If you are going to apply for higher education and want to make an online simulation of your application, this article is for you.

Applying for higher education is a very important moment for students, but it can also cause anxiety and stress.

One of the reasons for this concern may have to do with the fact that for most students it is their first time applying for higher education and therefore the process can seem very complex and confusing.

To deconstruct this idea and make the process easier to carry out, the DGES (Portuguese Directorate-General for Higher Education) has a simulator for applying to the national competition for access to public higher education, which anyone who meets the conditions to apply can use completely free of charge. Moreover, you do not need your higher education application password to use it.

To simulate your application, you will need to be able to indicate the code of the high school course you attended and the classification you obtained, but also the combinations of the educational institution and course you want to attend, the school that issued your ENES form, the date the form was issued, the activation code for the online application, and the scores you had in the national exams that can be used as an entrance exam for the course you want to apply to.

Related article: Applying to higher education: step-by-step guide

Until you submit the simulation, you can always go back steps and change information or data, and even after you confirm it, you can run a new simulation, always keeping in mind that the one that is considered is the last one you submit.

On the same site, there is important information about the supporting legislation for the national competition for access to public higher education.

Step by step simulation of application to higher education

To simulate your application to higher education, you should access the online simulator, available on the DGES page for Application Simulator. On the right side of the page, you will find all the steps you should follow:

1. After reading the instructions, click on "High School Grades": here, you will indicate the code of the high school course you attended and your final grade, as well as the name of the school that issued your ENES form, the date of the form, and the activation code for the online application;

2. Next, by clicking on "Next Step", you will indicate the final scores of the national exams you took and that can be used as entrance examinations for the course you want to apply to, if you want your simulation to include the scores with which you will apply;

3. The tab "Contacts" should be filled in with your personal information: e-mail, telephone, postal address, municipality of residence and nationality. This data will allow you to run a more accurate and reliable simulation;

4. Next, in the "Application options" section, you must fill in your application options. Here you must indicate the Access to Higher Education Office in your area of residence, to which your application will be associated. "This is where you should go to clarify or resolve any questions regarding your application," as described in the online simulator;

This is also the section where you should indicate if you want to apply for a scholarship (special contingents and regional preferences are also mentioned here, although they are not taken into account at this stage of application);

5. In the "Course options" tab, you should indicate the combinations of educational institution and course you want to apply for, up to a maximum of six;

6. Going on to the next step, under "Prerequisites", you will receive information regarding any prerequisites that are necessary for the course or courses you have chosen;

8. In the "Confirm" section, you will have to check if all the data is correct and in the next one, you will have access to some relevant warnings, such as the information that when you click on the "Submit" button, the new simulation will be replaced by any other that you have already submitted.

About NOVA IMS

NOVA IMS, the School of Information Management and Data Science at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, provides high-level education to more than 3 thousand students, among undergraduate, graduate and master's degrees. The higher education courses offered by NOVA IMS aim to train higher education graduates to be prepared to face the challenges of an increasingly globalized and competitive market. NOVA IMS assumes as its vocation to contribute to the conversion of data into value ("From Data to Value"), through Data Science and Analysis ("Data Science and Analytics"), by means of an integrated and properly articulated focus on teaching, research and third mission initiatives.

The Undergraduate options at NOVA IMS are divided into the areas of Data Science, Information Management and Information Systems and Technologies.

Bachelor´s Degree in Data Science

The Bachelor´s Degree in Data Science is a course that explores modern artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques aimed to analyze Big Data. The goal is to train data scientists capable of extracting knowledge and using advanced models to deal with large volumes of data. The course aims to train specialized professionals who enable organizations to strengthen the intermediate step between data collection and decision making based on it. This is technical training that provides in-depth knowledge of the fundamental methodologies and concepts in the field of Data Science, qualifying students to keep up with the rapid evolution of the sector.

As for the entrance exams, to submit your application you must choose from one of the following sets:

Mathematics A (19) - National Exam 635
Mathematics A (19) and Economy (04) - National Exam 635 (Mathematics A) and 712 (Economy)
Mathematics A (19) and Descriptive Geometry (10) - National Exams 635 (Mathematics A) and 708 (Descriptive Geometry)

Bachelor´s Degree in Information Management

The Degree in Information Management combines management and Data Science to train managers capable of dealing with the complexity of modern business and transforming data into useful information. The demand for professionals in this area is high, due to the increasing amount of data generated by companies, and to meet such demand, the course trains students to collect, organize, and analyze information that guides decision making, using modern techniques and tools. The objective is to train professionals who understand the strategic value of information in organizations.
According to data from the 2019 ObipNOVA Independent Report, the employability rate of the Degree in Information Management corresponds to 100%, and the average monthly net salary is around 1,394€.

As for the entrance exams, to submit your application you must choose one of the following options:

Economics (04) - National Exam 712
Mathematics (16) - National Exam 635 (Mathematics A) or 735 (Mathematics B)

Bachelor´s Degree in Information Systems

In the Information Systems Degree, students learn to analyze, design, and implement information systems, including artificial intelligence, programming, app and web systems development, and mobile computing. The course also covers the use of tools that support companies' business processes. This is Europe's first degree accredited in Information Systems by ABET, a world-leading agency for quality certification and academic innovation in applied science, computing, engineering, and related technology. Students acquire skills in information processing, storage and retrieval, building computer applications and managing networks and information systems. This is an innovative degree that is highly relevant to the national and international job market.

In respect to entrance exams, you must choose from one of the following sets:

Economics (04) - National Exam 712
Mathematics (16) - National Exam 635 (Mathematics A) or 735 (Mathematics B)