Decree No. 86/2015/ND-CP on the mechanism for collecting and managing tuition fees for educational institutions under the national education system and policies on exemption and reduction of tuition fees and support for learning expenses from the 2015-2016 academic year to the 2020-2021 academic year.

DECREE

Regulations on the mechanism for collecting and managing tuition fees for educational institutions under the national education system and policies on exemption, reduction of tuition fees, and support for learning expenses from the 2015-2016 academic year to the 2020-2021 academic year.

On the basis of the Education Law dated June 14, 2005; the Law amending and supplementing certain articles of the Education Law dated July 25, 2009;

On the basis of the Law on Preventing and Combating Diseases and Medical Treatment dated July 23, 2003;

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Căn cứ Luật T, amended and supplemented by Decree No. 109/2025/NĐ-CP and Decree No. 193/2025/NĐ-CP ficer Ch"b) In addition to the lists of public services issued according to the provisions of Clause 2, Article 4 of this Decree, specialized agencies under provincial People's Committees shall report to the provincial People's Committee for decision-making on amending, supplementing, or issuing the list of public services funded by the state budget within their jurisdiction and consistent with the local budget capacity within the approved budget by the Provincial People's Assembly, and send it to the Ministry of Finance and relevant ministries and sectors for supervision during implementation."pursuant to the Government's Resolution dated December 25, 2001;

On the basis of the Preferential Treatment Ordinance for Persons with Meritorious Services to the Revolution dated June 29, 2005; the Ordinance amending and supplementing certain articles of the Preferential Treatment Ordinance for Persons with Meritorious Services to the Revolution dated July 16, 2012;No. ArticleonAt the proposal of the Minister of Education and Training, the Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Government promulgates this Decree stipulating the mechanism for collecting and managing tuition fees for educational institutions under the national education system and policies on exemption, reduction of tuition fees, and support for learning expenses from the 2015-2016 academic year to the 2020-2021 academic year.June 2024;ng 11 year 2009;

Pursuant to the Higher Education Law on June 18, 2012;

Pursuant to the Law on Vocational Education dated November 27, 2014;

This Decree stipulates the mechanism for collecting and managing tuition fees for educational institutions under the national education system and policies on exemption, reduction of tuition fees, and support for learning expenses from the 2015-2016 academic year to the 2020-2021 academic year.June 2024;Article 1. SubjectsJune 2024;ng 11 year 2009;

1. Children attending preschool, students, university students, graduate students, and doctoral candidates studying at educational institutions under the national education system as prescribed by the Education Law, the Higher Education Law, and the Vocational Education Law., amended and supplemented by Decree No. 109/2025/NĐ-CP and Decree No. 193/2025/NĐ-CP2. Educational institutions under the national education system as prescribed by the Education Law, the Higher Education Law, and the Vocational Education Law. lTUTION FEES REGULATIONS

Pursuant to the proposal of the Director of the Department of Ethnic Affairs and Religion Propaganda;on Article 3. Principles for Determining Tuition Fees

