Based on Circular No. 18/2021/TT-BGDĐT dated June 28, 2021, issued by the Minister of Education and Training regarding the promulgation of regulations on PhD-level admission and training; and Decision No. 629/QĐ-ĐHKTQD dated August 31, 2021, issued by the Rector of the National Economics University regarding the promulgation of regulations on PhD-level admission and training at the National Economics University, the National Economics University hereby announces PhD-level admission for 2025 with the following details.
1. TRAINING OBJECTIVES
The National Economics University's PhD-level training aims to develop highly qualified scientists with advanced theoretical and applied knowledge, independent research capabilities, and creativity to advance knowledge and solve emerging problems, guide scientific research, and conduct professional activities in economics, business, and management.
2. DURATION AND TRAINING MODE
The standard training duration for PhD level is 4 years (48 months). Research students applying from master's level may register for a 3-year (36 months) training period. The training duration is specified in the decision recognizing research students and the individual study and research plan for each research student.
PhD-level training is conducted in full-time mode. Research students must dedicate sufficient time to study and research at the National Economics University according to the approved plan; research students must register for at least 30 credits within the first two academic years of the training program.
3. PROGRAMS, ADMISSION QUOTAS, AND TRAINING LANGUAGE
E-PhD Program: admission quota of 10 research students across 2 training programs in Economics and Business Administration. The language used for studying, writing, and defending the doctoral dissertation is English, with higher foreign language proficiency requirements compared to standard PhD training programs.
4. LIST OF PhD-LEVEL TRAINING PROGRAMS
- Economics (E-PhD), Field: Economics; Code (9310101)
- Business Administration (E-PhD), Field: Business Administration; Code (9340101)
5. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Applicants for PhD level must meet the following conditions:
5.1. The E-PhD Program admits research students who hold a master's degree in economics, business, and management fields relevant to their chosen field of application; or hold a master's degree in other relevant scientific fields with a graduation classification of Good or above (with a GPA of 7.0 or higher on a 10-point scale or equivalent).
5.2. Must be the author of 1 article or report related to their intended research field, published in a scientific journal listed in the inventory scored by the State Professorial Council (see Appendix 2 of the Admission Announcement), or in proceedings of national or international scientific conferences or workshops with ISBN codes, within 3 years (36 months) from the application registration date.
5.3. Must have a draft research proposal (approximately 3,000 words) including the following main contents:
- Title of the intended research topic or direction
- Name of the proposed supervisor
- Rationale for choosing the research topic/direction
- Literature review of published scientific works on the chosen research topic or direction
- Research objectives and research questions
- Intended research methodology
- Expected research contributions
- Expected study and research plan
The applicant's draft research proposal must be confirmed by the proposed supervisor. The proposed supervisor must meet the conditions specified in Appendix 3 of the Admission Announcement. For E-PhD Program applicants, the language used in the draft research proposal must be English.
5.4. Must have a recommendation letter from 1 scientist (with the title of Professor, Associate Professor, or holding a Doctor of Science or PhD degree who has participated in professional activities with the applicant and is knowledgeable about the field the applicant intends to research) evaluating the applicant's professional qualities, expertise, and research capability.
The recommendation letter must include:
- Context of professional collaboration between the recommender and the applicant
- Comments and evaluations by the recommender on the applicant's capabilities and qualities (moral character, professional competence, working methods, research ability, professional development prospects, etc.)
5.5. Must have diplomas or certificates demonstrating foreign language proficiency, specifically:
5.5.1. Vietnamese citizen applicants registering for the E-PhD Program must have one of the following diplomas or certificates:
- University graduation diploma or master's degree issued by foreign training institutions for full-time international students where English was the language of instruction
- Master's degree in English Language from Hanoi University or a foreign language university under a national university or regional university
- IELTS (Academic) certificate of 6.0 or above or TOEFL iBT of 70 or above
- IELTS (Academic) certificate of 5.5 or above or TOEFL iBT of 46 or above. In this case, applicants must supplement with an IELTS (Academic) certificate of 6.0 or above or TOEFL iBT of 70 or above within 6 months after admission to the program
Foreign language certificates must be valid within 24 months from the application registration date, issued by organizations and tested at locations recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training (see section 10.1).
