation aims to develop independent research capabilities, innovative knowledge, and the application orientation aims to solve practical problems, projects, and applied research topics.

2. Doctoral candidates must build and implement a full course study and research plan approved by the training institution based on the proposal of the research supervisor; the training institution specifies the content, procedures for building, monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting the full course study and research plan of doctoral candidates.

3. Training institutions are allowed to cooperate in organizing lectures, research, guiding doctoral candidates, recognizing learning outcomes, and sharing training and research resources based on cooperation agreements and ensuring the quality requirements of the training program. The cooperation stipulated in this clause does not change the responsibility of the training institution for admissions, student management, organization of training, assessment of learning outcomes, recognition of qualifications, and issuance of degrees as prescribed by this Regulation.

4. The assessment and grading of courses in the doctoral training program are carried out uniformly as the assessment of courses in undergraduate training programs, in accordance with the training regulation of the training institution and the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.

5. The training institution organizes lectures and evaluates courses through online or hybrid forms (combining online and face-to-face) when meeting current regulations on the application of information technology in management and organization of training; online training does not replace the requirement for full-time study and direct participation in academic activities of doctoral candidates; detailed regulations on the organization of online training include time, location, methods of organizing training, defending research outlines, conducting scientific research, and related activities such as tutoring, scientific seminars of doctoral candidates. Online training must comply with the regulations of the Minister of Education and Training on the application of digital technology in higher education.

6. The training institution organizes, manages, and creates conditions for doctoral candidates:

a) To participate in academic activities, research, tutoring, and professional activities appropriate to the training program and research orientation;

b) To participate in academic exchanges, learning, and research at universities, research institutes, and scientific and technological organizations;

c) To support and create conditions for doctoral candidates to exchange learning and research at foreign universities;

d) To access scholarships, research support, and study and research conditions suitable to the capacity of the training institution.

Article 19. Recognition of Learning Outcomes for Integrated Training Programs

1. The integrated training program is designed uniformly and seamlessly to facilitate learners accumulating learning outcomes and research results continuously along a defined pathway to achieve academic degrees at the highest level of the program.

2. Learning outcomes, research results, and other academic requirements completed within the integrated training program shall be recognized throughout the entire training program and used to assess the completion of subsequent stages' academic requirements according to the program's structure.

3. Learners are not required to repeat courses, study contents, research activities, or academic requirements that have already been recognized within the integrated training program.

4. Training institutions shall specify the procedures for recognizing, utilizing learning outcomes, and issuing diplomas in integrated training programs in accordance with the program's structure and regulations set forth by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 20. Changes During the Training Process

1. During the training process, doctoral candidates may be considered for changes to their dissertation topics, advisors, specialized units responsible, or training institutions in accordance with their learning and research requirements.

2. Such changes must ensure:

a) Compliance with the training program's requirements;

b) Corresponding adjusted study and research plans;

c) Adherence to the stipulated training duration as per this Regulation.

3. Doctoral candidates will be dismissed from the program under the following circumstances:

a) Failure to complete the training program within the maximum time frame specified in this Regulation;

b) Serious violations of study and research regulations, academic integrity, or legal provisions.

4. In cases where doctoral candidates are temporarily suspended from studies, their learning and research outcomes are preserved, they change training institutions, alter training programs, or switch to suitable alternative training programs as prescribed by this Regulation, the recognition and preservation of accumulated learning and research outcomes shall be carried out in accordance with the training institution's regulations and this Regulation.

5. Training institutions decide on changes during the training process, extending or shortening the study and research period, dismissing students, forcing dismissals, preserving, recognizing, and converting learning and research outcomes of doctoral candidates.

6. Training institutions detail the procedures, authority, and conditions for implementing the changes during the training process as stipulated in this Article.

Article 21. Doctoral Dissertation

1. A doctoral dissertation is the result of scientific research conducted by doctoral candidates, demonstrating independent research capabilities, identifying and resolving scientific or practical issues within the research field; it must meet requirements for novelty, academic rigor, truthfulness, and scientific integrity.

