Fewer applicants for higher education due to costs involved – students

Higher education students in Portugal argued on Tuesday that the high financial costs of studying away from home prevent many young people from continuing their studies, believing this to be one of the main reasons for the reduction in the number of applicants for higher education.

Less than 50,000 students applied for the first phase of the 2025 national entrance exam for higher education, a figure that is well below that recorded in recent years and only comparable to that recorded in 2018.

Student associations point to two main reasons for this phenomenon: the demographic decline and the costs of studying in higher education.

“Portugal has been experiencing a demographic decline since 1996, which is reflected in the number of people in higher education,” said Gonçalo Osório de Castro, president of the Academic Association of the University of Lisbon (AAUL), in statements to Lusa.

This opinion is shared by Francisco Fernandes, president of the Academic Federation of Porto (FAP), who also criticises the lack of statistical information that does not allow us to know, for example, how many students finished 12th grade this year. As an alternative, Francisco Fernandes refers to figures showing a “reduction in enrolment this year in the national Portuguese exam”, which has once again become compulsory for all.

Official data also shows that fewer students are taking national exams in order to enter higher education: this year, only 55% said they wanted to go to a university or polytechnic, compared to 57% in 2024.

For the two representatives of higher education students, the big problem is the stories and those who do not pursue their dream of studying due to financial difficulties.

“In Lisbon, the average monthly price of a room is €500,” said Gonçalo Osório Castro, noting that 40% of students at higher education institutions located in Lisbon are students from other regions.

The president of AAUL cited the latest data from the Student Accommodation Observatory report, which confirms the increase in the price of rooms in the student rental market and shows that “it is very expensive to study in large urban centres”.

At the beginning of this summer, the average monthly cost in the country was €415, with Lisbon being the most expensive region, followed by Porto.

“With average prices of €400 per room, we are preventing many students from ever becoming students,” warned Francisco Fernandes, who has no doubt that there are many students who would like to study in Porto but give up. According to the president of the FAP, between 2018 and 2024, there was a 10% reduction in the number of students from other regions in the city.

Francisco Fernandes regrets the decrease in higher education students: “Part of it can be justified in demographic terms, but the rest can only be explained by social issues. The reduction in the number of students from other regions reveals the serious problem we have and shows that to study in higher education you need money and luck in your postcode.”

The president of FAP calls for a serious fight against the housing crisis and a commitment to student grants. “We have said that housing is not a problem exclusive to students, but to the country, and therefore it must be a national priority, because it reproduces inequalities,” he appealed.

This year there are fewer candidates for higher education, but there are more places: there are around 55,000 places in the general public education system, plus another 21,000 in special schemes and competitions, such as for those over 23 or changing courses. In the private sector, there are around 25,000 places.

In the first phase of the national exams, students’ grades were also lower this year. Out of a total of 25 subjects, 15 had lower averages when compared to the results of the first phase last year.

The results of the placements will be announced on 24 August, and students will then have that week to enrol. Between 25 August and 3 September, applications for the second phase of the national competition will take place, which usually has far fewer places available.