The second phase of the national competition for access to Higher Education registered a significant rate of unfilled vacancies, with 51% of the available places remaining unplaced. According to data released by the newspaper Público this Sunday, 8,824 students were placed, which represents an increase of 795 compared to the same period of the previous year. However, this increase was not enough to compensate for the drop in the 1st phase, where 6,064 fewer students were placed compared to 2023.
In this second phase, 16,594 students applied, of which 517 were excluded for not meeting the necessary requirements. The available vacancies totaled 15,903, plus another 2,167 places resulting from withdrawals and reorientations of candidates already enrolled in the previous phase.
Even so, the number of valid applications fell by 15.5% compared to the previous year, signaling a trend of lower demand. This reduction, associated with the initial drop, resulted in the largest surplus of vacancies in the last decade in a second phase of access.
Most of the unfilled vacancies are located in institutions in the interior of the country, a situation that, according to representatives of polytechnic institutes, continues to show a concentration of demand on the coast. This asymmetry raises concerns about territorial cohesion and balance in regional development.
