The first major change in the numbers of attendance in higher education became a reality during the 90 when it saw the increase in the number of schools. The second major change occurred in the last five years, with the introduction of appropriate mechanisms to the Bologna Process to promote an uptake of new audiences. As a result, the proportion of young people with 20 years registered in higher education is 37% of their age group, slightly above the European average.

The investment in post-graduate training and the absorption mechanisms of learning throughout life allowed the reduction in the number of members seen since 2003. Indeed, the number of Masters and PhD students in universities grew more than 3.5 times for the number registered in 2005, with a relative fraction of graduate students at universities to grow 9% in 2005 to 31% in 2010.

Total Registered in Higher Education, 1995-96 to 2010-2011

Source: GPEARI-MEC

Note: University teaching includes institutions not integrated into universities. Polytechnic education includes institutions not integrated into polytechnic institutes and organic units integrated into universities.

The increase in the number of students enrolled in higher education depends mainly of the rise of new subscribers in the various cycles of study (registered by 1sth year 1. First time in degree courses, masters and doctorates), and the residual increase in the number of subscribers by re-entry. The creation of new access routes to the higher education (regime of entry for those over 23 years, contests for holders of diplomas of technological specialization and contests for access to medical graduates) contributes to the increase of new subscribers in higher education.

Registered in higher education, by 1st. year, 1st. time, 1995-96 to 2010-2011

 Fonte: GPEARI-MEC

Note: The university includes institutions not integrated into universities. Polytechnic education includes institutions not integrated into polytechnic institutes and organic units integrated into universities.

Graduates in higher education, 1995-96 to 2009-2010

 source: GPEARI-MEC

Note: The university includes institutions not integrated into universities. Polytechnic education includes institutions not integrated into polytechnic institutes and organic units integrated into universities.

The increase in the number of graduates is an important data in the context of European strategies for the coming years as Strategic Europe 2020 sets the goal of each member state to have at the end of the decade, at least 40% of graduates in the population aged 30-34 years. In this respect, the graduates of higher education in Portugal were in the age group of 30-34 years, 11% in 2000 and 21% in 2009 by the growing number of graduates should become a priority in the coming years.

Places in initial training courses, 1995-96 to 2010-11

Source: GPEARI-MEC. Note: The university includes institutions not integrated into universities. Polytechnic education includes institutions not integrated into polytechnic institutes and organic units integrated into universities.

In the period 2000-2010, public universities reinforced their weight in the choice of access to higher education, having increased their number of vacancies at 6.7%, in line with the level of growth of all places of higher education (increase of 6.4% between 2000 and 2010). In the same period, the number of students enrolled in 1st. year, the first time in public universities increased 26%, clearly above the average growth of all higher education institutions (15%).

Vacancies in public higher education (general system access) and entered in 1st year, by the first time (all boards) - 2009/2010 and 2010/2011.

Fonte: GPEARI-MEC. Note: Includes public institutions of higher education not integrated into universities | The values presented do not regard the number of vacancies and registrations in University Aberta and in institutions of higher education and military police

Vacancies (general system access) and entered in 1st year, by the first time (all regimes) in public higher education between 2000 and 2010

Fonte: GPEARI-MEC. Note: The percentage variation of the number of vacancies is calculated over the previous academic year | Includes institutions of higher education not integrated into public universities. | The values presented do not regard the number of vacancies and registrations in University Aberta and in institutions of military and police higher education.

The analysis of evolution seen in each of the years allows us to understand the impact of opening measures in higher education to new audiences. Indeed, in the period 2000-2005 the number of vacancies decreased to 2.7% and the number of students enrolled in 1st year, the first time fell 6.7%. But between 2005 and 2010, the number of vacancies grew 9.6% and the number of students enrolled in 1st year, first time grew 31.7%.

The difference between the number of members (all regimes) and the number of vacancies (general regime) can see that the observed increase in subscribers during this period is due to the creation of new special access regimes, namely the rules on entry to over 23 years, contests for holders of diplomas of technological specialization and competition for access to medical graduates, needed to expand the social base of higher education recruitment.

The positive evolution in the number of students enrolled in the first year, 1st over the past few years has been accompanied by an effort of higher education institutions in proceeding a further rationalization of the existing training offer, and to mark the voluntary reduction of 23% of courses (1215) in the last two years.

These demands will grow rapidly the percentage of teachers with doctoral degrees who had already increased considerably in recent years. In public universities, teachers holding PhD represented 68% of teachers in public universities in 2009 (when they were only 48% in 2001).

Teachers in Public university education, by level of education

 Source: GPEARI-MEC