International University - Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City

INFORMATION ON STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM AT INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY – VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

HO CHI MINH CITY

Mobility Programs in Vietnam

  1. General information​

  1-1 Name of institution

International University – Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City (IU-VNU).

IU-VNU is a member of Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM). VNUHCM is one of the two largest national universities in Vietnam, founded in 1995 and now consists of 7 university - members.

1-2 Type of institution

IU-VNU is the first public interdisciplinary university in Vietnam that uses English as the primary language in teaching, learning, and conducting researches.

1-3 Overview of the institution

Established in 2003, IU-VNU is fully empowered to award degrees from undergraduate to post graduate levels. Its vision is to become a top research-oriented university in Vietnam, which has strong collaborations with worldwide prestigious universities, institutes, industries, local provinces, and society.

As of 2021, IU-VNU has 8,201 undergraduate students; 790 graduate students; 5538 alumni; 193 full-time professor, associate professor, PhD, and master lecturers; 219 supporting staff.

IU-VNU has hosted more than 200 international exchange students coming from partner and non-partner universities located in America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania/Australia. Besides that, IU-VNU has developed many cultural exchange programs/study tours with many universities in the United States, Netherlands, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore and welcomed more than 2600 participants.

1-4 Campus location

IU-VNU has 3 campuses, including the main campus in Thu Duc City - Ho Chi Minh City, VNU-HCM central-library campus, and Downtown campus (for graduate students only).

1-5 Contact Information

Center for International Mobility

Website address: https://cim.hcmiu.edu.vn/

Inbound coordinator email address: lhbtram@hcmiu.edu.vn

Outbound coordinator email address: nthang@hcmiu.edu.vn

Phone number: +84 (28) 37244270 – Ext: 3617

1-6 Accreditation status

Accreditation status

Institutional Level:

• National Accreditation by Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) Quality Accreditation (2016).
• External Assessment by ASEAN University Network Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) (2019)

          Program Level:

• ABET Accreditation:

BE in Biomedical Engineering (2019); BE in Electrical Engineering (2019)

• External Assessment by ASEAN University Network Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) for the following programs:

BSc in Computer Science (2009, 2017); BSc in Biotechnology (2011, 2017); BA in Business Administration (2012, 2017); BE in Electrical Engineering (2013); BE in Industrial and Systems Engineering (2015); BE in Biomedical Engineering (2015); BE in Food Technology (2017); BA in Finance and Banking (2018); BE in Civil Engineering (2018); MSc in Biotechnology (2016); ME in Industrial Systems Engineering (2016) and Master of Business Administration (2019).

2. Academic Programs

2-1 Academic organization

School	Department
School of Biotechnology School of Business      School of Engineering and Management School of Electrical Engineering School of Biomedical Engineering   School of Computer Science and Engineering	Department of Civil Engineering Department of English Department of Environmental Engineering Department of Physics Department of Mathematics

2-2 Academic Calendar

• Fall semester (semester 1): September – January
• Spring semester (semester 2): February – June
• Summer semester (semester 3): July – August

2-3 Degree Program

Bachelor Level	Master Level	PhD Level
Business Administration Accounting Applied Mathematics  Food Technology Biotechnology Chemistry Information Technology         Civil Engineering Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering Space Engineering Control Engineering and Automation Environmental Engineering Logistics and Supply Chain Management     English Linguistics Industrial & Systems Engineering      Data Science Biomedical Engineering         Chemical Engineering Finance and Banking	Business Administration Biotechnology Information Technology Management Electronics Engineering Industrial and Systems Engineering Biomedical Engineering Food Technology Public Management (in Vietnamese only)	Biotechnology Business Administration Biomedical Engineering Public Management (in Vietnamese only)

2-4 Tuition fee and other fees

• Tuition wave is applied for students who are nominated by IU-VNU partner universities.
• To students who come from IU-VNU non partner universities, they are responsible for paying 82 USD/credit (undergraduate level); 129 USD/credit for MBA programs, 120 USD/credit for other graduate programs.
• Students can register minimum 14 credits and maximum 28 credits for 1 semester at IU-VNU.

2-5 Faculty members

Most of our faculty members graduated from the English speaking and well-developed countries such as United States of America, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, etc. 60% of our faculty members hold a PhD degree from the prestigious universities.

