More than 43,000 students have been placed in public higher education institutions, accounting for nine out of every ten applicants, with the majority securing a spot in their desired course, according to official data released today.
This year saw a decline of 9,000 applicants to higher education, falling short of 50,000, confirming predictions of fewer students entering higher education. In the first phase of the National Access Competition to Higher Education, 43,899 students were placed, representing a 12.1% decrease compared to the previous year.
However, the percentage of candidates successfully securing a spot increased, reaching an all-time high of 90.1%, four percentage points higher than in 2024.
Most students (63.1%) were placed in their first choice, and 90.9% in one of their top three choices, marking the highest levels in recent years.
According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI), this percentage increase reflects “a growing adjustment between student demand and institutional offerings.”
Courses in Aerospace Engineering, Medicine, Mathematics Applied to Economics and Management, and Bioengineering remain the most competitive, with the last placed students having a minimum average of 18 or above.
This year, there were 626 more vacancies and 9,000 fewer applicants, resulting in 11,513 remaining vacancies, the highest in the last decade.
The data also indicates a 20.3% increase in students placed in Basic Education degrees, with 1,199 new students occupying all available spots in the first phase.
“In the last three years, the number of students placed in Basic Education degrees increased by 64.9%, demonstrating the growing interest of students in these fields,” the MECI highlighted in a statement sent to newsrooms.
In medical courses, which remain among those with the highest entry requirements, 1,647 students were placed.
Looking at the most competitive courses, with the highest number of first-choice applicants scoring 17 points or more, 4,524 new students entered, a 10% increase from the previous year.
Conversely, placements in digital skills courses decreased: 6,447 freshmen, 16.7% less than the previous year.
Students placed in the first phase have four days, from Monday to Thursday, to enroll. They can apply for the second phase, which also begins on Monday.
Alongside the 11,513 remaining vacancies, the second phase will offer new spots left by students who did not complete their enrollment and registration.
These new vacancies will be disclosed on September 2 on the General Directorate for Higher Education’s website (http://www.dges.gov.pt), with opportunities to modify existing applications at that time.
Applications for the second phase end on September 3, and results will be announced on September 14.
The second phase is open to those who were not placed in the first phase and those who wish to change their course. However, “if these students are placed in the second phase, their placement and enrollment from the first phase are annulled,” the ministry reminds.
Students placed in the first phase who did not complete their respective enrollment can also reapply in the second phase, according to the rules.
You can check the placements here.
