534 students were placed at the University of the Azores in the first phase of the national competition for access to higher education. There are 76 places left, including 34 at the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in Angra do Heroísmo.
This academic year, the University of the Azores has opened 610 vacancies for degrees, in four different colleges and the School of Health.
In a press release, the academy revealed that, in the first phase, 1534 students applied, and 534 (87.5%) were placed, three more than in the previous year.
Of the total, 67% chose the University of the Azores as their first choice and 424 students are residents of the archipelago. There are students from all the islands, except for Corvo.
“Against a backdrop of a national decline in applicants, the UAc’s results are positive and promising,” said the academy.
Among the courses with the most places available for the second phase of the competition are: Agricultural Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Economics, Nature and Heritage Guides, and Civil Protection and Risk Management.

Unfilled vacancies in Terceira Island
Three of these courses are in Angra do Heroísmo. Of the four degrees at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, only Veterinary Medicine (preparatory courses) was 100% full (21 places).
In Agricultural Sciences, five students were placed in 16 vacancies. In 2023, only eight of the 16 places were filled, in both phases of the competition.
In Pharmaceutical Sciences (preparatory courses), two students were placed in 13 places, the same number as in 2023.
As for the Nature and Heritage Guides course, which opened 19 places, seven students were placed, with no comparison available on the Directorate-General for Higher Education’s website.
The School of Health filled all its places and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities filled 99% of its places.
Overall, 12 courses filled all their places: Biology, Basic Medicine, Communication and Public Relations, Basic Education, Nursing (Angra do Heroísmo); Nursing (Ponta Delgada), Portuguese and English Studies, History, Veterinary Medicine (preparatory), Psychology, Social Work, Sociology.
The Tourism and Management courses filled 96% and 91% of their places, respectively. The Computer Science course increased its placements by 23.1%, with 87.5% of the openings filled.
This year, the highest grade for access to the University of the Azores was 17.60 (more or less a B in the California grading system), for a student placed in the basic cycle of Medicine.

in Diário Insular-José Lourenço, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.