The first phase of the national competition for access to higher education started on the 24 July and runs until the 7 August. On the first day, 12,939 students submitted applications, according to data available on the Directorate-General for Higher Education website. That is, 1655 more candidates than in 2022, during the first day of applications for higher education.

With a total of 54,311 places, higher education institutions have 275 more places available than initially announced and 671 more than last year.

The results of the first phase of the national contest will be released on August 27, earlier than in previous years, in order to ensure a minimum interval of 15 days between placement in the first phase and the start of classes.