2-6 Course list

All of courses at IU-VNU except for political-related subjects are conducted in English. Please check this link for details: https://bit.ly/3vmldaX

Students can send an email to IU-VNU Inbound Coordinator to be provided with specific course descriptions and relevant information.

2-7 Evaluation Scheme

Classification	100 – Point Grading	Letter Grades	4- Point Grading
Passing
Excellent	90 <GPA <100	A+	4.0
Very good	80 < GPA < 90	A	3.5
Good	70 < GPA < 80	B+	3.0
Fair	60 < GPA < 70	B	2.5
Average	50 < GPA < 60	C	2.0
No Passing
Weak	40 < GPA < 50	D+	1.5
Very weak	30 < GPA < 40	D	1.0
	GPA<30	F	0.0

Course assessment

• Assignment and class participation: 20-40%
• Mid-term exam: 20 - 30%
• Final exam: 40 - 60%

3. Application for degree seeking students

3-1 Application Procedure

No	Step	Student Exchange Program	Direct Exchange Program
1	Nomination	To be an exchange student, you must be nominated by your home institution.	To be an exchange student, you must be nominated by your home institution.
2	Complete the application package	Fill in and attach all required documents: IU-VNU Inbound Application Form (for Exchange Program) Letter of nomination from your home university Your official transcript Copy of your English proficiency certificate Copy of your passport (12 months of validity) * All documents should be certified and translated into English.	Fill in and attach all required documents: IU-VNU Inbound Application Form (for Exchange Program) Letter of nomination from your home university Your official transcript Copy of your English proficiency certificate Copy of your passport (12 months of validity) * All documents should be certified and translated into English.
3	Submission	Submit your application to the Student Exchange Office at your Home Institution.	Submit your application to IU-VNU Inbound Coordinator at email address: lhbtram@hcmiu.edu.vn
4	Application Outcome	An Acceptance Letter General information before your arrival including Instruction for Entry Visa Application, Types of Accommodation in HCMC, Health Insurance, Orientation Days and Academic Schedule Registrar forms for visa, accommodation, buddy program, airport pick up service, courses At the same time, you will be assisted by IU-VNU incoming coordinator for the next steps.	An Acceptance Letter General information before your arrival including Instruction for Entry Visa Application, Types of Accommodation in HCMC, Health Insurance, Orientation Days and Academic Schedule Registrar forms for visa, accommodation, buddy program, airport pick up service, courses At the same time, you will be assisted by IU-VNU incoming coordinator for the next steps.

3-2 Application Schedule

Nomination deadline:

• Fall semester: May 1
• Spring semester: October 1

Application submission deadline:

• Fall Semester: May 15
• Spring semester: October 15

3-3 Application Requirement

To be considered for the Student Exchange and Study Abroad Programs at IU-VNU, undergraduate and graduate applicants must:

• Complete at least one year of full-time study (undergraduate level) or one semester of full-time study (graduate level)
• Achieve GPA at least of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent
• Have intention to receive full workload (no less than 14 credits per semester) for the duration of your study at IU-VNU
• Have a letter of nomination from the home institution as required for exchange students

English Proficiency

No English proficiency assessment is required for students who live in an English-speaking country or study in a tertiary institution where the language of instruction is English.

If you are not from an English-speaking country or if the language of instruction at your institution is not English, one of the following requirements is applied:

• IELTS minimum overall band score of 6.0 (no sub-score bellow 5.5);
• TOEFL (iBT) minimum score of 61 (no sub-score bellow 19);
• Unicert 1 (Cetified by German Academic Exchange Service – DAAD);
• CEFR Level B1 (Common European Framework of Reference’s English Certificate);
• ISEP’s Language Proficiency Report (accepted for students from ISEP-Exchange programs).
• Confirmation of English Proficiency issued by partner universities.

3-4 Visas

Student Visa (Type: DH) is non-immigrant visa that does not require the holder to obtain citizenship. Any prospective students seeking higher education in Vietnam must obtain a student visa.

Center for International Mobility (CIM) is the unit at International University to help international students and international scholars to obtain the visa pre-approval prior to their departure to Vietnam. International students and scholars need to provide CIM with all necessary documents at least 04 weeks prior to the expected day of their departure.