h"b) In addition to the lists of public services issued according to the provisions of Clause 2, Article 4 of this Decree, specialized agencies under provincial People's Committees shall report to the provincial People's Committee for decision-making on amending, supplementing, or issuing the list of public services funded by the state budget within their jurisdiction and consistent with the local budget capacity within the approved budget by the Provincial People's Assembly, and send it to the Ministry of Finance and relevant ministries and sectors for supervision during implementation."1. For public preschool and general education: The level of tuition fee collection must be commensurate with the economic conditions of each residential area, the actual contribution capacity of the people, and the annual rate of increase in the consumer price index., 2. For public higher education and vocational education: The tuition fees of public higher education and vocational education institutions that self-fund their regular expenses and investments as prescribed by the Government shall be determined based on economic and technical norms, cost standards issued by competent authorities, and a phased approach to fully cover training costs. The tuition fees of public higher education and vocational education institutions that have not yet self-funded their regular expenses and investments as prescribed by the Government shall be determined based on a balanced calculation between state support and student contributions, following a phased approach to gradually reduce state subsidies.No.3. Public educational institutions implementing high-quality programs may collect tuition fees commensurate with training costs. Private educational institutions may independently determine their tuition fee levels.June 2024;4. Educational institutions must publicly announce tuition fee levels for each academic year for preschool and general education, and for each academic year along with projected levels for the entire course of study for higher education and vocational education.No.5. During the implementation of this Decree, the Ministry of Education and Training will cooperate with relevant agencies to continue researching and adjusting the tuition fee framework for higher education and vocational education institutions in accordance with the phased approach to accurately and sufficiently cover training costs as stipulated in Decree No. 16/2015/NĐ-CP dated February 14, 2015 of the Government on the autonomy mechanism for public service units, to promptly adjust as necessary.ỗ for tuition support from the academic year 2015-2016 to the academic year 2020-2021,

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Decree stipulates the mechanism for collecting and managing tuition fees for educational institutions under the national education system and policies on exemption, reduction of tuition fees, and support for tuition costs from the academic year 2015-2016 to the academic year 2020-2021.

Article 2. Applicability

1. Children attending preschool, students, university students, graduate students, and doctoral candidates studying at educational institutions under the national education system as prescribed by the Education Law, Higher Education Law, and Vocational Education Law.

2. Educational institutions under the national education system as prescribed by the Education Law, Higher Education Law, and Vocational Education Law.

Chapter II

REGULATIONS ON TUITION FEES

Article 3. Principles for Determining Tuition Fees

1. For public preschool and general education: The level of tuition fee collection must be commensurate with the economic conditions of each residential area, the actual contribution capacity of the people, and the annual rate of increase in the consumer price index.

2. For public higher education and vocational education: The tuition fees of public higher education and vocational education institutions that self-finance their regular expenses and investments as prescribed by the Government shall be determined based on economic-technical norms, cost standards issued by competent authorities, and a phased approach to fully cover training costs. The tuition fees of public higher education and vocational education institutions that have not yet self-finance their regular expenses and investments as prescribed by the Government shall be determined through a balance between state support and student contributions, following a phased reduction in state subsidies.

3. Public educational institutions implementing high-quality programs may collect tuition fees commensurate with the training costs. Private educational institutions may independently determine their tuition fee levels.

4. Educational institutions must publicly announce tuition fee levels for each academic year for preschool and general education, and for each academic year along with projected tuition fees for the entire program for higher education and vocational education.

5. During the implementation of this Decree, the Ministry of Education and Training will cooperate with relevant agencies to continue researching and adjusting the tuition fee framework for higher education and vocational training institutions towards a phased approach to accurately and sufficiently cover training costs as stipulated in Decree No. 16/2015/NĐ-CP dated February 14, 2015 of the Government on the autonomy mechanism for public service units to promptly adjust accordingly.

Article 4. Framework for Tuition Fees for Early Childhood Education and General Secondary Education

1. The framework for tuition fees for general early childhood education programs and general secondary education programs at public schools for the 2015-2016 academic year is stipulated as follows:

Unit: 1,000 VND/month/student

2. Starting from the 2016-2017 academic year, tuition fees will be adjusted according to the average annual consumer price index increase announced by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

3. Based on the provisions of Clause 1 and Clause 2 of this Article, the People's Councils of provinces shall specify specific annual tuition fees appropriate to the actual conditions of each region within their jurisdiction.

4. Public early childhood education and general secondary education institutions with high quality independently establish corresponding tuition fee levels to cover training costs, submit them for approval by the provincial People's Committees, and implement the regulations on transparency prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training. For students exempted or granted reduced tuition fees at high-quality public early childhood education and general secondary education institutions and private early childhood education and general secondary education institutions eligible for such exemptions or reductions, the exemption or reduction level shall be applied according to the tuition fee levels set for general education programs at public institutions in the same locality.

