Launched in 2017, Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV) is the country’s first fully independent non-profit university and aims to bring world-class university standards to Vietnam. USAID support will help FUV build admissions, financial aid, and recruitment offices; design curriculum and technology platforms; and develop student career and campus activity programs.

Earlier this year, 400 candidates applied for admission to FUV’s first undergraduate class in 2018. The application process was rigorous: candidates participated in individual and group interviews, teamwork and collaboration exercises, and joined exhibition seminars to demonstrate their intellectual curiosity in a classroom environment. FUV also conducted interviews with the candidates’ parents and family members. After more than six weeks of exercises and internal deliberations, last week, the FUV Admissions Committee sent out admission letters and financial aid offers.

So What? Since Vietnamese universities typically accept new students solely on the basis of their written exam scores, FUV is already distinguishing itself as an innovative institution in its first year of operation. The admission letters mark an important milestone in the creation of a replicable model for demand driven higher education.