Portugal

Tuition

At public universities, the legally set maximum annual tuition fee ('propina') for Portuguese and EU/EEA students in bachelor's and integrated master's programmes is EUR 697, unchanged between 2025/26 and 2026/27 (confirmed by both DGES and the University of Lisbon). For stand-alone master's and doctoral programmes, each institution sets its own fee. Non-EU students hold the legal status of 'international student' (Estatuto do Estudante Internacional, Decree-Law No. 36/2014): under Article 9 of that law, their tuition is fixed individually by each public institution based on the real cost of the programme and may not, by law, be lower than the maximum fee charged to national/EU students. As one concrete example, Nova School of Business and Economics (NOVA University Lisbon) charges international bachelor's students EUR 7,500 per year for 2025/26, plus separate application and enrolment fees. Actual amounts vary considerably by institution, degree level and field, and should always be confirmed directly with the target institution. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Visa

National (category D) visa for study purposes ('visto de residência' under Article 62 of Law No. 23/2007, covering study, research, traineeships and volunteering), which university guidance typically advises applying for around three months before travel at the competent Portuguese embassy or consulate. After arrival, within 90 days, a residence permit for higher-education students ('Autorização de Residência para Estudantes do Ensino Superior', Article 91 of Law No. 23/2007) is requested from AIMA (the former SEF); it is valid for up to three years, or for the duration of the study programme if shorter. Professional activity, whether subordinate or self-employed, is allowed as a complement to studies (Article 97 of Law No. 23/2007); the law has not set a specific weekly working-hour cap for holders of this permit since a 2022 amendment. Applicants must also prove sufficient means of subsistence; the legal reference value is 100% of the Portuguese national minimum wage per month (EUR 920 in 2026). — 40 hours per week (no separate student cap in law since the 2022 amendment; 40 hours/week is the general statutory full-time maximum under Article 203 of the Código do Trabalho). ^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}

Applications

There is no single nationwide application portal or deadline for international (non-EU) students: access runs through the legally defined special admission contest for international students ('concurso especial de acesso e ingresso para estudantes internacionais', Decree-Law No. 36/2014), under which each institution sets its own number of places, procedure and application deadlines every year, publishes them on its own website, and reports them to DGES. EU students can additionally take part in the National Access Contest (Concurso Nacional de Acesso), which typically runs in several phases over the summer. In both cases, the deadline that actually applies is always the one set by the specific institution and programme, and should be confirmed directly and early with that institution. ^{[10] [4]}

Application portals

• DGES — Estudante Internacional / International Students
• Universidade de Lisboa — International Student Guide

Language

Português. The main language of instruction at Portuguese higher education institutions is Portuguese. For admission via the special international-student route, the law also requires proof of proficiency in the language(s) of instruction of the chosen programme (Decree-Law No. 36/2014). Alongside this, a number of institutions and faculties — particularly in business, engineering and master's programmes — also offer fully English-taught degrees; one documented example is the English-taught international bachelor's track at Nova School of Business and Economics (NOVA University Lisbon). The extent and number of English-taught programmes varies considerably between institutions and should be checked directly with the target institution. ^{[4] [3]}

Health insurance

To enrol at a higher education institution and to obtain the residence permit for higher-education students (Article 91 of Law No. 23/2007), applicants must prove either access to Portugal's National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde, SNS) or private health insurance. In practice, most non-EU students take out private health insurance, proof of which universities typically require at enrolment; nationals of countries with a bilateral healthcare agreement with Portugal (for example Brazil, via form PB4) may be subject to a different arrangement. EU/EEA students can generally rely on the European Health Insurance Card. This is general orientation, not individual insurance or legal advice. ^{[5] [6]}

Universities

• Universidade de Lisboa (University of Lisbon), Lisboa ^[13]
• Universidade do Porto (University of Porto), Porto ^[14]
• Universidade de Coimbra (University of Coimbra), Coimbra ^[15]
• Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (NOVA University Lisbon), Lisboa ^[16]

Scholarships

• Erasmus+ — The EU's programme for education, training, youth and sport funds study or traineeship mobility periods at partner institutions, including exchange semesters in Portugal, through grants that contribute to travel and living costs during the mobility period; exact grant amounts depend on the destination country group and the national or institutional agency administering the funds. ^[17]
• Bolsas de Estudo do Ensino Superior — Ação Social e Mérito (DGES) — Through the higher education institutions' social services (SAS), the Portuguese state awards means-tested grants (ação social) as well as income-independent, merit-based grants for outstanding academic performance to students at public and private higher education institutions. ^{[18] [4]}
• Camões, I.P. — Cooperation and Portuguese Language and Culture Scholarships — Camões, I.P., the Portuguese institute for cooperation and language under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, awards cooperation scholarships for bachelor's, master's and doctoral studies in Portugal, as well as dedicated Portuguese language and culture scholarships, chiefly for nationals of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) and other partner countries. ^[19]
• FCT — Doctoral Research Scholarships — Portugal's state science foundation, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), funds doctoral research scholarships across all scientific fields at Portuguese research institutions and universities through annual competitions; around 8,598 scholarships worth roughly EUR 142 million were awarded in 2022. ^[20]