Hanoi waives tuition fees for all public school students from 2025

THE HANOI TIMES — Hanoi's authorities have decided to waive tuition fees for all students at public schools to ease parents’ financial burden and promote equality in education.

The policy, issued on October 8, takes effect from the 2025–2026 academic year. Students in preschool, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary levels will benefit from this decision.

The Hanoi People’s Committee assigned the Departments of Education and Training, Finance and Justice, along with relevant agencies, to finalize a draft resolution defining tuition levels, the amount of state budget compensation for public schools and tuition support for children and students at private and semi-private institutions.

The level of support will follow the tuition framework under Decree No. 238/2025/ND-CP, but will not exceed the actual tuition fees charged by these institutions.

Students and children will not need to apply for tuition exemption, as the system will automatically apply the policy through the National Population Database.

Ward and commune-level authorities must closely supervise the process to ensure full and timely implementation of tuition waivers and financial support.

The city government requires all educational institutions to follow regulations on service fees and prevent overcharging at the start of the school year.

In the 2025–2026 academic year, Hanoi has nearly 3,000 preschools and general education schools with about 70,500 classes. Of these, 2,337 are public schools and the rest are private.

The city houses more than 2.3 million students – an increase of 60,000 compared to the previous year.

Hanoi also has 29 continuing education and vocational centers with about 29,000 high school-level learners and 28,000 students in linked training programs.

Source: Official Dispatch No. 5487/UBND-KGVX issued by the Hanoi People’s Committee on October 8, 2025.