Study reveals that 83% of high school graduates in Cabo Verde prefer to study in Portugal

Praia, Sep 29 (Inforpress) - A study of more than nine thousand high school graduates in the country revealed that 95 percent (%) want to go to university, but 83% prefer Portugal and only 18% Cape Verde, confirming the strength of student emigration.

The survey, presented today at the Conference “Futuro Superior: Decision, transition and challenges of Cape Verdean students in higher education in Portugal”, in Praia, covered 9,152 students from the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.

According to information provided by Pedro Freitas, who holds a PhD in Economics from the Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE) and is a specialist in Economics of Education, the most sought-after areas of study include Law (one in every five students), followed by Engineering and Health.

Despite the motivation to continue studying, the study identifies a mismatch between expectations and reality. While young people believe that about half of Cape Verdeans complete their studies in Portugal, official records show that only 36% manage to graduate within seven years of enrolling.

TC/CP

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