Who can apply for higher education?
Under the general admission system, students who cumulatively meet the following conditions may apply for admission to a specific course and higher education institution:
- To have passed a secondary education course under the conditions for continuing studies, when available, or to hold a legally equivalent qualification;
- To have taken the entrance exams in the previous 4 years or the current year, as set for the institution/study cycle pair, and to have obtained in those exams a grade equal to or higher than the minimum grade required;
- Meet the prerequisites, if any are set for the institution/study program pair;
- To have an application score equal to or higher than the minimum value set for the institution/study cycle pair.
- Not being covered by the international student statute regulated by Decree-Law No. 36/2014, of March 10, amended and republished by Decree-Law No. 62/2018, of August 6.
With the approval of the International Student Statute, through Decree-Law No. 36/2014, of March 10, amended and republished by Decree-Law No. 62/2018, of August 6, a special competition was created, organized by each Higher Education Institution, for access and admission to higher education exclusively for international students. International students are all nationals of countries not belonging to the European Union – EU.
Thus, through the general system of access and admission to higher education, only the following may apply:
- Portuguese citizens;
- Nationals of a Member State of the European Union or nationals of a State Party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area;
- Family members of Portuguese citizens or nationals of a Member State of the European Union or of a national of a State Party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, regardless of their nationality;
- Those who, not being nationals of a Member State of the European Union, nor of a State Party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), have legally resided in Portugal for more than two years, uninterruptedly, on January 1st of the year in which they intend to enter higher education, as well as their children who reside with them.
- Those eligible, on January 1st of the year in which they intend to enter higher education, are granted equal rights and duties under an international treaty signed between the Portuguese State and the State of which they are nationals.
Which secondary school courses allow entry into higher education?
All secondary education courses (12th grade) and courses defined by law as equivalent provide access to higher education.
Thus, among other things, they provide access to higher education:
- Secondary education courses (Decree-Law No. 55/2018) Scientific-humanistic, professional, specialized artistic courses and courses with their own curricula .
- Secondary education courses (Decree-Law No. 139/2012) Scientific-humanistic, technological, specialized artistic, professional, vocational and recurrent education courses.
- Courses covered by Decree-Law No. 74/2004: Scientific-humanistic, technological, specialized artistic, professional, and recurrent education courses.
- Education and training courses at level 4 qualification (CEF)
- Adult education and training courses (EFA) , secondary education courses (Decree-Law No. 286/89), general courses, technological and specialized artistic courses.
- 12th grade courses in the educational pathway
- 12th grade courses in the vocational track
- Secondary education courses divided into capitalizable units/blocks.
- Technical and vocational courses (daytime and evening classes)
- Level 3 courses in the Apprenticeship System, currently level 4 qualification, and other equivalent courses (Decree No. 1497/2008, of December 19)
- Level 3 courses, currently level 4 qualifications, from vocational schools (syllabi not covered by Decree-Law No. 74/2004)
- Courses completed under Decree-Law No. 357/2007, of October 29.
Adults who complete a Recognition, Validation and Certification of Competencies (RVCC) process may also enter higher education.
Students holding apprenticeship courses from the Institute of Employment and Vocational Training, IP (IEFP, IP) and other entities, education and training courses (CEF), adult education and training courses (EFA), technological courses, other discontinued secondary level courses or pathways, and also those who have completed a recognition, validation and certification of competences (RVCC) process at the secondary level, who wish to pursue higher education studies, only need to take the national final exams they choose as entrance exams.
A secondary education qualification can also be obtained through the equivalence of other qualifications, particularly foreign ones. To obtain information about the equivalence of foreign qualifications to Portuguese secondary education, those interested should contact a public, private, or cooperative secondary education institution or the Directorate-General for Education – Equivalence Granting Team.
All secondary education courses allow students to apply for admission to any higher education course, provided that the respective entrance exams are taken and, where required, the prerequisites are met.
Students intending to enter higher education should choose the secondary education course that best suits the higher education courses they wish to apply for, selecting a course that includes subjects such as:
- Which are established as entrance exams for the courses they intend to apply for;
- Even though they are not required as entrance exams, they are especially important for attending these courses.
Which national final exams should a student register for if they intend to apply to higher education?
Students wishing to apply to public or private higher education must complete the following mandatory requirements:
- The national final exams for the purpose of passing subjects and completing secondary education;
- The national final exams corresponding to the entrance exams for the higher education courses they intend to apply for, if they have not taken them in the last 4 years, or if they wish to improve those grades, which are only relevant for the purposes of access to higher education.
Entrance exams are conducted through the completion of national final exams at the secondary school level.
What are the entrance exams required for each undergraduate course?
The required entrance exams are determined by each higher education institution for each of its courses, and cannot be fewer than one or more than three. Alternative sets of exams may exist.
Each student must take the entrance exams required by higher education institutions for the courses they wish to apply for.
The entrance exams required for each higher education course at each institution are published on the IES, IP website, in DIGITAL GUIDES: Application Guide – Public Higher Education and Application Guide – Private Higher Education and Portuguese Catholic University.
What are the national final exams that students must take as entrance exams?
