The National University of Laos (NUOL) yesterday kicked off its entrance exams for more than 16,500 school leavers and will take on 3,476 students this academic year, according to an official.
This year’s exams include physics, mathematics, chemistry, literature, geography and history. Applications for entrance to the university closed on August 5 before the exams were set to wind up at examination centres and the NUOL campus yesterday. The university’s Academic Affairs Director, Associate Professor Dr Khamphong Nammavongmixay told Vientiane Times yesterday that students will know their results by early next month.
The most successful students will be offered places at the 12 faculties and will begin their new academic year in the beginning of October, while lower scoring students will be encouraged to take on other fields of study.
“We see a great number of students applying to study at the university, but we can only accept 3,476 students this year to study in 12 faculties,” Dr Khamphong said.
A large number of applicants have registered to study in the university’s faculties of Economics and Business Management, Law and Political Science, Letters, Social Science and other fields, while only a small number registered to study in the Faculty of Agriculture.
Students who could not pass the entrance exams had other options available to them, including studying for a diploma at a private or public vocational training institute, or heading to a teacher training college or other school.
Mr. Kongsaeng Sichaleun, who graduated from Sithantai Secondary School in Vientiane’s Hadxaifong district a few months back, said he had applied to study at the Faculty of Letters.
“I want to speak English well and want to be a government official. So far, I have only applied to study in this faculty,” he said.
Mr. Kongsaeng said he may apply to study at other colleges or institutions if he did not pass the university entrance exams.
Entrance exams at the country’s five public universities – NUOL and the University of Health Sciences in Vientiane, Luang Prabang’s Souphanouvong University, Savannakhet University and Champassak University were each different and the responsibility of the universities.
Some of the universities are expected to begin their new academic year next month, while others will hold off until the start of October.
This year the ministry’s unofficial plan aimed for an estimated 40,000 out of more than 58,000 school leavers to be accepted for courses at universities, technical vocational training institutes, teacher training colleges and other schools, according to the ministry.
This does not include students accepted by educational institutions under other ministries, such as the Dongkhamxang Finance and Economic Institute run by the Ministry of Finance and the University of Health Sciences run by the Ministry of Health.
Source: Vientiane Times
