All available places in Data Science, Information Management, and Information Systems and Technologies were filled in the first round of Portugal’s national higher education admissions process.

All three bachelor’s programs at NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), the School of Information Management and Data Science at NOVA University Lisbon, achieved the highest admission grade in their respective fields in the first round of Portugal’s 2026 national higher education admissions process.

The Bachelor’s in Data Science recorded a minimum admission grade of 16.95 out of 20, the highest among the 15 Data Science and Artificial Intelligence programs offered nationwide. After placing second in both 2024 and 2025, the program now ranks first in its field.

Information Systems and Technologies also ranked first nationwide, with a minimum admission grade of 15.00 – half a point above the program in second place.

The minimum admission grade for the Bachelor’s in Information Management was 15.83.

NOVA IMS offered a total of 156 places across the three programs, all of which were filled in the first round: 45 in Data Science, 65 in Information Management, and 46 in Information Systems and Technologies.

Applications nearly tripled compared with the previous year, an increase of approximately 180%. Information Management saw the strongest growth, receiving 331% more than in 2025 and the highest number recorded since data became available in the 2016/17 academic year.

“These results show that students value an education that brings together data, technology, and management. They also reflect the strong demand for skills that have become essential across virtually every sector of the economy. Having all three bachelor’s programs lead their respective fields is particularly significant because it is not the result of a single program’s performance, but of the consistency of our undergraduate offering as a whole,” says Miguel de Castro Neto, Dean of NOVA IMS.

The results come in a year of significant growth in applications to public higher education in Portugal. A total of 60,513 valid applications were submitted through the national admissions process, 24.2% more than in 2025 and the highest number since 1996, excluding the pandemic years. Overall, 49,991 students were admitted, filling 88.9% of the available places.

The progress made by Information Systems and Technologies is particularly notable, with the program moving from sixth to first place in its field in just one year. Data Science has also reached the top position nationwide for the first time.