44,000 students placed in higher education. Vacancies to be filled more than double

The wait is over. The results of the first phase of the national contest for admission to higher education are now known, with around 44,000 students placed in Portuguese universities and polytechnics. This represents a 12.1% drop compared to the same phase last year, which is explained by the decline in the number of applicants. As a result, the number of unfilled places has more than doubled.

“43,899 new students were placed in the first phase of the national competition for admission to public higher education for the 2025-2026 academic year”, announced the Ministry of Education in a note sent to newsrooms. You have to go back to 2016 to find a lower number.

This total corresponds to a 12.1% decrease in the number of students placed, compared to the same phase of last year’s competition, which is justified by the decline in applicants. This year, 48,718 students applied for the competition at this stage, 16.4% less than a year ago.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Education highlights that the placement rate for candidates has increased. Of the 49,000 who applied, 90.1% secured a place, four percentage points more than in the same period last year.

The Government also highlights that 63.1% of students were placed in their first choice and 90.9% in one of their top three choices, “the highest figures in recent years and one of the most relevant factors for academic success”, the ministry emphasises in a statement.

On the other hand, as a result of the lower number of applicants, the number of unfilled places (which are thus available for the second phase of the competition) shot up by 130.4%.

Specifically, 11,153 remained unfilled, the highest number in the entire statistical series (which began in 2016). A year ago, there were less than 5,000 places left.

Among the thousands of courses available, 40 were deserted (they have no students placed at this stage). And more than 200 had fewer than ten students placed.

Aerospace engineering with the highest score

The degree in Aerospace Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto achieved the highest score among all the degrees available in this first phase of the national contest for access to higher education. The score of the last candidate admitted was 19.43. This course has 30 places, all of which were filled.

Also noteworthy is the degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Minho, where the last place went to a student with a grade of 18.95. In this case too, all 31 places available have already been filled.

Completing the podium is the degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Porto. The lowest-ranked student scored 18.65, and the 112 places available have already been filled at this stage (you can see the scores for all courses in the document below).

The Ministry of Education also points out that the number of students placed in Basic Education degrees increased by 20.3% compared to the previous year, with 1,199 students placed at this stage, occupying 100% of the places available.

In addition, the ministry highlights that 1,647 students were placed in Medicine courses. And 6,447 students in courses in the areas of digital skills, down 16.7% from the previous year.

Applications for the second phase of the national competition for access to higher education run from 25 August to 3 September. The results will be announced on 14 September.