5. Continuing education institutions may apply tuition fees equivalent to those of public general secondary education institutions at the same level within their locality.

Article 5. Tuition Fees for Higher Education and Vocational Educationớ1. The maximum tuition fee for general undergraduate programs at public educational institutions that self-finance regular operating expenses and investment costs from the 2015-2016 academic year to the 2020-2021 academic year (including higher education institutions approved by the Prime Minister to pilot reforms in operational mechanisms) is as follows:

Unit: 1,000 VND/month/student

Field of Study

Academic Year 2015-2016

1. Master’s program

Unit: 1,000 VND/month/student

GROUP OF FIELDS AND OCCUPATIONS

Unit: 1Academic Year 2018-2

From the 2018-2019 academic year to the 2019-2020 academic year

Field of Study

7. For higher education and vocational education institutions directly managed by state economic organizations and state-owned enterprises, the establishment of tuition fee systems is independently developed by these organizations and enterprises based on appropriate field and specialty groups to offset training costs and reported to the central authorities responsible for higher education and vocational education through prior to implementation. Specifically, for training fields and specialties supported by the state budget, the tuition fee level must be applied according to the tuition fee framework for general training programs at vocational education and public higher education institutions that have not yet self-financed regular operating expenses and investment costs as stipulated in this Decree. Tuition fees in higher education and vocational education institutions directly managed by state economic organizations and state-owned enterprises must be publicly disclosed annually and projected for the entire course of study before enrollment. The state budget will provide subsidies for tuition fees for students who are exempted or granted reduced tuition fees currently studying at higher education and vocational education institutions directly managed by state economic organizations and state-owned enterprises, calculated according to the maximum tuition fee levels corresponding to general training programs at public higher education institutions that have not yet self-financed regular operating expenses and investment costs as prescribed in this Decree.

6. Regulations on collecting tuition fees for public higher education and vocational education institutions: Based on the tuition fee regulations specified above corresponding to each academic year, the characteristics of the institution, requirements for developing professions and training programs, forms of training, and practical conditions, the Directors of National Universities, Regional Universities, Principals, and Heads of higher education and vocational education institutions under central management shall proactively establish specific tuition fee systems for units and training programs within their jurisdiction and implement transparent and open systems throughout the program. Provincial People's Committees are responsible for submitting to the People's Councils at the same level to decide on specific tuition fee levels for higher education and vocational education institutions directly managed by localities.

7. For higher education and vocational education institutions directly managed by economic organizations and state-owned enterprises, the determination of tuition fees shall be independently established by these organizations and enterprises according to appropriate groups of majors and specialties based on covering training costs and reported to the central-level state management agencies for higher education and vocational education before implementation. Specifically, for majors and specialties supported by the state budget, the tuition fee levels must comply with the framework for tuition fees for mass training programs of public higher education and vocational education institutions that have not yet self-finance their regular expenses and investments as stipulated in Article 5 of this Decree. Tuition fees in higher education and vocational education institutions directly managed by economic organizations and state-owned enterprises must be publicly announced for each academic year and projected for the entire program before enrollment. The state budget will provide supplementary tuition fees for students exempted or reduced from tuition fees who are studying at higher education and vocational education institutions directly managed by economic organizations and state-owned enterprises, calculated according to the maximum tuition fee levels corresponding to mass training programs of public higher education institutions that have not yet self-finance their regular expenses and investments as stipulated in this Decree.

8. University tuition fees and vocational education fees implemented under the regular education method shall not exceed 150% of the tuition fee level for the corresponding full-time training system at the same educational level, major group, specialty, and trade according to the mass training program at higher education institutions and vocational education institutions that have not yet implemented financial autonomy. Tuition fees for other short-term training programs shall be collected based on the cost agreement between the educational institution and the learner. No tuition exemption or reduction policy shall apply to learners following the regular education method and short-term training programs at regular educational institutions.