5.5.2. Requirements for foreign citizen applicants
Foreign citizen applicants registering for the E-PhD Program must meet the conditions specified in section 5.5.1.
5.6. Must be confirmed or recommended by the personnel management agency (for employed persons), training institution (for recent graduates), or local government of residence (for freelancers). Foreign citizen applicants may be confirmed or recommended by personnel management agencies, undergraduate/graduate training institutions, or embassies of their home countries.
6. PhD APPLICATION DOCUMENTS
6.1. PhD application documents include:
6.1.1. Application form confirmed by the recommending agency as specified in section 5.6 (with photo attached and sealed, following Form M1)
6.1.2. 1 notarized copy and 3 copies of the following diplomas and certificates:
- University graduation diploma and transcript
- Master's degree diploma and transcript (not required for applicants from undergraduate level)
- Foreign language graduation diploma and transcript (if any)
- Foreign language certificate (if any)
University and master's diplomas and transcripts issued by foreign training institutions must be translated into Vietnamese and notarized, submitted with notarized Recognition of Diplomas from the Quality Management Department, Ministry of Education and Training.
6.1.3. 1 original and 3 copies of recommendation letters as specified in section 5.4 (following Form M2).
6.1.4. Official letter of recommendation from direct management agency according to current regulations on training and development of civil servants and public employees (if the applicant is a civil servant or public employee) (reference Form M3).
6.1.5. 1 original and 3 copies of the applicant's draft research proposal as specified in section 5.3 (following Form M4).
6.1.6. 4 sets of copies of the applicant's scientific articles or reports.
Note:
- Each scientific article or report must include copies of the cover page (of the journal or conference/workshop proceedings), table of contents page, page with publication information (ISSN or ISBN), and article content. For international articles in the list mentioned in Appendix 2 of the Admission Announcement, applicants need not copy the journal cover and table of contents but must provide the article's website link (DOI). Information about scientific articles or reports must be fully presented in the inventory list (following Form M5).
- If there are more scientific articles or reports than required in section 5.2, applicants should bind them together and arrange according to the inventory list order, separating the scoring section as required (1 article) and the bonus scoring section (remaining articles).
6.1.7. 3×4 photos with white background, clearly stating the applicant's full name and date of birth on the back.
6.2. Document Submission Process: Applicants download document templates from website sdh.neu.edu.vn (section Admission/PhD/PhD Admission Announcement 2025), complete application documents including papers listed in section 6.1, and arrange according to guidelines in Appendix 6 of the Admission Announcement. The Application Form (M1) can be generated from the National Economics University's online application portal.
PhD application document submission follows three steps:
- Step 1. Online Application Registration
- Applicants access the online application portal
- Enter required data (note * indicates mandatory fields). The uploaded photo must be 3×4 of the applicant, identical to the photo in paper documents
- After data entry, applicants generate the Application Form (M1) with complete information
- Online application period: from April 1, 2025, until before paper document submission
- Step 2. Pay Processing and Admission Review Fee
- Processing and admission review fee: 1,200,000 VND
- Applicants check personal email for fee transfer link notification via VnPay portal (sent from email phdneu_tuition_noreply@gmail.com)
- Note: If verification of admission conditions is needed before paying the processing fee, applicants send scanned documents from Step 3 to email phd@neu.edu.vn
- Step 3. Submit Documents (Paper Version)
- Documents are only accepted when complete and arranged according to guidelines in sections 6.1 and 6.2. When submitting documents, applicants must bring original documents for verification
- Submission hours: morning 8:30-11:30; afternoon 14:00-17:00, in 2 rounds:
- Round 1 (May 2025 admission review): April 21-25, 2025
- Round 2 (August-September 2025 admission review): July 28 - August 1, 2025
- Submission location: Institute of Postgraduate Education, Room 412 Building A1, National Economics University, 207 Giai Phong Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi
7. ADMISSION EVALUATION METHOD
The specialized committee evaluates PhD training applicants on a 100-point scale, including application documents (60 points) and research proposal presentation (40 points).
