Application to Higher Education

HOW TO APPLY 

The application consists of indicating, in descending order of preference, the codes corresponding to the pairs establishment/course for which the conditions for application are met up to a maximum of 6 options.

You can apply to the national entry competition through the online application system on the Directorate-General for Higher Education website.

Students who wish to use the online application system should request a password through an application available on the DGES site at https://www.dges.gov.pt/online/SenhaAcesso/Pedir.aspx?plid=593.

The access passwords will be sent to the contacts provided by the student.

If the student is a minor, the parent or guardian must sign the application.


HOW TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION 

The following have the legitimacy to submit an application:

 

  • The Student;
  • An attorney-in-fact;
  • A parent or legal guardian (if the student is a minor).

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS 

You can apply to the national competition for access and admission to public higher education exclusively through the online system on the webpage of the Directorate-General of Higher Education.

In the 1st stage of the competition, there are special vacancy quotas for candidates from the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira, Portuguese emigrant candidates and their family members, candidates performing military service under contract, and candidates with physical or sensory disabilities.

You can also apply using the special quotas through the online system, and candidates must upload the documents in the application.


Specific documentation required for each special quota is available on the Directorate-General for Education website at https://www.dges.gov.pt/pt/pagina/contingentes?plid=593

In addition to the National Admission Competition, there are also special regimes for access to and entry into higher education for students who meet specific personal and educational conditions identified in each of the systems, available at https://www.dges.gov.pt/pt/pagina/regimes-especiais.

The application must be submitted in person at the Access to Higher Education Offices (GAES)  or through diplomatic channels, according to the special regime for which the student is applying.

When applying at the access offices (special systems), the process must include:

  • Application form, duly completed, provided at the access services;
  • Identification document (identity card/citizen card/passport/residence permit, or other official documents legally admissible) and a simple photocopy;
  • Document attesting that the prerequisites that require physical, functional, or vocational aptitude tests have been met, if necessary, for the establishment/course pairs to which the student is applying;
  • Specific documentation required for each special system candidate (information available on the DGES website at https://www.dges.gov.pt/pt/pagina/regimes-especiais)

HOW TO FILL OUT THE FORM 

In the appropriate place of the online form, the candidate must indicate the special quota or quotas for which they intend to apply. If such indication is missing or incorrect, the candidate will be included in the general quota.

In the appropriate place of the online form, the candidate must indicate whether they wish to benefit from regional preference. If this indication is missing or incorrect, the candidate will not benefit from the regional preference.

Candidates applying to pairs of establishments/courses for which it is necessary to meet a prerequisite that requires physical, functional, or vocational aptitude tests (Prerequisite Form) must indicate the prerequisites met on the application form.

Students applying to pairs of institutions/courses for which it is necessary to meet prerequisites that do not require physical, functional, or vocational aptitude tests and are documental proof, and placed in one of these courses must deliver the respective documentation upon registration and enrollment in higher education.


CHANGING/CANCELLING THE APLLICATION 

The student can freely change his application options until the end of the application deadline, and only the last application submitted will be considered.

Whenever the student requests a re-evaluation or files a complaint about the result of a national secondary school exam, and they only find out about it after the application deadline, and there has been a change in the classification of the exam, the following is provided up to three working days after the announcement:

  • The amendment of the application to candidates who have already applied;
  • The submission of the application to candidates who only then meet the conditions to do so.

To request the amendment of the application, you must fill out and submit a new form online, where the activation code of the new ENES form will be indicated;

Candidates who wish to do so may request the cancellation of their application until the deadline for submitting their application. The cancellation of the application is requested in the online application system.

 


Study| General Regime | Application to Higher Education