VietTESOL International Convention 2026

Over the past decades, higher education has become more globalised, leading to the increasing need to run more and more EMI (English as a medium of instruction) courses. This not only helps universities to increase their global rankings but also helps students to be better prepared for the competitive global job market (Ahmed, 2025; Polyakova et. al., 2022). That is why even in the countries where English is used as either a second or a foreign language, EMI courses are gaining more popularity (Tien, 2022). This study was conducted at a university in Ha Noi, Vietnam. The subjects were 90 first-year science-majored students. The study aimed to explore (a) the academic benefits that first-year students gained through EMI science classes, (b) the language challenges they faced during their EMI lectures, and (c) the students’ suggested solutions to more effective EMI science classes. The students were asked to answer survey questionnaires that included both closed-ended and open-ended questions related to the research questions. The findings have revealed that EMI classes helped students to boost their language proficiency, created more chances to be exposed to academic resources in English, and increased career readiness. The study also highlighted challenges in understanding lectures, following different teaching methodologies, and actively participating in class activities due to language barriers. The students also expected more instant and consistent support from the lecturers before, during and after class hours in order to maximise their learning through EMI classes.