2. Training institutions shall specify the structure, format, and academic requirements of doctoral dissertations in accordance with the training program standards of the relevant fields and disciplines.

3. Doctoral dissertations can be structured as monographs or based on scientific publications of doctoral candidates as prescribed by the training institution and consistent with the training program standards.

4. Doctoral candidates shall be evaluated on their dissertations at specialized units when they meet the following criteria:

a) Completion of the training program and pre-evaluation requirements as stipulated by the training program and the training institution;

b) The dissertation draft has been approved by the advisor to be evaluated at the specialized unit;

c) Meeting the publication, research results, or scientific, technological, artistic, or sports product requirements as stipulated by the training program issued by the training institution but not lower than the corresponding training program standards;

d) Commitment to academic integrity and scientific integrity regarding the publications, research results, or scientific, technological, artistic, or sports products used in the doctoral dissertation.

5. Scientific publications, research results, or products as stipulated in Clause 4 of this Article must be directly related to the dissertation's research content and published, released, or accepted by authorized agencies before the dissertation evaluation organization at the training institution, including one (01) of the following cases:

a) The doctoral candidate is the first-named author or corresponding author of one (01) or more scientific publications in the following categories: scientific articles, scientific conference reports published in WoS or Scopus indexed publications; chapters in reference books published by reputable international publishers; scientific articles published in national science journals classified as type I standard science journals by the Ministry of Science and Technology annually;

b) The doctoral candidate is the author or co-author of research results or applications of science and technology that have been granted domestic or international patents or utility models;

c) For the arts and sports fields, the doctoral candidate is the author or co-author of works, projects, or professional achievements that have been published, performed, competed, or won awards at national or international contests, festivals, or competitions organized or recognized by authorized agencies;

d) The specific number of scientific publications as stipulated in point a of this clause, research results or applications of science and technology as stipulated in point b of this clause, works, projects, or professional achievements as stipulated in point c of this clause are defined in the training program standards according to the relevant field, group of fields, or discipline.

6. The evaluation of dissertations at specialized units shall be organized in the form of academic seminars aimed at supporting doctoral candidates in perfecting their dissertations prior to independent review and defense at the training institution.

Article 22. Independent Review

1. Independent review is the process of independently and objectively analyzing and evaluating the quality of expertise, originality, academic integrity, and new contributions of the dissertation before it is defended before the Dissertation Evaluation Board.

2. The training institution is responsible for completing the independent review process within a maximum period of six months from the date the doctoral candidate submits the dissertation draft approved by the relevant department; in cases where a second round of independent review opinions must be obtained according to Clause 4 of this Article, the time may be extended by up to three additional months.

3. The dissertation of the doctoral candidate shall be sent for the opinions of three independent reviewers, including at least two domestic or foreign scientists or experts not affiliated with the training institution; the independent reviewer must meet the following requirements:

a) Having expertise appropriate to the dissertation topic and meeting the standards of an independent advisor as stipulated in Article 17 of this Regulation;

b) Regularly participating in postgraduate teaching activities and having research capabilities;

c) Not having conflicts of interest with the doctoral candidate or the advisor;

d) Not having familial relationships (father, mother, spouse, child, brother, sister, or half-sibling) with the doctoral candidate;

đ) Not participating in guiding or co-conducting research directly related to the dissertation content;

e) Not violating academic integrity or scientific integrity;

g) Being responsible for the results of the independent evaluation.

4. The independent review opinion must clearly conclude agreement or disagreement regarding the professional quality of the dissertation; the determination of the independent review result is carried out as follows:

a) The dissertation is determined to meet the requirements when there are at least two agreements from the independent reviewers;

b) In case there is one (1) disagreement, the training institution sends the dissertation to obtain an additional opinion from another (1) independent reviewer as a basis for consideration and decision;

c) In case there are two or more independent review opinions disagreeing on the professional quality of the dissertation, the training institution requires the doctoral candidate and the advisor to revise and supplement the dissertation and implement the second round of the independent review process. The independent review process shall not be conducted more than twice for the same dissertation.