A national final exam can serve several purposes, including passing secondary school, as an entrance exam, and also for improving the final grade in a subject.
Students enrolled in secondary education courses regulated by Decree-Law No. 55/2018, as amended, and Decree-Law No. 139/2012, as amended, who take a national final exam in a subject for course approval or as an entrance exam must register for and take the national exam corresponding to the entrance exam – To consult the correspondences – General Examination Guide – Table A and Table B.
All applicants for higher education who intend to take an exam in a subject exclusively as an entrance exam must take the national final exams for the subjects of the secondary education courses indicated in Table B of the General Examination Guide.
What is the minimum required score for the entrance exams?
Higher education institutions require a minimum score of 95 points or higher on entrance exams, on a scale of 0 to 200.
The minimum grades required for admission to each institution/study program are published in DIGITAL GUIDES: Application Guide – Public Higher Education and Application Guide – Private Higher Education and the Catholic University of Portugal.
The national final exam taken as an entrance exam is only valid for this purpose if the score is equal to or higher than the minimum score required by each institution/study program.
What is the ENES Form?
The ENES Form (ENES – National Secondary Education Exams) is a document required for applications to higher education and contains information about valid entrance exams, as well as the completion and classification of secondary education for the various access phases. Students can request it from the school where they took the national final exams, after the publication of the exam results.
For applications to higher education, students who do not intend to take exams in the current academic year must register with PIEPE, filling in only the "ENES Form Request" field, for the purpose of issuing the ENES Form, without having to pay the registration fee.
This request can be made until the start of the school year's registration period, provided that the student has met the requirements for access to higher education by the end of the application period for the 3rd phase of the national competition for access to higher education.
The ENES form also contains an activation code for use in step 2 of the online application for the national access competition, without which it is not possible to validate the application.
In cases of changes to exam grades due to reassessment or appeal, the student must request a new ENES form from the school, returning the previous one.
Not possessing the ENES form prevents applications to the general system of access to higher education.
What types of entrance exams are available for access to and admission to higher education?
Vacancies at public higher education institutions are offered through a national competition organized by the Institute for Higher Education, IP.
Due to their specific characteristics, places on some public higher education courses are offered through local competitions organized by the institutions themselves.
For example:
- Higher education course in Theatre (School of Theatre and Cinema of the Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon);
- Military higher education courses (Military Academy, Naval School, Air Force Academy);
- Police Sciences (Higher Institute of Police Sciences and Internal Security).
Vacancies at private higher education institutions and the Catholic University of Portugal are offered through institutional competitions, that is, competitions organized by each institution and limited to the courses they offer.
In addition to the general admission processes – national, local and institutional – there are a number of special admission processes and special access schemes for candidates with specific educational and personal requirements. For information on these processes, please consult the IES, IP website.
How many places are available for each course at each institution?
Admission to each higher education institution and course is subject to quantitative limitations, resulting from the number of places set annually.
The number of places available for each course at each higher education institution is determined annually by the institutions themselves, taking into account their resources, as well as the general guidelines established annually by the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation.
The vacancies are published on the website of the Institute for Higher Education, IP – through DIGITAL GUIDES: Application Guide – Public Higher Education and Application Guide – Private Higher Education and the Catholic University of Portugal.
How many courses can one apply for in the national entrance exam?
When applying to public higher education through the national entrance exam, each student can, at each stage of the exam, apply to a maximum of six institution/study cycle pairs, that is, six combinations of institutions and courses, indicated in order of preference.
How, when, and where do I apply for the national competition?
Applications for the national entrance examination for public higher education are submitted through the online application system on the website of the Institute for Higher Education, IP.
Therefore, students wishing to apply to public higher education institutions must request an access password through the password assignment request process.
The access password assigned in previous years does not allow the application to be submitted. .
The password assignment request is made on the IES website, IP –, and the student must follow all the indicated procedures.
If the student is a minor, the application receipt must be signed by their legal guardian or by someone who demonstrates parental responsibility or guardianship.
The request for a password to access the online application system should preferably be made during the registration period for the first phase of the national final exams, by uploading the password assignment receipt to PIEPE. However, the request may also be made until the end of the application period for each phase of the competition.
For receipts of applications submitted at schools during registration for the first phase of the national final exams, access codes will be sent from May onwards to the email addresses provided by students in their password request.
Starting in June, it will also be possible to present the receipt for the password request for access to the online application system, for certification, at the higher education access offices located in all districts.
Once a password has been assigned to access the online application system, the candidate can use the same password in any phase of the application process for the national competition for access and admission to public higher education.
Candidates can compete in the various stages of the competition.
However, for students admitted in the first phase who apply to and are admitted in the second phase, their admission in the first phase is automatically cancelled, and consequently, their registration and enrollment are also cancelled. The right to the place obtained in the second phase of application expires if registration is not completed within the established deadline.
Similarly, for students placed in the 1st or 2nd phases who apply to and are placed in the 3rd phase, that placement is automatically cancelled, and consequently, the registration and enrollment are also cancelled. The right to the place obtained in the 3rd application phase expires if registration is not completed within the established deadline.
