Vietnamese Universities Outpace US Colleges in SAT Score Submissions

Nearly 4 in 10 of the more than 10,000 Vietnamese students who took the SAT in 2025 sent their scores to universities at home, Haike Zhao, a deputy director in the College Board's international division, told a July 4 seminar on U.S. higher education co-hosted with IIG Vietnam. In 2021, when about 2,100 students sat the test, only 4% did. That year, 86% of Vietnamese test-takers sent scores to American universities. Four years later, the College Board, which owns the SAT, counts seven Vietnamese universities among the 10 that receive the most scores from the country's students. Those seven drew 34% of all submissions, and the top five destinations were domestic: the National Economics University, Foreign Trade University, Vietnam National University - Hanoi, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. Rounding out the top 10 are the University of South Florida (U.S.), Thuongmai (Commerce) University (Hanoi), Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (VNU-HCM), University of Florida (U.S.), and University of Massachusetts Amherst (U.S.). Vietnamese universities have widened admissions well beyond the national high-school graduation exam, accepting international certificates such as the SAT, IELTS, and A-Level. Dozens now take the SAT alongside transcripts or language qualifications, and the bar has climbed as applicants multiply. Hanoi University of Pharmacy asks at least 1,400 out of 1,600 for its pharmacy program, the highest SAT requirement of any university in the country. Foreign Trade University raised its floor from 1,260 to 1,380 in a single year. Vietnamese test-takers averaged 1,355 out of 1,600 in 2025, their best in five years, after the candidate pool grew nearly 390% since 2021. On Advanced Placement tests in 2025, 84% of papers written by Vietnamese students scored 3 or higher, the mark most U.S. universities accept for credit and the highest pass rate since 2020, led by Calculus BC, Microeconomics, and Statistics. Most American universities, and institutions across more than 70 countries and territories, recognize SAT and AP results for admission, credit, or scholarships, Zhao said. Among SAT takers, business, management, and marketing drew the largest group, more than a fifth, ahead of computer and information science at 18% and engineering at 10%. The SAT, introduced in 1926, has two sections, Verbal and Math, each scored out of 800. The digital exam runs a little over two hours, and scores stay valid for five years, although many top universities only accept scores within two years.