The Ministry sets the rules for university admission, field placement and transfers

A university must check the placement record and documents of the students the Ministry sent it and register them on time. It may not admit a student on its own initiative outside the Ministry's placement, change the university a student was placed at, or register a student who was placed at another university. Universities allowed to set their own entrance exam must admit on fixed criteria and on results they publish. New students must be told about the university, the fields it teaches and how field placement works.

Placement into a field must weigh the country's workforce needs, the fields leading the economy, the student's results and choice, and the places each field has. It must be open, run in order of priority, and apply the same criteria to every student. The circular fixes the weights:

Women and students with disabilities have five points added to their result during field placement, and a university must place a student with a disability in a field that suits the disability. A student asking for this support must hand in legal proof on time. A university may not change a student's field outside these criteria because of a personal request, a special order or an arrangement made for one student.

• A move from one university to another needs the agreement of both universities, and the Ministry must be informed by letter once it happens.
• A request is considered only from a student who has studied at least one semester at the placed university and has not finished more than half of the programme.
• The student must have no F, NG or I grade, a cumulative average of 2.00 or above, and no disciplinary case.
• A request made on health grounds, or another special reason, must come with legal and verified proof.
• A student may move from a public university to a private one. A move from a private institution to a public university is not allowed.
• A transfer can be between campuses of one university, between universities, or between programmes.
• When a disaster, a security problem or another emergency needs more transfers than usual, a university may not decide alone. It reports to the Ministry and follows the Ministry's direction.

Every university must have a clear procedure to receive, investigate and answer complaints about admission, field placement and transfers on time. Decisions on all three must rest on clear criteria and reliable evidence, and must be kept on file.

In July the Ministry told universities that moving a placed first-year student was prohibited, which we covered in Universities may not move or admit first-year students placed by the Ministry. This circular keeps first-year students where they were placed, because a transfer now needs a completed semester. After that semester, it lets a student move when both universities agree.