5. The training institution decides and bears responsibility for the case where the doctoral candidate has scientific publication outcomes related to the dissertation content exceeding the program's output standards, exempting them from implementing the independent review process stipulated in this Article if they fully meet the following conditions:

a) The scientific publications comprehensively and directly relate to the contents of the dissertation;

b) The number of scientific publications in scientific journals must exceed at least two (2) articles in the WoS or Scopus category and ranked Q1 or Q2 compared to the required number of the program's output standards;

c) The doctoral candidate is the first-named author or corresponding author of the articles specified in point a and b of this clause;

d) The doctoral candidate commits and takes responsibility for complying with regulations on scientific integrity and academic integrity concerning the scientific publications related to the dissertation.

6. Exemption from independent review must be reviewed and decided by the Scientific and Training Council or the specialized council with authority of the training institution based on the criteria stipulated in this clause; the basis for exemption from independent review must be publicly disclosed in the training file, and the training institution is responsible for explaining and being subject to inspection, audit, and post-audit according to the law.

7. The training institution specifies in detail about:

a) The procedure for selecting, sending for opinions, receiving, processing, and storing independent review opinions;

b) The confidentiality of the identity and personal information of the independent reviewer during the review process; the replacement and supplementation of independent reviewers;

c) The procedures, formalities, authority for verification, confirmation, and responsibility for explanation in cases of exemption from independent review as stipulated in Clause 5 of this Article;

d) The responsibilities of the doctoral candidate, the advisor, the independent reviewer, and related organizations and individuals during the independent review process;

đ) Determining conflict of interest cases, plagiarism control, management, storage, and disclosure of dissertations, scientific publications, dissertation databases serving management and post-audit.

Article 23. Defense of the dissertation at the training institution

1. The doctoral dissertation shall be defended before the Dissertation Evaluation Board of the training institution when meeting the following requirements:

a) Not violating scientific integrity, academic integrity, copyright, intellectual property rights; complying with the duplication control requirements stipulated by the training institution; adhering to the presentation format and citation rules for the dissertation and the use of research results from other organizations and individuals as prescribed by the training institution.

b) Meeting the independent review requirement as stipulated in Article 22 of this Regulation.

2. The training institution shall establish the Dissertation Evaluation Board ensuring the following requirements:

a) Members of the Dissertation Evaluation Board are regular postgraduate lecturers with outstanding research capabilities; having deep knowledge about the topic and research field of the dissertation;

b) The Board has an odd number of members, with a minimum of five members; the number of external members must account for at least 40%;

c) The composition of the Board includes the chairman, secretary, independent reviewers, and other members, among which there must be at least one independent reviewer from the training institution; the independent reviewer cannot be a co-author with the doctoral candidate in related scientific publications; one supervisor of the doctoral candidate may participate in the Board as a member;

d) The Chairman of the Board must hold a professorial title or higher, have expertise relevant to the dissertation topic, and be working at a higher education institution or research institute authorized to train doctoral candidates within or outside the country;

đ) There must be no conflict of interest with the doctoral candidate and no familial relationship with the doctoral candidate as stipulated by the training institution;

e) The Board's term of operation shall not exceed three months from the date the training institution issues the decision to establish it; if the Board does not organize the defense of the dissertation within the time limit, the training institution shall establish a new Board.

3. Within three months from the date the dissertation meets the independent review requirement, the training institution must organize the dissertation defense session. The time, location of the defense session, and the abstract of the dissertation must be publicly announced on the training institution's website at least fifteen days prior to the defense date, except for dissertations listed in the state secrets directory.

4. The Dissertation Evaluation Board can be organized in the following forms:

a) In-person form when at least 80% of the Board members are present; the Chairman and Secretary must not be absent;

b) Online form ensuring all Board members participate, applicable in cases where the doctoral candidate is a foreign citizen who has completed submission of the doctoral dissertation and returned to their home country, or the supervisor or Board member is a lecturer or scientist from a higher education institution or research institute abroad. In cases of organizing online due to natural disasters, epidemics, or other force majeure situations, implementation shall follow the announcement of the Minister of Education and Training.

