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Apply for higher education

Applications for admission to higher education courses can be submitted via the Directorate-General for Higher Education’s Online Application platform. 

The first phase takes place every year between July and August.

Service channels

  • Apply now
    Through the platform 'Candidatura online'

    Free of charge

    Apply through the 'Apply now' button

Who can apply for higher education?

You may apply if you meet all of the following conditions:

  • you have completed 12 years in the Portuguese education system or an equivalent system abroad; 
  • you have taken, in the year in which you are applying, or in the previous four years, the national examinations corresponding to the admission tests required for the respective course; 
  • you have achieved the required marks for the course being applied for; 
  • you have completed the prerequisites for the course being applied for, if required; 

Visit the Directorate-General for Higher Education website to find out whether you are eligible for the special admissions process for international students and what requirements you must meet. 

Please see the additional information to find out whether you can apply through local admissions, institutional admissions or special admissions processes. 

If you wish, you can simulate your application for higher education.

When can you apply for higher education?

The national access competition has three application phases, which are defined in an annual calendar , published every year in the Diário da República.

What are the documents and requirements to apply for higher education?

To apply, you will need the ENES form (National Secondary Education Examinations) and an access password for the Online Application platform. 

ENES form

This is a document issued by a secondary school showing the student’s final grade in secondary education and the marks obtained on the admission tests. 

Contact your school to find out how to obtain the ENES form. You can get the form from the school or ask the school to send it to you by email. 

National secondary education final examinations are valid as admission tests in the year in which they are taken and for the following four years. 

If you do not take examinations in the academic year in which you apply because you have already taken them in a previous academic year, you must register on the online test registration (PIEPE) platform. After registration: 

  1. You will receive a confirmation email indicating where you must enter your details on the platform. 
  2. You will have access to the ‘Pedido Ficha ENES’ (ENES Form Request) option. Click ‘Efetuar pedido’ (Submit request). 

The ENES file contains an activation code that you will need to enter during the online application.Without this code, it is not possible to proceedwith the application.

Application platform access password

To access the application platform, you need to request an access password. The password is only valid in the year it is requested. You will need to request a new password for every year you wish to apply. See how to request a password to apply for higher education.

What is the price to apply for higher education?

It is free of charge.

Additional information

The application process is different for local admissions, institutional admissions, special admissions or special schemes. 

Local admissions

Some courses allow applications through local admission processes. Local admissions are organised by the higher education institutions themselves and follow their own regulations. 

Institutional admissions

For private higher education institutions and the Portuguese Catholic University, applications are submitted directly to those institutions. 

Special admissions processes

For students with specific qualifications, there is a set of special admissions processes and schemes, each with their own application procedures. 

Special admissions processes include: 

  • applicants over age 23 
  • holders of a diploma of technological specialisation 
  • holders of a higher professional technical diploma 
  • holders of other higher education qualifications (associate or foundation, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees) 
  • special admissions process for access to medicine for graduates 
  • special admissions process for international students 
  • holders of vocational pathway diplomas. 

Special schemes

Special schemes include: 

  • A – Portuguese diplomatic missions abroad 
  • B – Portuguese grant recipients abroad, civil servants on official missions and employees of European Union institutions 
  • C – officers of the Portuguese Armed Forces 
  • D – national grant recipients from Portuguese-speaking African countries 
  • E – accredited diplomatic missions in Portugal 
  • F – high-performance athletes 
  • G – nationals of Timor-Leste. 

Access to other study programmes (master’s, doctoral or postgraduate programmes) is the responsibility of the higher education institutions. Applications for these study programmes are submitted directly to the higher education institutions.