Special competitions to access higher education

Policy development
Regulation/Legislation
Portugal
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Timeline
  • 2020Approved/Agreed
  • 2021Implementation
  • 2022Implementation
  • 2023Implementation
  • 2024Implementation
ID number
29212

Background

A brief overview of the context and rationale of the policy development, explaining why it is implemented or why it is important.

This measure is the result of a wide-ranging debate and was based on a study carried out by OECD. This study concluded that the current national competition for access to higher education was fully aligned with the curriculum of general education, obliging VET learners to take exams in subjects that were not part of their curriculum. This placed them in an uneven situation, creating obstacles in accessing higher education and hindering permeability.

Objectives

Goals and objectives of the policy development.

The main objectives are:

  1. to introduce flexibility and increase equal opportunities in accessing higher education.
  2. to increase the number of VET graduates in higher education, ensuring that, by the end of 2023, approximately 10 000 VET graduates (40%) will continue their studies at this education level.

The government is seeking to broaden participation in higher education, aiming to reach the EU average by 2030. The benchmark set for 2030 is for 60% of 20-year- olds to attend higher education and 50% of 30 to 34-year-olds.

Description

What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.

Legislation passed in 2020 introduced special conditions for upper secondary VET graduates to access higher education. They consider VET graduate scores in the final evaluation and aptitude tests, as well as specific tests carried out by each institution to assess if candidates have the necessary knowledge and competences to undertake a particular tertiary education programme. Participation in the exams is voluntary and each higher education institution determines the number of VET graduates that it will accept.

To ensure the best alignment between the candidates' previous education and the study cycle to which they want to apply, the areas of the National classification of education and training areas (CNAEF) should be made available.

2020
Approved/Agreed

Legislation was introduced in April 2020 and came into effect in the school year 2020-21.

2021
Implementation

In 2021, an additional solution was created: the constitution of three regional consortia (North, Centre, South and Islands). Henceforth, students take regional tests in a specific higher education institution and these tests allows them to apply to all the higher education institutions in the same region, included in the consortia as long as the HE institutions provide vacancies in the relevant tertiary education programmes.

2022
Implementation

Due the war in Ukraine, an exceptional measure for Ukrainian students in higher education, university and polytechnic, benefiting from temporary protection was created. Decree-Law No 28-A/2022, of 25 March establishes that Ukrainian citizens may apply for emergency student status for humanitarian reasons. The admission is not subject to quantitative limitations arising from the prior establishment of vacancies and may occur in all study cycles. Also Dispatch No 3597/2022 of 25 March and Dispatch No 14161/2022 0f 9 December establish exceptional social support measures.

A new legislation, Dispatch No 8022-B/2022 of 30 June, defines special conditions for VET students, setting for the academic year 2022/23 that 15% of places in higher education study cycles is reserved for holders of secondary level dual certification courses and specialised artistic courses.

2023
Implementation

Decree-law (Decreto-Lei) No 64-A/2023 of 31 July and Ordinance (Portaria) No 248-A/2023 of 1 August approved the rules for special access and admission to higher education for:

a. Portuguese nationals of diplomatic missions abroad and their accompanying family members;

b. Portuguese scholarship holders abroad, Portuguese civil servants on official missions abroad and Portuguese officials of EU institutions and their accompanying family members;

c. military members of the Armed Forces in permanent service and under special military service contracts;

d. national scholarship holders from Portuguese-speaking African countries;

e. officials of foreign diplomatic missions accredited in Portugal and their family members;

f. high-performance sports practitioners;

g. nationals of East Timor.

2024
Implementation

National commission for access to higher education (CNAES) by the Deliberation No 555/2024 established conditions for the application of holders of dual certification training courses and specialised artistic courses to bachelor's and integrated master's degree study cycles. CNAES recommends that the theoretical and practical tests for assessing knowledge and skills considered indispensable for access and admission should be assigned a weighting of between 20% and 30%.

PESSOAS-2024-25 is to support scholarships for students attending higher education in the 2024-2025 academic year. More than EUR 129 million have been allocated, with an investment of EUR 110 million from the ESF+, to increase the number of people with higher education and promote academic success. It aims to support scholarships to be awarded to underprivileged students and includes support for higher education students attending institutions with lower demand and in areas with less demographic pressure through mobility grants for displaced students. Students with disabilities can also be supported, promoting equal opportunities and social integration.

Bodies responsible

This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
  • Higher education institutions
  • Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (Until April 2024)
  • Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI)

Target groups

Those who are positively and directly affected by the measures of the policy development; those on the list are specifically defined in the EU VET policy documents. A policy development can be addressed to one or several target groups.

Learners

  • Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
  • Learners with migrant background, including refugees

Thematic categories

Thematic categories capture main aspects of the decision-making and operation of national VET and LLL systems. These broad areas represent key elements that all VET and LLL systems have to different extents and in different combinations, and which come into focus depending on the EU and national priorities. Thematic categories are further divided into thematic sub-categories. Based on their description, policy developments can be assigned to one or several thematic categories.

Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation

Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.

This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.

This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.

Permeability between IVET and CVET and general and vocational pathways, academic and professional higher education

This thematic sub-category refers to ensuring smooth transitions (permeability) of learners within the entire education and training system, horizontally and vertically. It includes measures and policies allowing learners easily or by meeting certain conditions to move from general education programmes to VET and vice versa; to increase qualification levels in their vocation through the possibility of attending vocational programmes at higher levels, including professional degrees in higher education. It also covers opening up learning progression by introducing flexible pathways that are based on the validation and recognition of the outcomes of non-formal and informal learning.

Ensuring equal opportunities and inclusiveness in education and training

This thematic sub-category refers to making VET pathways and programmes inclusive and accessible for all. It concerns measures and targeted actions to increase access and participation in VET and lifelong learning for learners from all vulnerable groups, and to support their school/training-to-work transitions. It includes measures to prevent early leaving from education and training. The thematic sub-category covers measures promoting gender balance in traditionally ‘male’ and ‘female’ professions and addressing gender-related and other stereotypes. The vulnerable groups are, but not limited to: persons with disabilities; the low-qualified/-skilled; minorities; persons of migrant background, including refugees; people with fewer opportunities due to their geographical location and/or their socioeconomically disadvantaged circumstances.

Subsystem

Part of the vocational education and training and lifelong learning systems the policy development applies to.
IVET

Country

Portugal

Type of development

Policy developments are divided into three types: strategy/action plan; regulation/legislation; and practical measure/initiative.
Regulation/Legislation
Cite as

Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Special competitions to access higher education: Portugal. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].

https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/29212