5. The Dissertation Evaluation Board shall perform the following tasks:

a) Conducting a comprehensive, objective, and in-depth evaluation of the scientific value, new contributions, and research results of the dissertation without being influenced by the independent reviewer's opinion;

b) Voting and making a resolution to approve or reject the dissertation and bearing responsibility for the voting result; requesting the doctoral candidate to revise and supplement the dissertation if necessary;

c) Proposing the organization of a re-evaluation for cases where the dissertation is not approved according to the training institution's regulations;

d) The dissertation is considered to meet the requirements when at least 80% of the Board members approve it;

đ) The proceedings of the dissertation defense session must be recorded in minutes; in cases of online organization, measures must ensure the authenticity of participants, full audio and video recording, and storage of files and data at the training institution.

6. The training institution shall specify in detail:

a) Conditions for the doctoral candidate before defending the dissertation;

b) Procedures for establishing, changing, and supplementing Board members;

c) Standards, duties, and authorities of the Chairman, Secretary, independent reviewers, and other Board members;

d) Procedures for organizing in-person and online dissertation defenses;

đ) Determination of conflicts of interest among Board members;

e) Files, archiving, and publicizing the results of the dissertation defense.

Article 24. Training and defending dissertations under confidentiality regime

1. Dissertations containing content within the scope of state secrets or restricted access and publication as prescribed by law or pursuant to lawful research agreements shall be evaluated, defended, managed, and stored according to appropriate regimes as prescribed by law.

2. The organization of training, research, evaluation, and defense of dissertations under the confidentiality regime must ensure requirements for protecting state secrets, intellectual property rights, data security, and the academic quality of the doctoral training program.

3. Doctoral candidates conducting dissertations under the confidentiality regime must fully meet the requirements of the doctoral training program. In cases where research results cannot be publicly disclosed as prescribed by law, they may be substituted with scientific reports, specialized reports, or research products confirmed by the training institution and competent authorities as prescribed by law.

4. The training institution shall specify detailed regulations on managing, storing, utilizing, accessing, publishing, and protecting dissertations under the confidentiality regime as prescribed by law.

Article 25. Re-evaluation of dissertations

1. Where a dissertation is not approved by the Dissertation Evaluation Board but a recommendation for re-evaluation is made, the training institution shall establish a second Dissertation Evaluation Board and organize the re-evaluation of the dissertation within six months from the date of the first defense session. The second Dissertation Evaluation Board shall have no more than 50% of members who participated in the first board. If the number of members is odd, the number of members from the first board shall be rounded down to the nearest whole number. Members continuing to participate in the second board shall not hold the same position as those held in the first board for the Chairperson, Secretary, or reviewer.

 

2. Re-evaluation of dissertations shall not be organized in the following cases:

a) The first Dissertation Evaluation Board does not recommend re-evaluation;

b) The dissertation has already been re-evaluated once but was not approved by the Board.

3. The training institution shall specify detailed procedures, formalities, files, authority, and responsibilities of organizations and individuals in the re-evaluation of dissertations as prescribed by this Regulation, ensuring independence, objectivity, and transparency.

Article 26. Recognition of Degree and Issuance of Diploma

1. A doctoral candidate shall be considered for recognition of degree and issuance of a doctoral diploma when meeting the following requirements:

a) Completion of the training program and meeting the standards for foreign language proficiency, digital literacy, and other requirements as prescribed by the training program;

b) Approval of the dissertation by the Dissertation Evaluation Board of the training institution and completion of revisions and supplements to the dissertation based on the Board's conclusions (if applicable);

c) Possession of an officially certified dissertation by the training institution that meets the requirements for scientific integrity, authorship rights, intellectual property rights, and legal provisions before archiving, publication, and issuance of the diploma;

d) Completion of submission of the dissertation and related data as prescribed by the training institution and the National Library of Vietnam; responsible for the accuracy, originality, and completeness of the officially approved dissertation by the Dissertation Evaluation Board.

