Portugal is the westernmost country on the continent of Europe, and is located at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula in the southwest. Even though it is one of the smaller countries in Western Europe, it is still home to over 10 million people, more than 25% of whom are concentrated in its capital, Lisbon. Its official language, Portuguese, is spoken by hundreds of millions of people across three continents, and its larger cities are friendly to English speakers.
Even within Europe, Portugal is one of the biggest tourist centres, with pristine beaches, sunny hills, wooded valleys, and vineyards dotted through its gentle landscape. The natural beauty of Portugal is complemented by its vibrant cities; they are centres of art, culture, and nightlife, and portray the centuries of Portuguese influence on the cultures of Europe and the world. Over 400,000 students are enrolled in higher education degrees in Portugal, with the number growing at an even more rapid rate since the pandemic.
Portugal is highly ranked on several important indices for students and residents. Some highlights include:
Higher Education in Portugal is offered through two parallel systems: Universities and Polytechnics. Universities offer long term Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral courses in a wide range of disciplines, and carry out both academic and research activities. Polytechnics provide vocational courses in many disciplines, primarily those that are required by the labour market in the short and medium term. They provide professional degrees, both short-term certificates and long-term diplomas.
There are also several higher education institutions in Portugal that provide adult and continuing education; these are designed both to give adults who have never had the chance to obtain tertiary education to avail of this opportunity, and to allow professionals in various industries to enhance their existing skills and supercharge their careers with additional qualifications.
Short-term certificates are issued by several Portuguese Institutes of Higher Education. These are intended for busy executives, distance learning candidates, short-term tourists, and continuing education students. These courses typically last 3 to 6 months, and the total number of teaching hours ranges between 100 and 1,000. Short-term courses can act as entry mechanisms to long-term undergraduate courses, or act as resume boosters on their own.
Portugal offers hundreds of Bachelor’s degree programs in different disciplines. They cover pure sciences, applied sciences, humanities, social sciences, engineering, information technology, medicine, dentistry, finance, accounting, business administration, management, and many more fields. They last 3 or 4 years, except for integrated courses that combine undergraduate and graduate studies; these can last between 5 and 6 years.
Most undergraduate programs in Portugal are taught in the Portuguese language; therefore, applicants to these courses will need to prove proficiency in the language. It is also usually possible to attend short-term language courses at most Universities to serve as a bridge to attending classes taught only in Portuguese.
Master’s programs in Portugal are associated with the highest average pay packages after graduation as compared to other degrees in the country, and international students flock to different Portuguese Universities to complete postgraduate courses. Master’s degree programs in Portugal last between 2 and 6 semesters, with the vast majority being completed in 2 years or 4 semesters. The first two semesters are usually devoted entirely to rigorous coursework with regular assignments increasing the depth of knowledge and application; the final two semesters are usually spent partly on specialised courses and partly on research work leading to the creation of a Master’s Thesis. Most postgraduate students in Portugal end up joining industrial or corporate employment after the completion of their degree; a few go on to enter PhD programs. Many PG programs in Portugal are taught in English as the medium of instruction, especially in the larger cities.
A PhD degree in Portugal takes an average of 4 years to complete. Doctoral degrees are offered in a wide range of disciplines, and most Professors in larger universities supervise between 1 and 3 PhD candidates. Portugal is a centre of excellence in research in many scientific and artistic disciplines; doctoral students are expected to contribute to the overall research direction of their chosen group through sustained effort and original research. The final PhD thesis is usually presented in front of an august panel of experts; successful defenses are followed by an award of the Doctoral degree.
The country has various universities that offer approximately all the disciplines of study. Some of the popular disciplines available in Portugal are-
| Art History | Anthropology | Politics and International Relations |
| Conservation and Restoration | Nanotechnology | Marine Geology |
| Risk Management | Renewable Energy Systems | Political Science |
| Portuguese Language, Culture, and History | Information Systems | Business Management |
| Optics and Optometry | Telecommunications | Geography and Regional Planning |
| Industrial Engineering | Language Sciences | Molecular Biology |
Here are some popular cities that have the most universities in Portugal.
| The Name of the City | No. of Universities |
| Lisbon | 31 |
| Porto | 13 |
| Coimbra | 11 |
| Funchal | 4 |
| Aveiro | 3 |
| Gandra | 3 |
| Ambada | 2 |
| Maia | 2 |
| Vila Real | 2 |
Tuition fees for international students in Portugal vary according to the type of course and the degree program in which the student is enrolled. Undergraduate programs are usually associated with the lowest tuition fees, with the average program costing 3,000 Euros per year, on average. Postgraduate programs have slightly higher tuition fees, with medical and MBA degrees charging tuition fees that are only a little lower than those at any other top Universities in the world.
There are several accommodation options for international students in Portugal. The most economical are halls of residence provided by a University; these cost around 200 Euros per month. Rooms in shared private apartments, especially in the larger cities like Lisbon, can be substantially more expensive, with monthly rents going up to 600 Euros.
Other living costs include food, transport, recreation, shopping, and study materials. The total of these other costs usually comes up to a few hundred Euros per month. Most international students in Portugal end up spending a little less than 1,000 Euros per month on costs that are not directly related to their academic activities. There are also one time costs like Health Insurance, University Registration Fees, and Residence Permit costs.
After a candidate has obtained a Letter of Acceptance from a Portuguese University, he or she can start the visa application process. It is recommended that this be initiated three months before the expected date of travel to Portugal, to allow for unexpected delays and reapplication time (in the worst case).
The visa application form can be downloaded from the website of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and printed out, or it can be directly obtained from the nearest Portuguese Embassy in the applicant's country of origin.
It usually takes 3 weeks for the
Portuguese Student Visa Decision
to be sent to the applicant, though it can take up to 3 months in cases where the Embassy is understaffed or there is a particularly busy application period. Students who successfully receive the Student Visa can fly to Portugal, where they must meet the Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service within the first week to process their Residence Permit. This needs to be renewed annually.