7.1. Application Document Evaluation includes:
- Diploma and training results evaluation based on training institution prestige, GPA, master's thesis score (if any)
- Foreign language proficiency evaluation based on applicant's diplomas or certificates
- Evaluation based on recommender's scientific prestige, professional proximity to the applicant, and opinions and support in the recommendation letter
- Scientific article evaluation based on journal prestige, relevance to applicant's chosen field and specialization, and article quality
- Draft research proposal quality evaluation based on persuasiveness of topic selection rationale, depth and comprehensiveness of related research overview, scientific rigor in defining objectives and research methods, presentation style
- Research completion capability assessment based on draft proposal feasibility and research plan
7.2. Research Proposal Presentation Evaluation
Applicants present their draft research proposals to the specialized admission committee. The committee asks questions to evaluate applicants on:
- Knowledge: Applicant's understanding of intended research issues and the nature and requirements of research activities
- Qualities and attitudes required of research students: analytical and synthetic thinking ability, serious attitude, confidence and high determination, creativity, honesty, discipline, etc.
Note: Successful candidates must score 50% or above in each section (document evaluation and interview) of the maximum total points and rank among those with the highest scores from top to bottom until the admission quota for the specialization is filled.
8. ADMISSION REVIEW SCHEDULE AND SUCCESS NOTIFICATION
8.1. Research student admission reviews are scheduled in 2 rounds: Round 1 from May 26-30, 2025; Round 2 from September 4-10, 2025.
8.2. Admission notification timing (via email): at least 7 days before the admission review date.
8.3. Admission results announcement: June 2025 for Round 1; September 2025 for Round 2.
8.4. Enrollment notification and orientation timing (via email and postal mail to applicant's registered address): early October 2025.
9. PhD PROGRAM TUITION FEES
Tuition fees are announced according to the National Economics University's annual tuition fee announcement, with a maximum increase of 10% per year.
Applicants may reference 2024-2025 academic year tuition fees:
- E-PhD Program: 60.0 million VND
- Standard PhD training program:
- Vietnamese citizens: 41.0 million VND
- Lao or Cambodian citizens: 63.5 million VND
- Other nationalities: 93.2 million VND
10. INFORMATION AND CONTACT
10.1. Reference Information
- Introduction to National Economics University's PhD-level training programs
- Admission announcement (official sealed version), Appendices, and application document templates
- Contact information and research works of scientists who can supervise research students
- List of organizations and locations for foreign language certificate testing recognized by MOET:
- National foreign language certificates: List published by MOET November 2024
- International certificates: List published by MOET December 2024
- Guidelines on procedures for diploma recognition at the Quality Management Department, Ministry of Education and Training
10.2. Contact Information for PhD Admission and Training
INSTITUTE OF POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION
- Address: Room 412, 4th Floor, Building A1, National Economics University, 207 Giai Phong Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi
- Phone: Switchboard (024) 36 280 280, extensions 5414, 5415, 5550
- Information portal: neu.edu.vn
- Institute website: sdh.neu.edu.vn
- Email: phd@neu.edu.vn
Or
INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
- Address: Rooms 1503-1505, 15th Floor, Building A1, National Economics University 207 Giai Phong Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi
- 207 đường Giải Phóng, quận Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội
- Phone: Switchboard: (024) 36 280 280, extension: 6550
- Institute website: isd.neu.edu.vn
- Email: isd@neu.edu.vn
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