2. Prior to deciding on recognition of degree and issuance of a doctoral diploma, the training institution must fulfill the following requirements:

a) Publicly publish the full text of the dissertation on the training institution's website for a minimum period of one month (or thirty days), except in cases where the dissertation is defended under a confidentiality regime or restricted access and publication as prescribed by law;

b) Update dissertation data and data on the training process including application files; decisions recognizing doctoral candidates; decisions assigning advisors; academic and research results, dissertation defense outcomes on the specialized database system for higher education management, inspection, assessment, and post-assessment;

c) Verify the completion of the dissertation after defense; archive, publish the dissertation, and handle violations of plagiarism, academic integrity, authorship rights, or intellectual property rights according to legal provisions and institutional regulations upon discovery.

3. Within five working days from the date of the decision recognizing degree and issuing a doctoral diploma, the training institution is responsible for updating and verifying diploma data and related information on the specialized database system for higher education.

4. Students completing the maximum training period of the program but not meeting the conditions for recognition of doctoral degree shall be recognized by the training institution for accumulated academic and research achievements. For integrated programs, students meeting the master's degree requirements as designed by the program shall be considered for recognition of degree and issuance of corresponding diplomas according to institutional regulations.

5. The training institution shall be responsible for managing, storing, and preserving complete records and data on the training process, dissertation evaluation, recognition of degree, and issuance of doctoral diplomas; ensuring the authenticity, integrity of data, and post-assessment capability.

Article 27. Inspection and Evaluation of Training Process and Thesis Quality

1. The Ministry of Education and Training shall conduct inspections and evaluations of training organization, thesis assessment, recognition of qualifications, and issuance of doctoral degrees according to state management requirements or when there are complaints or reports as prescribed by law.

2. Training institutions have the responsibility to establish and implement internal inspection mechanisms; they must promptly review admission files, training processes, assessments, qualification recognitions, degree issuances, and take corrective measures as prescribed by law upon periodic reviews or when signs of violations are detected; retain all necessary files and documents for inspection, audit, evaluation, and post-evaluation work.

3. Inspections and evaluations shall be carried out based on electronic data and files managed and updated by training institutions on the specialized database system for higher education as stipulated in Point b, Clause 2, Article 26 of this Regulation.

4. Files and data for inspection and evaluation include:

a) Admission application files; decisions recognizing research students; decisions assigning advisors; academic and research results; thesis evaluation files at training institutions; files for recognizing qualifications and issuing doctoral degrees (if applicable).

b) Doctoral theses; copies of published research results and other relevant materials related to the training and research process of research students.

5. Inspection and Evaluation Procedures:

a) The Ministry of Education and Training selects subjects for training process inspections or thesis quality evaluations based on electronic data and files updated by training institutions on the specialized database system for higher education.

b) In cases where necessary, the Ministry of Education and Training may request training institutions to provide additional files and materials and explanations to support the inspection and evaluation work.

c) The Ministry of Education and Training conducts inspections and evaluations and informs the results to training institutions within sixty days from the date when sufficient information, files, and materials for inspection and evaluation are available.

Article 28. Handling Inspection and Evaluation Results

1. Inspection and evaluation results are deemed satisfactory when:

a) The admission process, training organization, thesis assessment, qualification recognition, and doctoral degree issuance comply with the provisions of this Regulation and those of the training institution;

b) The thesis meets the academic quality, originality, and academic integrity requirements for the doctoral level.

2. In cases where the inspection and evaluation results are unsatisfactory, the training institution is responsible for providing explanations, supplementary evidence, implementing corrective measures, and reporting to the Ministry of Education and Training.

3. If necessary, the Ministry of Education and Training may organize or require the training institution to organize a re-evaluation of thesis quality through an independent evaluation board.

4. The evaluation board must ensure independence, objectivity, and academic responsibility; members of the board shall not participate in thesis guidance, independent peer review, or thesis evaluation boards.

5. A thesis is considered satisfactory when two-thirds of the evaluation board members agree on its professional aspects.

6. In cases where students have not been issued doctoral degrees, the training institution shall consider allowing them to supplement or complete conditions or re-evaluate their theses according to the provisions of this Regulation.

7. In cases where students have already received doctoral degrees, the revocation of doctoral degrees shall be carried out according to the provisions of the law.