9. Tuition fees for credit-based and module-based training programs: The tuition fee for one credit or module is determined based on the total tuition fee of the entire course according to the major group or trade and the total number of credits or modules in the entire course using the formula below:

Total tuition fee for the entire course = tuition fee per student/month x 10 months x number of years of study.

10. Tuition fees for high-quality training programs:

a) Tuition fees for high-quality training programs (including foreign transfer programs for vocational education).

Public higher education and vocational education institutions implementing high-quality programs shall independently establish appropriate tuition fee levels, along with state budget support to ensure sufficient coverage of training costs, and submit them to the central-level state management agencies for higher education and vocational education for approval before implementation, and publicly announce them before enrollment.

b) Tuition fees for foreign students studying at Vietnamese educational institutions shall be determined independently by the educational institutions.

Chapter III

REGULATIONS ON TUITION EXEMPTIONS AND STUDY COST SUPPORT

Article 6. Subjects Exempt from Paying Tuition Fees

Subjects exempt from paying tuition fees at public educational institutions include: Elementary school students; Students in teacher training programs; Learners in specialized majors that meet the requirements for economic and social development, national defense, and security as stipulated by the Higher Education Law.

Article 7. Subjects Eligible for Tuition Exemptions

1. Persons who have made contributions to the revolution and their dependents, as provided for in Decree No. 26/2005/PL-UBTVQH11 dated June 29, 2005, and Decree No. 04/2012/UBTVQH13 dated July 16, 2012, amending and supplementing certain provisions of the Decree on Preferential Treatment for Persons Contributing to the Revolution.

2. Children attending kindergarten and students with disabilities who face economic difficulties.

3. Children attending kindergarten and students under 16 years old without a designated caregiver as specified in Clause 1, Article 5 of Decree No. 136/2013/NĐ-CP dated October 21, 2013, issued by the Government regarding social assistance policies for social welfare recipients.

Individuals aged 16 to 22 years old who fall within the categories specified in Clause 1, Article 5 of Decree No. 136/2013/NĐ-CP dated October 21, 2013, issued by the Government regarding social assistance policies for social welfare recipients, while pursuing secondary education, vocational training, specialized secondary education, college, or undergraduate studies.

4. Children attending kindergarten and primary school students whose parents belong to poor households as defined by the Prime Minister.

5. Children attending kindergarten and primary school students who are children of non-commissioned officers and soldiers serving on fixed-term contracts in the People's Armed Forces.

6. Students in the special recruitment system (including students recruited for residential vocational training programs lasting three months or more).

7. Students at boarding general secondary schools, preparatory universities, and university preparatory departments.

8. Students at vocational education and higher education institutions belonging to ethnic minority households classified as poor or near-poor households as defined by the Prime Minister.

9. Undergraduate students majoring in Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought.

10. Students and trainees in the following specialties: Occupational Health, Tuberculosis, Mental Health, Forensic Medical Examination, Forensic Psychiatry, and Pathological Anatomy.

11. Ethnic minority students from very small ethnic groups residing in areas with difficult or extremely difficult socio-economic conditions as defined by competent authorities.

12. Undergraduate and graduate students in nuclear energy-related specialties.

13. Secondary school graduates continuing their education at the intermediate level.

14. Students in intermediate, college, and vocational training programs for majors and trades that are difficult to recruit but are in demand according to the list established by the head of the central-level state management agency for vocational education.

15. Students in specialized majors that meet the requirements for economic and social development, national defense, and security as stipulated by the Vocational Education Law.

Article 8. Subjects Eligible for Reduced Tuition Fees

1. The subjects eligible for a 70% reduction in tuition fees include:

a) Students studying traditional arts and special fields at public and private cultural-art schools, including: Traditional folk opera musicians, Hue traditional music performers, Southern Vietnamese folk music performers, stage drama and opera actors, folk song performance artists, ca tru performance artists, bài chòi performance artists, traditional musical instrument performers;

b) Students majoring in court music, royal music, cheo opera, tuong opera, cải lương opera, dance, and circus; certain heavy, hazardous, and dangerous vocational training professions as defined by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs;

c) Preschool children and students from ethnic minorities (excluding very small ethnic groups) living in areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions as stipulated by competent authorities.

