On the eve of the Education Minister and his team heading to parliament to discuss budget allocations for education, higher education, and science in the upcoming State Budget (OE), APESP is calling for an increase in spending per higher education student.
The proposed budget for higher education and science foresees a total consolidated expenditure of 3.925 billion euros, marking an 8.2% increase.
APESP requests that the OE2026 addresses “fiscal and financial inequalities” affecting students, families, and social, private, and cooperative higher education institutions by raising the current 800-euro limit for education expenses.
The association argues that the current amount is “clearly below the real costs of attending higher education” and therefore proposes updating the amount to 2,400 euros per taxpayer or dependent.
“This budget reflects a desire to place education at the center of the country’s development, but there are no signs of balanced and fair treatment for those who freely choose to study in private higher education, which has graduated over half a million Portuguese in the last two decades,” says APESP President António Almeida Dias.
The association emphasizes that private students “continue to bear the full cost of their education while also funding public education, which they do not attend, through their taxes” and considers their proposal a “simple and fair measure” ensuring all families “are treated equitably, regardless of the institution chosen.”
APESP also advocates for all direct social support measures, such as scholarships, housing, or transportation, as well as other tax benefits to be applied “without any discrimination” regarding the nature of the educational institution attended by students.
The association further calls for “a fairer and more coherent tax regime” to allocate more resources towards academic, scientific, and pedagogical quality, lamenting the fact that private and cooperative institutions are “subject to a heavier and less favorable tax framework than state institutions.”
The OE2026 proposal submitted this month in parliament includes an increase of over 600 million euros for areas under the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation.
In the case of Education, the Government plans to spend an additional 324.5 million euros, with the total consolidated revenue and expenditure allocation for next year amounting to 7.5431 billion euros, an increase of 4.5% over this year.
Funds allocated to higher education, science, and innovation also increase by 8.2%, as previously announced by Minister Fernando Alexandre, reaching new heights.
Revenues earmarked for education increase by more than 324 million euros next year, totaling 7.54 billion euros, and higher education and science are set to increase by nearly 300 million euros, according to the State Budget proposal for 2026.
