Brazilian Ministry of Education will suspend entrance exams and veto the expansion of medical courses with low scores.
Universities with poor ratings in the Enamed exam may have their places reduced, lose access to Fies and Prouni programs, and even be closed.
247 - The Ministry of Education (MEC) announced this Tuesday (19) that medical courses with unsatisfactory performance in Enamed (National Medical Training Assessment Examination) will suffer rigorous sanctions, including the suspension of entrance exams and the prohibition of expanding vacancies. The information was released by FSP.
According to the Minister of Education, Camilo Santana, institutions that obtain a score of 1 or 2 on the exam — on a scale that goes up to 5 — will be subject to "strategic supervision" starting in 2026. In these universities, not only will the creation of new places be prohibited, but there will also be a suspension of FIES (Student Financing Fund) contracts and exclusion from PROUNI (University for All Program).
Penalties foreseen
According to the Ministry of Education, courses rated 2 will have their number of places reduced, while those rated 1 will be prohibited from accepting new students. If poor performance is repeated in subsequent years, the institutions may even be closed.
The Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, also participated in the announcement and highlighted that the government intends to cut the main source of revenue for low-quality schools. "In practice, we are going to shut down the funding that comes from tuition payments from schools that have poor performance," he stated.
Defense of institutions and review of punishments.
After the measures are implemented, the universities will have a period to present their defense. There is no set date for the end of the penalties, but Camilo Santana clarified that they may be reviewed even before the release of new Enamed results, depending on the institutions' response.
Enamed: assessment and impact on residency
Created in April 2025 by the federal government, Enamed will be mandatory this year for students completing their medical degree. The first exam is scheduled for October 19th. The exam assesses the quality of medical education in the country and will also serve as a criterion for selecting candidates for residency programs.
Camilo Santana also informed that, starting in 2026, the exam will be extended to fourth-year medical students, representing 20% of the Enare (National Residency Exam) grade.
