The special contest for students over 23 years is established in the Legal Decrete n.º 64/2006, 21st march (regulates the exams), as well as in the Legal Decrete n.º 113/2014, 16th July (regulates the special call).

There is a minimum age limit for enrollment and perform the exams, being that the student must have completed 23 years until 31st December of the year preceding the realization of those exams.
 
The process to write the exams and subsequently, to apply for the respective special call, takes place in the higher education institution in which the student is interested to enrol.

Within the exams and special call scope, higher education institutions are competent to prepare and develop the actions related to access and enter in their courses, under the terms set by law, establishing, in particularly, the vacancies for each of its pairs institution/course and the respective selection criteria and tie, being the application submitted by the student in the institution intended and decided there. For that purpose each higher education institution establish a regulation.
 
To apply the special call, the student must meet the following criteria:
•    Being over 23 years old;
•    Do not hold the qualification of access to higher education, being that:
         o    Did not have completed high school; or
         o    Having completed such education:
                      - Has not undertaken or has undertaken the entrance exams required for the pair institution/course intended, but has not approved;
                      - Has undertaken the entrance exams required for the pair institution/course intended and has approved, but those exams are no longer valid (the exams are valid in the year of its completion and within two years); or
                      - Has undertaken the entrance exams required for the pair institution/course intended, has approved, those exams are valid, but the application to higher education is subject to satisfaction or fulfillment of a prerequisite (evidence of physical, functional or vocational skills if required by the institution for the course students wish to attend) and the student has not satisfied or fulfilled it.
•    Hold the specially adequate exams intended to assess their ability to attend higher education, performed in Higher Education Institutions;
•    Perform the prerequisites (evidence of physical, functional or vocational skills) if required by the institution for the course students wish to attend; or
•    Do not be international student.
 

The legal regime that defines access to higher education for those over 23 years does not set any impediment, in its rules, for student that has attended university or degree, but should also consult the regulations of the institution of higher education desired in order to determine the current regime there.
 
The student should meet the decrees-law and the regulation of the institution.
 
Deadlines for enrolment and write the exams and to apply to special contest are set annually by the Higher Education Institution (HEI) and published on the website of the institution.

The student must contact the higher education institution where is pursuing placement in order to get more information about access to higher education through over 23 years as well as information on crediting previous training or professional experience.

Students can check all accredited and registered courses and respective entrance exams required in the index of courses in English available on the DGES website.