Porto Medical School Director Accuses University Rector of Lying and Political Motives in Admission Scandal

Controversy Erupts at University of Porto Over Medical School Admissions

The director of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Porto (UP), Altamiro Costa-Pereira, has publicly stated that he has lost trust in the university's rector, António Sousa Pereira, amid a growing scandal involving the admission process for the Medicine course for licensed graduates.

In an interview with CNN Portugal on Friday, Costa-Pereira launched a series of attacks against the rector, accusing him of publicly lying and suggesting that political and personal motives might be behind the controversy. This comes as Costa-Pereira is well-positioned to run against Sousa Pereira in the upcoming rector elections.

The dispute began on Thursday when the Expresso newspaper reported that the UP rector had denounced alleged pressures to admit candidates without the minimum required grade in a special access competition for the Medicine course. This competition, which follows internal rules of the Faculty of Medicine, had 37 vacancies. Out of 50 candidates, only seven achieved a score of 14 or higher in a special access exam. The selection committee decided to lower the minimum grade to 10, allowing 30 additional students to be admitted and formally notified of their acceptance.

However, the rector refused to approve the admissions list, calling it an illegality he did not want to endorse. This left many students in a state of uncertainty, with some having already made significant life changes, such as moving to Porto, based on their acceptance. The students reported the issue to the government.

In response, the Minister of Education, Fernando Alexandre, held a press conference on Friday, accusing the rector of lying and denying any pressure. He revealed emails to support his claims and stated that he was only trying to resolve a mess created by UP itself.

Costa-Pereira joined the criticism, describing the rector's actions as "treacherous" and damaging to the faculty's reputation. He emphasized that this year should have been a celebration for FMUP, which leads national preferences for medical students and marks its 200th anniversary. Instead, the rector chose to attack the institution's good name.

Crucially, Costa-Pereira revealed that in 2019, the same rector had approved the admission of 37 students who did not meet the minimum grade in a comparable situation, highlighting a lack of consistency. He argued that the internal exam is meant only to rank students and that the minimum grade requirement should not exist; in fact, regulations have been changed to remove it for next year.

When asked if the rector was unaware that students had been notified of their admission, Costa-Pereira was blunt: "The rector is lying." He accused Sousa Pereira of a "lack of coherence, solidarity, and loyalty" towards the Faculty of Medicine.

Costa-Pereira believes the rector's actions are driven by personal reasons, noting that in 2019, the rector had just been elected with FMUP's support, but now, with elections approaching and Costa-Pereira as a strong contender, the rector may be targeting him and the education minister to undermine their positions.

Ultimately, Costa-Pereira stated he no longer trusts the rector, regardless of the motives, for attempting to destroy the faculty's reputation.