University of the Azores, with 229 places available for the second phase of admissions

The placement rate at the University of the Azores fell from 87.5% in 2024 to just 66% this year, leaving almost 229 places unfilled in the first phase of the national competition for admission to higher education. The Rector’s Office considers the results to be a cause for “concern”. It warns of the worsening “risk of student depopulation” in the region, accusing the new national admission model of penalizing institutions located in peripheral territories. The Academic Association shares the same view, noting that “there were around 1,622 applications to the University of the Azores, but only 421 places were filled, a low number for a university with such a diverse range of options.”

Almost 230 places remained unfilled at the University of the Azores after the first phase of the 2025 National Competition for Access to Higher Education. Of the 650 places available, only 421 were filled, corresponding to an overall placement rate of 66%. Among the most affected courses are Civil Protection and Risk Management, with only two students placed in 24 places, and Sociology, with four placements in 30 areas.

Nationally, 43,899 new students were placed, representing a placement rate of 90.1% and an increase of more than four percentage points over the previous year. However, data released by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Higher Education indicate that institutions located in regions with lower demographic pressure (such as the Azores, Madeira, and the interior of the country) suffered a sharp drop: 21.1 percent fewer students placed, bucking the growth trend of recent years.

Some courses did not reach 15% placement.

At the University of the Azores, the School of Health filled all places in Ponta Delgada (40) and Angra do Heroísmo (39 out of 40). The courses in Psychology (40 places), History (25), Basic Education (27), Veterinary Medicine (22), and the Basic Cycle of Medicine (50) also filled all their places. The Management course, with 46 students placed in 50 places, recorded the highest application score of the institution: 19.43 points. The Medicine course had the highest score for the last student placed (17.62 points).

Conversely, several degree courses were far from filling half of the available places. Computer Science had 4 places filled out of 26, Ocean Sciences 2 out of 14, and Engineering Sciences – Mechanical Engineering; Electrical and Computer Engineering 7 out of 20. Low occupancy rates were also recorded in European Studies, with 6 out of 24, Agricultural Sciences, with 4 out of 16, Biology, with 12 out of 34, Economics, with 4 out of 16, Nature and Heritage Guides, with 6 out of 19, Communication and Public Relations, with 20 out of 42, and Social Work, 22 out of 38. Civil Protection and Risk Management had 2 placements out of 24 vacancies. Portuguese and English Studies filled 23 of the 25 vacancies. Tourism had 15 placements out of 28 vacancies.

Rectorate and Academic Association – Criticism of the new admission model

Most of the students placed at UAc come from the Azores (except Corvo), and 96 percent indicated the institution as their first choice. Despite this positive indicator, the Rector’s Office of the University of the Azores considers that the new access model introduced by the Government is having negative effects on territorial cohesion and educational inclusion.

Despite the high percentage of students who chose the University of the Azores as their first choice, the Rector’s Office is concerned about the effects of the new admission model, especially in regions with lower population density and fewer economic resources.

In a statement released after the results were published, the Rector of the University of the Azores warned that: “The results of the first phase of the National Competition for Admission to Higher Education – 2025 are cause for concern, particularly for territories with lower population density and lower socioeconomic levels, such as the interior, Madeira, and the Azores, which ended up being particularly penalized by changes in the rules for access to higher education, contrary to the growth trend recorded in recent years.”

The Rector’s Office considers that the new requirements, namely the increase in the number of compulsory entrance exams and the greater weight of exams in the application average, will have contributed to deterring students who, in less favorable contexts, face greater difficulties in accessing higher education.

“The changes introduced by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Higher Education — the requirement for a greater number of entrance exams and the increased weight of exams in the final application average — have created a more exclusionary and unfavorable scenario for many students, running counter to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely that of ensuring inclusive, quality, and equitable education,” it states.

In addition, these changes “increasingly jeopardize the sustainability of higher education institutions located in peripheral contexts, likely to aggravate the risk of student depopulation and reinforce inequality and centralization of higher education, and endanger the social elevator role of education,” the rector emphasizes in a statement issued by the University of the Azores.

The Academic Association of the University of the Azores has also criticized the new model for access to higher education, sharing the concern expressed by the Rector’s Office. Speaking to Correio dos Açores, João Soares, a member of the board, believes that the changes introduced by the government, such as the requirement for more entrance exams and the increased weighting of exams in the final application score, seriously hinder access to higher education. “The requirement for several exams and the fact that the average grades are clearly above those seen in recent years makes it very difficult for future students,” he said.

“Although there are many other structural factors, at this early stage I would point to the new rules for access to higher education as a decisive factor in the lack of enrollment,” he said. He also points out that “there were around 1,622 applications to the University of the Azores, but only 421 places were filled, which is a low number for a university with such a diverse range of options.”

However, for the representative of the Academic Association, the impact of the new rules must be understood in a broader context. Another obstacle identified by the Association is the continuous increase in the cost of living for displaced students, in particular, high rents. The Laranjeiras university residence in Ponta Delgada is therefore one of the most sought-after solutions at this initial stage, “due to its cost and the security it offers.” The leader recalls that the construction of a second unit could help mitigate part of the problem.

In addition, the Association tries to support new students through informal networks of displaced colleagues who have rooms available, and provides a notice board with landlords’ contact details in its premises. The management also calls for the formalization of leases by contract and warns of precarious situations and inadequate conditions: “As an association, we ask students to sign lease agreements and to be careful when choosing a home. Because it still often happens that the search for lower rents leads students to stay in homes that are not fit for habitation,” he concludes.

Daniela Canha is a journalist for Correio dos Açores, and Natalino Viveiros is the 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