Latest news and stories about university admissions in education in Portugal for expats and residents.
The second phase of the national access competition for higher education has placed 9,116 students, an increase of 292 compared to 2025. Despite these placements, 4,069 vacancies remain, primarily in polytechnic institutions located in the interior of the country.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (Ministério da Educação, Ciência e Inovação or MECI) reports that only a residual number of exam re-evaluation requests remain pending. Officials guarantee that no student will be prevented from applying to the first phase of higher education access due to these delays. The National Exams Jury (Júri Nacional de Exames or JNE) has sent the vast majority of results to schools.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (Ministério da Educação, Ciência e Inovação) is the government department responsible for Portugal's education system, from pre-school to secondary schools and universities, as well as science and research policy. It sets the school curriculum and calendar, manages the public-school teaching workforce and, together with the institutions, decides how many places public universities offer each year.
The National Examination Jury (Júri Nacional de Exames or JNE) is the public body responsible for organizing, managing, and overseeing national exams in Portugal. It ensures the integrity of the testing process, including the distribution of exam papers to teachers for grading and the final certification of student results.
Over 60,000 students have applied for the first phase of higher education, marking the highest figure in 30 years outside of the pandemic period. While the Ministry of Education views the 22% increase as a positive sign, some universities have expressed concern regarding potential drops in academic standards and increased first-year dropout rates.
The Institute for Higher Education has announced that the application deadline for the second phase of national university access has been moved forward by two days. Students now have until September 20th to submit their applications.
Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) Secretary-General José Luís Carneiro has called for an urgent meeting between the government and the Council of Rectors to address the current instability in the education sector. Carneiro suggested extending the application deadline for higher education and potentially delaying the second phase of national exams by one or two days to ensure student security. This follows widespread disruption caused by errors in the national exam grading process.
José Luís Carneiro is a Portuguese politician and member of the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS). He served as the Minister of Internal Administration (Ministro da Administração Interna) from 2022 to 2024 and currently holds a seat in the Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da República).
Health cards are private membership or discount schemes sold by companies that offer access to consultations, tests or reduced fees at private clinics; they are not the public health service. The Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) has proposed regulation to increase transparency and protect consumers from misleading marketing or unexpected charges.
With the uncertainty resulting from delays in posting 12th-grade exam grades, students are calculating the deadlines for the second phase of exams and higher education applications. These are the key dates.
The Directorate-General for Higher Education (Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior or DGES) has confirmed that the first phase of the national higher education access competition will run from July 20 to August 6. Students placed in this round must complete their enrollment between August 24 and 27.
The Directorate-General for Higher Education (Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior or DGES) is the government agency responsible for coordinating the national higher education access competition. It manages the application process for public universities and polytechnics, ensuring that student placements are allocated based on entrance exam scores and course availability.
