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For many young people, higher education remains the natural, almost obligatory, path to securing a better future. Despite this, not all who choose this path find a reality that meets their expectations.
The new rules for completing secondary education explain a large part of the recent drop in applications, but when we look more closely we realize that the problem didn't start now. The cost of living, the price of tuition fees, the lack of affordable accommodation, the distance between the coast and the interior, the (mis)adaptation to academic life in a different location: all of this weighs on the balance when it comes to continuing or dropping out.
For many young people, studying means leaving home, working while trying to maintain grades, moving to a new city, failing courses, and trying again. Some persevere, some start over, some give up. Some want to, but can't. Some succeed, but at too high a price.
In this project, we seek to understand, through in-depth reporting and video testimonies, what is really at stake in higher education in Portugal. What is driving young people away? What makes them stay or leave? And, above all, what kind of country are we building when studying becomes a privilege or a risk?
We spoke with young people from various parts of the country and fields of study to understand their perspective on higher education. Discover their experiences in a video interview that we publish weekly.
Is there a decline in higher education? What explains it? In this report, we seek to understand what motivates those who drop out, those who choose not to enroll, and those who continue their higher education studies.
April 27, 2026
In recent years, higher education in Portugal has been showing signs of weakness: there are fewer applicants and more students dropping out. The sharp drop in admissions this academic year has exposed the impact of changes in the criteria for completing secondary education, but a more detailed analysis reveals deeper problems: economic and demographic inequalities, difficulties in adaptation, inflexible pathways, and an investment that, for many young people, may not pay off.