8. Within sixty working days from the date of receipt of the final inspection and evaluation results, the training institution is responsible for reporting to the Ministry of Education and Training on the handling of inspection and evaluation results along with supporting evidence.

Chapter IV

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PARTIES INVOLVED

Article 29. Rights and Responsibilities of Students

1. Students have the following rights:

a) To study, research, and use conditions ensuring quality according to the training program;

b) To access all regulations on training, training programs, study plans, assessment results, information related to the learning process and research; to lodge complaints and make suggestions in accordance with the provisions of the law and the institution's regulations;

c) To be provided with full information about the training program, students' rights and obligations;

d) To ensure their authorship rights and intellectual property rights over their learning and research outcomes in accordance with the law;

đ) To reflect, make suggestions, lodge complaints, and report violations in accordance with the law;

2. Students have the following responsibilities:

a) To comply with admission regulations, training regulations, and other institutional regulations;

b) To be honest in studying, scientific research, and maintaining academic integrity;

c) To be responsible for the accuracy and originality of thesis papers, dissertations, projects, and related scientific publications;

d) To fully comply with regulations on academic integrity, authorship rights, and intellectual property rights; not to engage in fraudulent behavior or unauthorized copying;

đ) To fulfill other obligations as prescribed by law and institutional regulations;

e) In case of violation, they will be dealt with according to the law and institutional regulations;

Article 30. Rights and Responsibilities of Postgraduate Training Lecturers

1. Postgraduate training lecturers have the following rights:

a) To participate in teaching, guiding, assessing students, and academic activities according to their assigned expertise;

b) To be provided with conditions to carry out training, scientific research, and student guidance activities;

c) To protect their authorship rights, intellectual property rights, and other rights as prescribed by the law;

2. Postgraduate training lecturers have the following responsibilities:

a) To strictly adhere to training regulations, professional standards, and ethical norms;

b) To ensure the quality of teaching, guidance, assessment of students, and take responsibility for the assigned professional content;

c) To uphold academic integrity; respect intellectual property rights; commit to maintaining academic integrity, not to guide, confirm, or participate in activities violating training and scientific research regulations;

d) To monitor, support, and guide students in their studies, scientific research, and completion of thesis papers, projects, and dissertations;

đ) To be responsible for the honesty, reliability, and confirmation results of students under their guidance or assessment according to institutional regulations;

e) Research supervisors are academically responsible for the guidance process, professional quality, and maintenance of academic integrity of dissertations;

Article 31. Rights and Responsibilities of Training Institutions

1. Training institutions have autonomy in admissions, organizing training, assessing students, recognizing qualifications, and issuing diplomas in accordance with the law and this Regulation, and establishing and maintaining internal quality assurance systems in accordance with the Higher Education Law;

2. Training institutions conduct self-inspection and review of admissions, training organization, assessment, qualification recognition, and diploma issuance; promptly identify, address, and rectify errors and violations, and bear responsibility for explanation as required by law;

3. Training institutions have the following responsibilities:

a) To ensure training quality and maintain internal quality assurance systems as prescribed;

b) To accurately update the number and list of admitted students, study results, diploma appendices, graduation certificates of students according to the year of admission in the specialized higher education database system by December 31 each year; number c) To ensure the rights and legitimate interests of students;;

d) To implement transparency, accountability, data management, and reporting as prescribed;

đ) To ensure academic integrity, control plagiarism, and handle violations as prescribed;

e) To complete the issuance of diplomas within a maximum period of six months from the date students complete their projects, thesis papers, or dissertations, except when these need to be re-evaluated according to regulations. If diplomas cannot be issued due to ongoing verification, evaluation, or handling of violations as prescribed by law, the training institution must notify the students in writing, stating the reasons and expected resolution time;

g) To be legally accountable for admissions, training, assessment, qualification recognition, and diploma issuance; to promptly identify, address violations, and fulfill reporting responsibilities as prescribed by law.

g) Be liable under the law for activities related to admissions, training, evaluation, recognition of qualifications, and issuance of degrees; promptly detect, handle violations, and fulfill accountability as prescribed by law.