Important Note: It is unable to convert Tourist Visa into Student Visa after you enter Vietnam border. According to Article 7, Point 1 of Vietnam Immigration Law 2015, the purpose of Vietnam visa cannot be converted from one purpose to another. For instance, someone entering Vietnam with a tourist visa (Type DL) cannot be able to convert it into a studying visa (Type DH).

     1. Require documents

International students are obligated to provide CIM with the following information 4 weeks prior to the Date of Arrival in Vietnam:

• Students’ contact information (Name, e-mail address and telephone number)
• Accurate address of Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam General Consulate in students’ home country in which visa will be granted.
• Scanned passport with at least 12 months validity

     2. Procedure

Step 1: Once you are accepted to study at IU-VNU, you will receive a Letter of Acceptance. At the same time, IU-VNU will send an email requesting you to fill in the Visa Information Form. Information being requested composes of your personal information (name, passport number, etc.) and the exact address of Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate General nearest to your place.

Step 2: IU-VNU then submits the necessary documents to Vietnam Immigration Department in Ho Chi Minh City (VID-HCMC). The visa pre-approval will be issued after 7 working days.

Step 3: VID-HCMC will fax a copy of visa pre-approval to Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate General in your home country (to the address of your choice as written in the Visa Information Form). At the same time, you will receive a copy of the visa pre-approval from IU-VNU via email.

Step 4: You are responsible for the printing of the visa pre-approval sent to you via email. You will need to bring the pre-approval together with the following documents to Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate General in your home country to get the visa.

The required documents include:

• Passport with validity of at least 12 months
• Pre-approval confirmation (Printed on an A4-size-paper)
• Letter of Acceptance from IU-VNU
• Visa Application Forms (in accordance with the officials’ guidance at Vietnam Embassy/Vietnam Consulate General)
• Visa application fees (submit at Vietnam Embassy/ Vietnam Consulate General). The fee may vary according to different Vietnam Embassies in different countries.

Step 5:

You will be notified by the Vietnam Embassy/Vietnam Consulate General on the date and time to receive your visa, type DH – multiple entries.

3-5 Entrance Examination Information

The entrance examination (SAT based test) and entrance interview are applied for full-time foreign students (not exchange students).

1. Application package

Application form

• 01 notarized copy of all official transcripts of high school
• 01 notarized copy of high school diploma or high school graduation acknowledgement slip
• 01 letter of reference
• 01 notarized copy of passport
• 03 ID photos (3x4)
• English certificates of TOEFL iBT, IELTS, SAT (if applicable)

* All documents must be certified and translated into English.

2. Requirements

• International high school graduation
• Excellent high school degree

3. Deadline application

• Fall semester: June
• Summer semester: April
• Spring semester: October

  4. Student Life

  4-1 Impression and views of students

• More information about IU-VNU student exchange program can be found here: https://cim.hcmiu.edu.vn/
• Testimonials of our international students can be reached here: https://cim.hcmiu.edu.vn/being-an-exchange-student-of-iu-vnu/

Write your own stories with us!

  4-2 Campus Environment and Student Facility

IU-VNU provides students with academic facilities and extra support for their convenience when participating in exchange program:

• Established in 2003, IU-VNU Library has become an integral part of the University for supporting a vibrant learning, teaching and research culture. The Library consists of 2 floors, with more than 1,000 square meters, modern equipment, and an automated library management system. Library users can also access well-known academic databases such as InfoTrac, Springer Link, Taylor & Francis, ProQuest, IEEE, ACS, and Wiley.
• IU-VNU possesses modern laboratories such as Cell Biotechnology Laboratory, Biomedicine an Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory, Nutrition Lab, Plant Biotechnology Laboratory, Cell Reprogramming Laboratory, Computational Biology Center, Food Processing Lab, Food Microbiology and Food Safety Lab, CSE Research Groups, Database System lab, Computer Network lab, Software Engineering lab, Stimulation Lab, Pharmaceutical Chemistry Lab, Applied Biochemistry Lab, Optics Lab, Computer Lab/ Youth union, Language Lab, Clinical Engineering Lab, etc.

Learning platforms:

Student can also rely on IU-VNU Information Technology Services for matters related to student e-mail, E-learning, Edusoft (platform for undergraduate students to register courses and keep track of their study), Edusoft Master (platform for graduate students to register courses and keep track of their study), and E-library.