2. The subjects eligible for a 50% reduction in tuition fees include:

a) Preschool children and students whose parents are civil servants, workers, or employees and who have been granted regular allowances due to work-related accidents or occupational diseases suffered by their father or mother;

b) Preschool children and primary and secondary school students from households classified as near-poor according to the Prime Minister's regulations.

Article 9. Temporary Waiver of Tuition Fees

1. In case of natural disasters, provincial People's Committees shall consider and decide on temporarily waiving tuition fees for preschool children and primary school students in disaster-stricken areas based on the extent and scope of damage.

2. The State will directly subsidize tuition fees for public educational institutions and provide subsidies to students attending non-public educational institutions who are entitled to free tuition under this regulation during natural disasters, according to the general program tuition rates at public schools in the same area.

Article 10. Subjects Eligible for Study Expense Support

1. Preschool children and primary school students who are orphaned or have physical disabilities and face economic difficulties.

2. Preschool children and primary school students from households classified as poor according to the Prime Minister's regulations.

Article 11. Mechanism for Waiving and Reducing Tuition Fees and Supporting Study Expenses

1. The waiver and reduction of tuition fees will be implemented throughout the period of study at educational institutions, except when there are changes in the reasons for such waivers or reductions.

2. The state budget is responsible for directly subsidizing tuition fees for public educational institutions to implement tuition fee waivers and reductions for learners belonging to the categories specified in this Decree and currently enrolled at those educational institutions, according to the corresponding tuition rates for each level of education. Each year, the subsidy for tuition fees for public educational institutions must be settled fully, transparently, and publicly.

The subsidy for vocational and higher education institutions will be provided according to the group of majors, specialties, and trades in the general programs at public educational institutions that have not yet self-financed regular expenses and investments, as stipulated in this Decree.

Public vocational and higher education institutions that have self-financed regular expenses and investments, and those implementing high-quality training programs, will prioritize scholarships for learners to cover the difference between state support levels and school tuition fees.

The State will directly provide financial support for tuition fee waivers and reductions for subjects entitled to such benefits at non-public preschool, primary, vocational, and higher education institutions, according to the general program tuition rates at public schools in the region for preschool and primary education; and according to the general program tuition rates at public vocational and higher education institutions that have not yet self-financed regular expenses and investments as stipulated in this Decree for vocational and higher education.

3. The State will directly support study expenses for the subjects specified in Article 10 of this Decree at a rate of 100,000 VND per student per month for purchasing books, stationery, and other learning materials. The duration of benefit will be based on actual study time and will not exceed nine months per academic year.

4. In cases where there is overlap between the subjects eligible for study expense support as stipulated in Clause 3, Article 11 of this Decree and other legal regulations currently in effect with higher support levels, they will be entitled to the higher support levels as stipulated in other legal documents.

Article 12. Implementation Funding

The funds for implementing policies stipulated in Articles 9 and 11 of this Decree will be allocated within the annual state budget expenditure plans of central ministries, agencies, and localities according to the current state budget allocation system. The central budget will provide support to localities facing budgetary difficulties as stipulated.

Chapter IV

REGULATIONS ON THE COLLECTION AND USE OF TUITION FEES

Article 13. Collection of Tuition Fees

1. Tuition fees shall be collected on a monthly basis; if students voluntarily agree, educational institutions may collect tuition fees once for the entire semester or academic year. For preschool education facilities, continuing education facilities, regular training facilities, and short-term training courses, tuition fees shall be collected based on the actual number of months of study. For general secondary education facilities, tuition fees shall be collected for 9 months per year. For higher education facilities, tuition fees shall be collected for 10 months per year. In cases where teaching and learning are organized under a credit system, educational institutions may convert to collect tuition fees based on credits, but the total tuition fees collected based on credits for the entire course shall not exceed the amount specified for the course if collected annually.