Chapter V

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 32. Construction and Implementation of Training Regulations by Educational Institutions

1. Educational institutions shall be responsible for promulgating, publicizing, and organizing the implementation of their training regulations in accordance with this Regulation and relevant laws.

2. The training regulations of educational institutions must specify the following:

a) Admissions, organization, and management of training;

b) Assessment of academic performance, thesis, project, dissertation, and independent review;

c) Recognition of academic results, credit transfer, and integration of training programs;

d) Recognition of qualifications, issuance of diplomas, management of training records and data;

đ) Accountability, handling of violations, and assurance of academic integrity.

3. Fully disseminate the training regulations of the educational institution to applicants, students, lecturers, supervisors, and other related organizations and individuals; ensure students' access to information.

4. Be accountable for explanations and subject to inspection and supervision by the Ministry of Education and Training and competent authorities regarding the implementation of this Regulation.

Article 33. Archiving, Reporting, and Publicizing Information

1. Educational institutions shall establish a digital data governance model, ensuring connectivity and interoperability of data between admissions, training, scientific research, and issuance of certificates; manage, archive, and preserve admission and training records for master's and doctoral levels, ensuring completeness, authenticity, integrity, security, and auditability of data.

2. Educational institutions shall update complete, accurate, and timely data on admissions, training, thesis, dissertation, certificates, and related data in the specialized database system for higher education.

3. Educational institutions shall publicly disclose on their electronic information websites the following information:

a) Admissions, training, assessment, and certification regulations;

b) Admission information, graduation standards, training formats, tuition fees, scholarships, and quality maintenance conditions of training programs;

c) Lecturer teams, supervisors, thesis, projects, dissertations, and other academic information as prescribed by the institution;

d) Enrollment, study, and graduation situations of students according to each training program;

đ) Other information as prescribed by law and the institution.

4. Educational institutions shall be responsible for the accuracy, completeness, and updating of publicly disclosed and reported data and information.

Article 34. Transitional Provisions

1. Educational institutions may continue to organize training, retain academic results, extend training duration, implement thesis, dissertation, independent review, defend thesis, dissertation, assess graduation recognition, qualification recognition, and issue diplomas in accordance with the regulations issued together with Circular No. 23/2021/TT-BGDĐT dated August 30, 2021, and Circular No. 18/2021/TT-BGDĐT dated June 28, 2021, of the Minister of Education and Training for students admitted before the circular takes effect and enrolled before January 1, 2027.

2. Educational institutions may continue to apply the provisions of Clause 2, Article 5 regarding supervisor standards for doctoral candidates and Points c and d, Clause 1, Article 14 regarding requirements for doctoral candidates before thesis evaluation at specialized units as stipulated in the Doctoral Training and Degree Regulations issued together with Circular No. 18/2021/TT-BGDĐT dated June 28, 2021, of the Minister of Education and Training until the Minister of Education and Training issues the Doctoral Program Standards for corresponding fields. 3. Foreign language certificates proving foreign language proficiency as required for entry and exit standards of master's and doctoral training programs specified in the Appendices issued together with Circular No. 23/2021/TT-BGDĐT dated August 30, 2021, and Circular No. 18/2021/TT-BGDĐT dated June 28, 2021, of the Minister of Education and Training shall continue to be valid until December 31, 2027.

4. During the period from the date this Circular takes effect until it is applied to enrollment and training sessions starting from January 1, 2027, educational institutions shall be responsible for reviewing, amending, supplementing, or issuing training regulations; reviewing and updating training programs; preparing quality assurance conditions; publicizing information; updating data; and implementing reporting systems as prescribed to organize enrollment and training under the regulations issued together with this Circular.

4. During the period from the date this Circular takes effect until before it is applied to admission classes and training organizations starting from January 1, 2027, educational institutions shall be responsible for reviewing, amending, supplementing, or promulgating training regulations; reviewing and updating training programs; preparing quality assurance conditions; publicly disclosing information; updating data, and implementing reporting systems as prescribed to organize admissions and training according to the Regulations issued together with this Circular.