Supporting hub:

Center for International Mobility (CIM) at IU-VNU is the one single stop unit to assist international students and scholars with associated matters concerning studying and living, teaching in Vietnam. In addition to the constant support provided by CIM, IU-VNU also connects international students to Vietnamese buddies who assist them with life matters in Vietnam during their exchange semester (Buddy Program).

Extracurricular activities:

Orientation Week and extracurricular activities such as International Fair, field trips and cultural contests, etc. are regularly organized to create opportunities for foreign students and local student mutually interact. A wide range of sport activities and students’ clubs are made available to international students all year round.

 

Stationery and Food Court:

When students need study supplies or souvenir branded by the university: Unimart is the place they need to go. For food and refreshments: students can experience a wide variety of dishes/menu at IU-VNU food and refreshment stalls, scattered around the campuses. IU-VNU canteen’s capacity is up to 1,000 people being served at the same time.

  4-3 Cost of Living

Internet: access in Vietnam, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, is quite easy. Most of coffee shops, stores, shopping malls have free Wifi. Some of public places such as Ben Thanh Bus station also offer free Wifi without any special log-in requirement. To get 3G or 4G Internet connection, students could ask their buddy to help registering a data plan, or come to mobile retails to buy 3G/4G SIM Card.

Living cost

 

Accommodation	Basic meals	Transportation	Entertainment
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area: 960 USD Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area: 660 USD Monthly rent for smaller size apartments: 508 USD Monthly rent for serviced room (single-bed, cleaning, and laundry are provided): 350 USD	Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district: 10 USD Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in regular areas: 5 USD Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar): 4 USD	Public buses: 10 cent for 1 way (students get 50% discount of the bus fare) Technology bike (booked via apps such as Grab, Gojeck, Be): 63 cent/km Technology car (booked via apps such as Grab, Gojeck): 2 USD/km *Due to the danger of riding motorbikes in Vietnam, foreign students are encourage to used public means of transportation	Tickets to the movies: 10 USD Tickets to the theater (best available seats): 100 USD 1 cocktail drink in downtown club: 4 USD

4-4 Housing Options

International students are encouraged to search for an accommodation in Vietnam by using reliable sources such as Airbnb, Vnrental, Dotproperty and can ask for the support from their Vietnamese buddies. It is expected to help students find a place which fit both their own budgets and their specific needs.

IU-VNU does not offer dormitory for students but there is dormitory run by VNUHCM. The place is for students who stay in Vietnam for at least 1 year; however, its location is quite far away from the downtown.

4-5 Student Financial Aid

Scholarships and on-campus jobs are not available at the moment.

4-6 Student Support

There is a clinic based at the IU-VNU main campus for basic cases, with more serious or specific cases, students are encourage to come to hospitals.

Center for International Mobility is in charge of providing students with services named advising on immigration regulations, consulting on academic and daily challenges, maintaining students’ connection with their School/Department at IU-VNU.

4-7 International Opportunities

IU-VNU is a member of International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) and AUN-ACTS Student Exchange Program.

ISEP offers an impressive array of Exchange and Direct programs among a global community of more than 300 universities and colleges in over 50 countries. More than 60,000 students from its member institutions have participated in our semester-long, full-year, and summer programs.

The ASEAN University Network (AUN) is an arrangement between 30 top-ranked universities in the ten ASEAN countries. ASEAN Credit Transfer System (ACTS) is a student-centered system applied to student mobility among AUN (ASEAN University Network) Member Universities. This system was developed to facilitate student mobility under AUN Student Exchange Program.

4-8 Safety

Tips for students’ safety in Ho Chi Minh City:

• Cross the road slowly and watch out for vehicles especially buses and big vehicles.

• Be careful with the pickpocket and watch out for the wallets in the crowds.

• Do not attempt to ride motorbikes (international students from previous programs had accidents when attempting riding motorbikes).

• Do not travel far by motorbike. Grab/Taxi is recommended.

• Do not hang out with strangers or wander on the streets too late at night.

• Contact IU-VNU staff/IU-VNU Student Leader for tour booking with authorized service providers.

For students’ good health in Ho Chi Minh City:

• Do not eat sample street food. Ask for advice on reliable places/restaurants.

• Do not drink tap water or suspicious water source.

• Only bottle water in bars/clubs.