2. Public educational institutions shall be responsible for organizing the collection of tuition fees and depositing them into the State Treasury or commercial banks for management and use as follows:

a) Public educational institutions that self-finance their regular expenses and investment costs shall deposit the entire amount of collected tuition fees into a commercial bank for management and use. The entire interest earned from deposits in commercial banks shall be used to establish scholarship funds and support students.

b) Public educational institutions that have not yet self-finance their regular expenses and investment costs shall deposit the entire amount of collected tuition fees for programs supported by state budget funding for training costs into the State Treasury for management and use; deposit the entire amount of collected tuition fees for programs not supported by state budget funding into a commercial bank for management and use. The entire interest earned from deposits in commercial banks shall be used to establish student support funds.

Article 14. Use of Tuition Fees

1. Public educational institutions shall use tuition fees according to the regulations of the Government regarding the autonomy mechanism of public service units.

2. Non-public educational institutions shall use tuition fees according to the regulations of the Government regarding policies encouraging socialization in educational activities, vocational training, healthcare, culture, sports, and environmental protection.

Article 15. Management of Tuition Fees and Reporting System

1. Public educational institutions shall deposit the entire amount of collected tuition fees into the State Treasury or a commercial bank as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 13 of this Decree. Non-public educational institutions shall deposit the entire amount of collected tuition fees into a commercial bank or the State Treasury where their accounts are opened for registration purposes.

2. All types of educational institutions shall be responsible for organizing accounting and statistical work on tuition fees according to the provisions of the law; implementing requirements for inspection and audit by financial authorities and competent educational management agencies; and bearing legal responsibility for the accuracy and honesty of provided information and documents.

3. Income and expenditure of tuition fees at public educational institutions must be consolidated into annual financial income and expenditure reports of the educational institution as prescribed by law.

Chapter V

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 16. HiEffectiveness of Implementation of the Decree

1. This Decree takes effect from December 1, 2015.

2. This Decree replaces Decree No. 49/2010/NĐ-CP dated May 14, 2010 of the Government on exemption, reduction of tuition fees, support for living expenses, and mechanisms for collecting and using tuition fees for educational institutions within the national education system from the 2010-2011 academic year to the 2014-2015 academic year, and Decree No. 74/2013/NĐ-CP dated July 15, 2013 of the Government amending and supplementing certain articles of Decree No. 49/2010/NĐ-CP dated May 14, 2010 of the Government on exemption, reduction of tuition fees, support for living expenses, and mechanisms for collecting and using tuition fees for educational institutions within the national education system from the 2010-2011 academic year to the 2014-2015 academic year, which cease to be effective from the 2015-2016 academic year.

3. Abolish the subsidy, exemption, and reduction of tuition fees for the subjects specified in Point d, Clause 3, Article 33 of Decree No. 75/2006/NĐ-CP dated August 2, 2006 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the Education Law and preferential treatment for students and trainees in traditional and special arts disciplines in cultural-art schools as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 2, Decision No. 82/2005/QĐ-TTg dated April 18, 2005 of the Prime Minister on preferential treatment for students and trainees in traditional and special arts disciplines in cultural-art schools.

Article 17. Responsibility for Implementing the Decree

1. The Minister of Education and Training and the Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs shall, within their respective authorities, take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to provide detailed guidance on organizing and implementing this Decree. The Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs shall take the lead and coordinate with the Minister of Education and Training to provide guidance on determining the vocational education training fields corresponding to the tuition fee framework prescribed in Clause 4, Article 5 of this Decree.

2. The ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-affiliated agencies, and Chairpersons of provincial People's Committees under central cities are responsible for implementing this Decree./