The application deadline for the first phase of the exam ended this Monday, and according to data from the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES), 49,595 applicants applied, 9,046 fewer than last year.

Data from the DGES (National Health Department) shows that this year the number of applicants fell to levels close to those recorded in 2018, when only 49,362 students applied for the first phase.

In 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic that led to a temporary change in the rules for accessing higher education, enrolment soared.

Gradually, in recent years, some of the rules have been reinstated, such as the requirement to take several national exams.

Student associations have warned that the lack of affordable housing and the financial difficulties families face in supporting a child studying away from home can contribute to disinclining young people from higher education.