“The Faculty is taking all necessary steps to ensure that the new regulation is submitted by the end of next week,” stated an official source from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP).
The FMUP is drafting a new regulation proposal under the Special Competition for Access to the Integrated Master’s Degree in Medicine at FMUP for holders of a bachelor’s degree, in which the knowledge test is expected to be eliminated.
This regulatory change comes in the wake of controversy surrounding the special admission competition to the Integrated Master’s Degree in Medicine at U.Porto, which surfaced in September. The rector of U.Porto, António Sousa Pereira, reported having faced “pressure from several influential people with access to power” to allow the entry of 30 candidates into the Faculty of Medicine, despite their failure to achieve the minimum required score (14 points) on the knowledge test, a benchmark set for the special access course.
As part of this competition, 30 individuals received an email from the Faculty of Medicine indicating their acceptance into the course. However, this email was not ratified by the rector, resulting in their non-admission to the master’s program.
The excluded candidates expressed feeling wronged by U.Porto, citing major life changes such as relocating, quitting long-term jobs, investing in property, and withdrawing from master’s programs. The majority filed a lawsuit on October 15.
The rector of the University of Porto has assured he will not obstruct amendments to the special admission regulation to the Medicine course proposed by the FMUP’s scientific council, provided they comply with the law.
“The statutory authority to draft the regulation lies with the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Medicine. Therefore, as long as they present me with a regulation that complies with the law, there is no reason for me to obstruct it,” António de Sousa Pereira told Lusa.
