The Admission Requirements of Universities in Portugal 2024 for International Students

Portugal is a European Union member and high income country located in Western Europe. The Mediterranean climate, sparse population, historical roots, high quality education and cheap cost of living of Portugal has made it an exceptional study abroad destination for international students. Portugal has strong cultural, economical and historical ties with rest of the European countries; the Portuguese language is 5^th most spoken language in the world. The institutions in Portugal follow the Bologna process therefore the quality and curriculum design is equivalent to rest of the European academic institutions.

Although, Portuguese is one of the oldest European civilizations, it has modernized and developed with time and stands parallel to other European states. The metropolitan cities of Lisbon and Porto are hub of Europe’s businesses and financial institutions, in 2014-2015 Portugal was given 36^th position on the economic index by World Economic Forum. The high standards of living and globally acclaimed academic institutions of Portugal make it top choice for international students. The admission requirements of universities in Portugal and application process for international students are explained in this section:

The entirety of academic success is based on student’s interest in his/her chosen degree programme. Portugal has a few of the world’s most renowned institutions that offer plethora of courses taught in English language with international credibility. The higher education sector of Portugal is based on strong research and focused on training students for their career path. While choosing a study programme to pursue your degree in consider the following factors:

• Make sure the study programme you choose for higher education enhances your previous set of skills.

•  Read the course structure and list of subjects included in the curriculum of study programme.

•  Do thorough research about the career potential of your chosen study programme in the future.

• The study programme you choose must lead you to your professional goals.

• Check admission eligibility and minimum grades requirements.

• Take recommendation from academic experts and professors.

• Do not commit to any set of subjects that does not match your interest.

• Ensure the study programme you choose is offered in your preferred language of instruction.

The oldest university in Portugal Universidade de Coimbra was established in 13^th century which is still operational. Three of Portugal’s universities are ranked at top 50 positions by QS world university rankings. By adopting newest teaching techniques and modern curriculum design, the tertiary education institutes of Portugal have improved their overall track records and to match the international standards it has applied Bologna process of education. The degrees attained from Portugal have global repute and accreditation because their all inclusive education standards.  You must consider the following key points before finalizing a university to take admission in Portugal:

• Affordability of tuition fee.

• Admission requirements.

• If the university offer on campus residence to international students.

• The location where the university is situated in Portugal, if it is located in the city where you desire to live.

• If it offers the study programme you intend to study.

• University’s global reputation and world ranking.

The general admission requirements in Portugal are country specific. The EU nationals have different entry requirements than Non-EU nationals. You will specify your nationality while submitting the admission application and the university you have chosen will send the set of documents required and entry requirements according to your country. The entry requirements for each study programme and academic level are different and also may differ university to university. In general the academic requirements for admissions in universities of Portugal are as follows:

Entry Requirements:

For Admission in Under Graduate Degree Programmes 2024 intake:

The applicants must have completed their Higher Secondary School Diploma from an accredited institute of their home country, the minimum grades must be 13 out 20 (when 20 is high) and 2 out of 4 (when 4 is high). The minimum subject wise grades will be specified according to your chosen study programme for example: if applying for economics course, in High Secondary School Diploma the candidate should have got 90% marks in mathematics. The entrance examination will be taken by university before admission that can be held in Portuguese Embassy located in your home country.

For Admission in Post Graduate Degree (Masters) Programmes:

The applicants must have completed their Bachelor’s honors degree from an internationally renowned university of their home country and god grades. The Bachelors degree must be equivalent to Swedish kandidatexamen. The subject wise minimum grades will be ascertained according to the study programme you are taking admission in. Entrance examination is requirements by some of the universities in Portugal while some accept admissions only on the basis of excellent academic record.

For Admissions in Post Graduate Degree (PhD) Programmes:

The applicants must have completed Bachelors honors degree and Masters Degree with exceptional grades, previous research experience, research proposal, work experience, recommendation letters from two of applicant’s professors, personal statement and interview will be taken by faculty member of university. The subject specific grades will be according your chosen Portuguese university’s entry requirements; it will be elaborated to you while submitting admission application.

For admissions in English taught courses, the applicants belonging from non English speaking countries are required to demonstrate their proficiency in English language. For that they will have to attain internationally recognized English Proficiency Test Certificate such as IELTS, TOEFL. For admission in Portuguese taught course, the candidates will pass Portuguese Language Proficiency Test. The IELTS test must be passed in minimum 6.5 bands overall with no band lower than 6 points. The TOEFL Test must be passed in overall 100 to 90 scores in internet based iBT. In paper based TOEFL test, the candidate must pass the test with over 600 to 575 scores. C1 Advanced/ C2 Proficiency and PTE A English Proficiency Tests are also accepted by Universities of Portugal for admissions in English taught courses.

NOTE: If you are talking admission in polytechnic university of Portugal, the medium of instruction of most of the courses offered is Portuguese, so you might have to prove your proficiency in Portuguese language by passing language test.

The international students applying for admissions in universities of Portugal have to provide identity and visa documents along with their academic records. The required documents can be different for students belonging from non EU countries and EU countries. The required documents for admission in Portugal are enlisted as follows:

• Completed admission application form

• Identity document (Copy of Passport)

• Recently taken photographs of applicant.

• Passing certificate of entrance examination (usually necessary for applicant’s taking admission in under graduate programme)

• Transcript of academic records (Diplomas, Certificates, Degrees)

• A certificate recognized by related authorities stating the applicant has completed of Higher Secondary School Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree, Masters Degree

• Letter of intent

• Receipt of paid admission fee (around 50 Euros)

• CV (required for some degrees only)

• Recommendation letters from two professors (stating your eligibility to take admission in the intended course) it can be required for post graduate courses.

• The documents must be translated in English language.

• Language Proficiency Test Certificate.

• Research Proposal (for Masters and PhD research courses)

The higher education calendar in Portugal is divided into two sessions. If you are planning to study abroad in Portugal at higher education level can take admission in autumn or Spring Sessions. The admission deadlines may vary from one university to another in Portugal. To know the exact schedule, it is better to double check admission deadlines of the university you have applied admission at. However, generally the admission applications in universities of Portugal are accepted in following schedules:

• Spring session (1^st Application Deadline) will intake applications from April to May.

• Spring session (2^nd Application Deadline) will intake applications from June to July.

• Autumn session (3^rd Application Deadline) will intake applications from August to September.

The admission application process usually takes 1 to 2 months especially of they are coming from international students.

After submitting admission application, you will be issued an acceptance letter from university inviting you to pay tuition fee and from there other study abroad procedure commences. Along with tuition fee, you will have to purchase health insurance coverage for the entire duration of your stay in Portugal. The health insurance and acceptance letter both are required documents for student visa of Portugal.