Can the course options be changed?
Students are free to change their course choices within the application period, provided they submit their application.
Whenever the result of a review or appeal of a national secondary school exam grade is only known after the application deadline and results in a change to the exam grade, it is possible, up to 3 consecutive days after its publication:
Changes to course options, by candidates who have already submitted them;
The application must be submitted by students who are then eligible to do so.
The classification resulting from the reassessment or complaint process always has an effect on the application submitted.
Therefore, if the student does not wish to change the options they have previously indicated, they do not need to take any action, and the grades will be communicated by the school.
What are the prerequisites?
Prerequisites are physical, functional, or vocational conditions that are particularly relevant for admission to certain higher education courses.
It is up to each higher education institution to decide whether applications to any of its courses should be subject to the fulfillment of prerequisites and to determine their content.
Depending on their nature, prerequisites may be eliminatory, intended for selection and ranking, or only for ranking candidates.
Example 1:
Applications for some courses in the field of Physical Education/Sports are subject to meeting prerequisites.
A student who cannot demonstrate that they meet the prerequisites cannot apply for this course.
Example 2:
Applications for some Music courses are subject to the verification of prerequisites, which consist of taking musical aptitude tests.
The classification of these tests is expressed as a numerical value, convertible to a scale of 0 to 200.
If the institution has determined that this grade has a weight of 15% in the application grade, and if the student obtains a grade of 13.5 on that exam, this grade is converted to the 0 to 200 scale by multiplying it by 10:
13.5 x 10 = 135
This result is multiplied by the weight of 15% mentioned above:
135 x 0.15 = 20.25
This value (20.25) is added to the values of the remaining components of the application grade (final grade of the secondary education course or CFCEPE and entrance exam(s).
How can I find out if applying to a particular course requires meeting prerequisites?
To find out if applying to a particular course at a specific higher education institution is subject to meeting or completing prerequisites, you should consult the higher education institution.
More information can be found here:
- in the offices for access to higher education
- on the website of the Institute for Higher Education, IP.
Fulfillment of the prerequisites requiring physical, functional, or vocational aptitude tests is certified through the 2026 Prerequisites Form, issued by the institution where the tests were conducted and indicated on the online application form.
The prerequisites for Groups C, H, I, K, M, Q, R, S, and Z are met in the situation described in the paragraph above.
The fulfillment of prerequisites, which do not require physical, functional, or vocational aptitude tests and are merely documented, is submitted by candidates at the time of enrollment and registration in higher education, at the institution/study cycle that requires them, should they obtain a place there, and is an indispensable condition for enrollment and registration.
The prerequisites for Groups A, B, D, E, and F are met in the situation indicated in the previous paragraph.
What criteria are used to rank candidates for each course?
The ranking of candidates for each course at each higher education institution is done in descending order of an application score, calculated using the following classifications:
- Final classification of secondary education »» with a weight of not less than 40%
- Classification of entrance exams »» with a weight of not less than 45%
- Classification of prerequisites for ranking, when required, with a weight not exceeding 15%.
When a course requires taking two entrance exams, each will have a weight of 50% in relation to the total weight of the entrance exams at that institution, unless the higher education institution defines a different distribution of the weight assigned to this component.
For the purposes of access to higher education, the grades from national secondary school exams are used as entrance exams without rounding.
Therefore, if the jury awarded an exam 124 points:
- The exam grade, for the purposes of calculating the final grade in secondary education, is 12 out of 20.;
- The passing grade for this exam, for the purposes of entrance testing, is 124 points.
Is a minimum grade required for the application?
Higher education institutions require a minimum grade for applications. Only students whose application grade for a given institution/study program is equal to or higher than this minimum grade can apply to that specific institution/study program.
The minimum application grades required for admission to each institution/study cycle are published on the website of the Institute for Higher Education, IP in DIGITAL GUIDES: Application Guide – Public Higher Education and Application Guide – Private Higher Education and Portuguese Catholic University.
The minimum grade requirement for the application is independent of the minimum grade requirement for the entrance exams.
Is it possible to apply for multiple stages of the national competition?
Yes, it is possible to apply for the various stages of the national competition.
If you apply and are granted a new placement in a subsequent phase (and only in this situation), the previous placement is automatically cancelled, and consequently, the enrollment and registration are also cancelled.
In this situation, you cannot opt for your previous placement; the last one (in the 2nd or 3rd phase) will prevail. The amount paid for tuition and registration fees will be sent to the institution where you obtained the new placement.
If you apply in a later phase but are not placed, your previous registration and enrollment remain valid, provided you completed them within the established deadline.
What rules govern admission to a course at a private higher education institution?
The general rules for access to higher education apply equally to both public and private higher education.
Students wishing to enroll in a course at a private higher education institution are therefore subject to the same rules as applicants for public higher education.
The number of places is also determined annually by the institutions themselves, taking into account the resources of each one, and published by the Institute for Higher Education, IP. Placement is subject to an institutional competition, that is, a competition organized by each private higher education institution.
Before enrolling in a course at a private higher education institution, consult the website of the Institute for Higher Education, IP to find out the legal status of the institution and the course.
