José Coelho / Lusa
The invisition arises following the revelation of the rector of the University of Porto, which claims to have been pressured to accept students who did not have the minimum grade to go into medicine.
The Special Contest for Access to Medicine by graduates of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) is being investigated by the Public Prosecution Service (MP), after a complaint that arrived at the institution and was sent by the rectory. The Attorney General’s Office has confirmed the existence of an ongoing investigation.
In a clarification sent to, the office of rector António de Sousa Pereira explained that the participation was made on September 12 to the MP and the General Inspection of Education and Science (IGEC). The decision resulted from the receipt of new elements that “may configure indications of a criminal nature related to the administrative procedure” of the competition for school year 2025-2026. The Rectory stressed that it will no longer make comments while the investigation is underway.
The controversy surrounding the contest burst after an interview of the rector to Expresso where he reported pressures to admit candidates that had not obtained the minimum grade of 14 values in the test. The Minister of Higher Education, Fernando Alexandre, accused the rector of “lying” and even suggested that he should be dismissed.
In a statement, FMUP repudiated the accusations, considering the rector’s “opportunistic” statements and arguing that always acted on “good faith and with the greatest transparency”. The institution even opened an internal inquiry process to clarify the doubts raised and preserve its reputation.
In early September, FMUP also requested a change to the contest regulation, proposing reduce the minimum grade from 14 to 10 values in the test, with retroactive effect to March 2025. The proposal is being analyzed by the legal services of U.Porto. The college argues that the high grade systematically excludes licensed candidates, contrary to the purpose of the contest to promote academic diversity.
Yesterday, the Senate of U.Porto heard, at the closed door, the rector and the director of FMUP, without public statements after the meeting. Already the Academic Federation of Porto, which asked to participate in the meeting, saw his request refused.
