The results of applications to higher education for nearly 50,000 students have been announced today—9,046 fewer than last year. According to a statement from the Portuguese Coordinating Council of Polytechnic Institutes, approximately 14,000 students have been placed in the polytechnic subsystem, marking a “significant reduction compared to the previous year.”
The placement rate in polytechnic institutes stood at 63%, with a more severe situation in inland institutions, “where the decline in student numbers threatens the sustainability of some training areas.”
Maria José Fernandes, President of the Coordinating Council of Polytechnic Institutes, stated that the placement numbers reflect “a coastal concentration of higher education, which, in addition to accentuating regional disparities, jeopardizes territorial cohesion and the legitimate access for all young people to higher education,” as outlined in the statement.
Maria José Fernandes also highlighted the predictability of these outcomes, emphasizing that the polytechnic institutes had warned authorities about the impact of the increased weight of specific exams and the rise in entrance exams.
“While reducing the entire secondary education history, we were creating barriers for a significant number of students, particularly those from less privileged backgrounds, whose families cannot afford exam preparation,” explained the President.
The polytechnic institutions argue that the higher education access model should be revised in the next academic year and note that high housing costs and demographic decline, although not the primary concerns, are additional factors for the decrease in applicants in this year’s first phase of access to higher education.
In the first phase of the National Competition for Access to Higher Education, 43,899 students were placed, representing a 12.1% decrease from last year.
This year, there were nine thousand fewer applicants for higher education, not reaching 50,000.
