Are you over 23?

Have you heard of the Over-23s Programme?
You don’t need to start from scratch. You just need to decide to carry on.

What is it?

The Over-23s Programme (M23) allows you to access higher education without having completed the 12th year or taken national exams.

It’s designed for those who have put their studies on hold, changed direction or want to start afresh – now with more experience, greater clarity and a clearer sense of purpose. Here, your journey matters.

How does it work?

Are you over 23 and unable to gain entry through the standard route (A-levels + exams)?
The process is simple and focuses on what really matters:

1. Application for the entrance exams
You apply to start the process.

2. Subject-specific exams
You sit exams in Drawing and Art History.

3. Interview + CV
You present your background, experience and motivation.

It’s not just what you know. It’s what you’ve done with it.

What do we value?

At ESAD, we want to see:

• Professional and personal experience
• Non-linear career paths
• Creative ability and independent thinking
• A genuine desire to learn and develop

Courses and places

Design Undergraduate Programme (Communication, Interior Design, Fashion, Product Design) — 10 places

Digital Arts and Multimedia Undergraduate Programme — 3 places

Exams and Interview

The exams assess the knowledge essential for the course.
At the interview, you may present:

• CV
• Certificates
• Portfolio
• Letters of recommendation
• Anything that helps to show who you are and what you want to do.

Application documents

• National ID card or passport
• Curriculum Vitae

Candidates over 23 years of age may apply to the Special Procedure for Access and Application who:

• Are over 23 years of age.
• Do not hold a qualification for access to higher education.
• Have passed the specially prepared tests designed to assess their ability to attend higher education, taken at ESAD.
• Meet the prerequisites required by ESAD.
• Are not covered by the international student status regulated by Decree-Law no. 36/2014, of March 10, amended and republished by Decree-Law no. 62/2018, of August 6.

Under the terms of the Deliberation of the National Commission for Access to Higher Education (CNAES), applicants to the College of Art and Design (ESAD) must meet the PREREQUISITES — group F (Annex VIII) — required to apply for enrollment and registration, in the academic year 2024-25, in the 1st cycle courses in Design and Digital Arts and Multimedia.
 
The Special Procedure for Access and Admission of Candidates Over 23 Years of Age to ESAD Degree Courses is set out in Regulation no. 218/2007, published in Diário da República, 2nd series. No. 164 of August 27, 2007.
 
The Medical Certificate must be submitted at the time of enrolment in accordance with Annex VIII.1 (available in DGES Resolution 2024-25), certifying visual acuity and the absence of any mental, sensory or motor impairment that interferes with functional capacity to the extent of hindering one’s own learning or that of others; to be submitted at the time of enrolment at the ESAD registry office, this being an essential condition for the completion of said enrolment and registration (Resolution No. 316/2024, of 13 March).

For information on applications, admission or scholarships at ESAD, the Administrative Services team is available to assist by email or telephone, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00 (in August, morning opening is at 9:00).