5. International Short-term Program (for IU-VNU students studying at partner universities)

5-1 IU-VNU’s Exchange Partner Universities

Please find below the list of IU-VNU’s exchange partners:

American	Europe	Oceania	Oceania
Marquette University New Jersey City University Thompson Rivers University York University	MCI Management Center Innsbruck University of Southern Denmark (Faculty of Engineering) Jonkoping University (School of Engineering) Ecole de Management de Normandie Rennes School of Business ECAM-EPMI University of Würzburg Reutlingen University (ESB Business School) Munich University of Applied Sciences Hoschule Bremen City University of Applied Sciences SRH University Heidelberg "HAN University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Economics and Management / Arnhem Business School" University of Groningen University of Liechtenstein Universidad Carlos III de Madrid The University of Alicante Miguel Hernández University of Elche University of Portsmouth The American College of Greece Vilnius Gediminas Technical University	Macquarie University	University Of Seoul Konkuk University Pusan National University (College of BA & Engineering) Chung Nam National University Sungkyungkwan University Hankuk University Chung Ang University Jeonbuk National University Jeju National University Korea National University of Transportation Otaru University Of Commerce Chiba University Toyohashi University of Technology University of Fukui Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Yamaguchi University Kobe University Osaka University (International Center of Biotechnology, Graduate school of Engineering)" Hokkaido University Thammasat University (Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology) National Institute of Development Administration National Tsing Hua University National Chung Hsing University National Taipei University Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya City University of Hong Kong

6. Alumni sharing

Interesting stories of studying - living abroad (outside of Vietnam), written by our own alumni is publicly shared at the following link:

https://cim.hcmiu.edu.vn/gallery/outgoing/travel-blog-of-iu-seasap-alumni/ (in Vietnamese)

Stories of our international students studying in Vietnam can be found here:

https://cim.hcmiu.edu.vn/being-an-exchange-student-of-iu-vnu/ (in English)

7. FAQ

Question 1: What do I need to prepare when applying for a student visa?

Answer: Center for International Mobility (CIM) is the unit at International University to help international students and international scholars to obtain the visa pre-approval prior to their departure to Vietnam. International students and scholars need to provide CIM with all necessary documents at least 04 weeks prior to the expected day of their departure.

International students are obligated to provide CIM with the following information 4 weeks prior to the Date of Arrival in Vietnam:

• Students’ contact information (Name, e-mail address and telephone number)
• Accurate address of Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam General Consulate in students’ home country in which visa will be granted.
• Scanned passport with at least 12 months validity

Question 2: What is the exchange program tuition fees at IU-VNU?

Answer: if you are nominated by our exchange partner, you are waived from our tuition fee. If not, 82 USD/undergraduate credit, 129 USD/credit – Master of Business Administration Program or 120 USD/credit for other graduate programs.

To undergraduate students: full semester workload varies between 14 to 28 credits.

To graduate students: students are required to register minimum of 6 credits/semester.

Question 3: Do I need to obtain English certificates to apply for exchange program at IU-VNU?

Answer: No English proficiency assessment is required for students who live in an English-speaking country or study in a tertiary institution where the language of instruction is English.

If you are not from an English-speaking country or if the language of instruction at your institution is not English, one of the following requirements is applied:

• IELTS minimum overall band score of 6.0 (no sub-score bellow 5.5);
• TOEFL (iBT) minimum score of 61 (no sub-score bellow 19);
• Unicert 1 (Cetified by German Academic Exchange Service – DAAD);
• CEFR Level B1 (Common European Framework of Reference’s English Certificate);
• ISEP’s Language Proficiency Report (accepted for students from ISEP-Exchange programs);

Please note that IELTS &TOEFL test results are valid for 2 years.

Question 4: Can I travel to a foreign country and get back to Vietnam with an under 6 month - valid passport?

Answer: In this case, you need to have the passport renewed and the student visa stamped on the new passport; otherwise, your migration to Vietnam may be restricted.

Question 5: Should I buy medical insurance before coming to Vietnam?

Answer: Medical insurance is important to protect students from expensive treatments in case of diseases and accidents during their time in Vietnam.

Students are responsible for obtaining and purchasing medical insurance which covers medical and health services the whole time they stay in Vietnam. It is advisable that exchange students contact insurance companies in their own countries to buy a health insurance before the departure.

During COVID-19 time, student should obtain an insurance which covers the treatment fee.

Please see more questions and answers here.