“In light of the seriousness of the situation involving the Faculty of Medicine, the Rectorate of the University of Porto, and the Ministry of Education, the Porto Academic Federation convened the university’s student associations for an urgent meeting tonight to analyze and respond to the incident and the subsequent deterioration of relations between the University of Porto and the Ministry of Education,” stated Francisco Fernandes, the president of FAP.
Earlier, the FAP president had demanded an “internal inquiry” to determine why Altamiro da Costa-Pereira, the director of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Porto, informed 30 candidates of their acceptance into the medicine program via an official university email without obtaining authorization from the rector, António de Sousa Pereira.
Due to the severity of the situation, Francisco Fernandes advocates for an urgent meeting today so that all student associations can collectively analyze and respond to the situation with a unified decision, which could involve calling for the resignation of either the rector or the director of the Faculty of Medicine.
The rector of U.Porto, António de Sousa Pereira, reported having received pressure from various individuals to admit 30 candidates into the Faculty of Medicine who did not meet the minimum required grade—14 marks—in the entrance exam for the special access course, as revealed today by the weekly publication Expresso.
The PSD has requested an urgent hearing with the Minister of Education and the rector of Porto to provide clarifications about alleged pressures in the admissions process for the medical program in the academic year 2025/2026.
The PSD also requests a hearing with the director of the Faculty of Medicine at U. Porto, Altamiro da Costa-Pereira.
Meanwhile, the PS and the IL have also called for a parliamentary hearing with the Minister of Education.
In an interview, the president of FAP expressed being “ashamed” over the frustration caused to 30 candidates for the medicine degree at U.Porto, considered the best in Portugal, and called for an “internal inquiry” to determine responsibilities for notifying students of their acceptance into the medicine program without legal backing.
“We advocate for an internal inquiry to prevent this from ever happening again. We are ashamed of the frustration that was caused to the students and, above all, how it is possible for the University of Porto, between the rectorate and its organic entities, to fail to reach an understanding,” he emphasized.
Francisco Fernandes regrets that an email was sent by the Faculty of Medicine at U.Porto without the rector’s authorization.
“The University of Porto is one entity,” he stressed.
According to the president of FAP, there was “a candidate who resigned from their job, another who sold their house, and another who quit their job abroad.”
In other words, candidates who learned they were definitively placed in FMUP changed their lives, he added.
