Universities in Portugal

Portugal's higher education system is organised in two branches: university education and polytechnic education, both taught in public and private institutions. University education is oriented towards research and the creation of knowledge; polytechnic education is oriented towards applied research and solving concrete problems, with a strong professional focus. Private institutions need prior recognition from the ministry responsible for higher education.

For international students, Portugal offers European degrees with ECTS credits, a dedicated admission route for students from outside the EU and, at public universities, moderate tuition fees. Most bachelor's programmes are taught in Portuguese, so the language is the first thing to plan for.

How the degree system works

Portugal follows the Bologna structure of three cycles, introduced in 2006 and fully in place since the 2009/2010 academic year. According to the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES), the qualifications are:

• Professional higher technical course (CTeSP): a short cycle of 120 ECTS credits over two years that does not confer an academic degree
• Licenciatura (1st cycle, bachelor's degree): 180 ECTS credits over six semesters at polytechnics; 180 to 240 ECTS credits over six to eight semesters at universities
• Mestrado integrado (integrated master's): 300 to 360 ECTS credits over 10 to 12 semesters, taught only at universities in fields where EU rules or established practice require it
• Mestrado (2nd cycle, master's degree): 90 to 120 ECTS credits over three to four semesters, including a dissertation, project or internship of at least 30 credits
• Doutoramento (3rd cycle, doctorate): awarded by universities only

The Agency for Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education (A3ES) evaluates and accredits institutions and their study programmes. A programme that loses its accreditation may no longer admit new students, so it is worth checking that a course appears in the DGES list of accredited and registered courses. Institutions can set aside places for English-taught or distance-learning programmes, and the public Universidade Aberta specialises in distance education.

Admission for international students

EU and EEA citizens apply like Portuguese students. Most students from outside the EU apply through the special competition for international students, regulated by Decree-Law 36/2014, which gives access to bachelor's and integrated master's programmes. Applicants need a qualification that gives access to higher education in the country where it was awarded, or a Portuguese secondary diploma or equivalent. All applications go directly to the university or polytechnic, and each institution sets its own requirements, deadlines and documents. Master's and doctoral programmes also admit students through each institution.

Language is part of the admission criteria. At the Universidade do Algarve, for example, candidates must show a B1 or B2 level of the CEFR in the language of instruction, and the application fee is 50 euros per course.

Foreign degrees are recognised under Decree-Law 66/2018, in force since 1 January 2019, which sets out three types of recognition. Automatic recognition, for degrees on an approved list, costs €32.20 at the DGES and takes at most 30 days once the application is complete.

Students from outside the EU normally enter with a study visa and then apply to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) for a residence permit for higher education students. According to AIMA, the permit is valid for three years and renewable, and holders may also work alongside their studies.

Tuition fees and funding

Public universities set fees each year. At the Universidade de Lisboa, the fee for bachelor's and integrated master's programmes in 2026/2027 is €697, unchanged from the previous year; fees for master's and doctoral programmes vary by school, and fees for international students are shown on each course page.

International students pay their own fee scale. At the Universidade do Algarve, the annual fee for international students in 2025/26 ranges from 1,500 to 4,500 euros and can be paid in up to 10 monthly instalments. Students from Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) countries and Latin America pay less in many programmes: civil engineering, for example, costs 1,750 euros instead of 4,500. Holders of a scholarship from Camões, Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua are exempt from several documents in the residence-permit application.

How to choose a university in Portugal

• University or polytechnic: universities lead to integrated master's and doctorates; polytechnics focus on professional, applied programmes, and some now present themselves under new names, such as the Instituto Politécnico do Porto, which announces the creation of the Universidade Técnica do Porto and reports more than 22,000 students
• Language: check whether the programme is taught in Portuguese or English, and which CEFR level is required
• Fees for your nationality: some universities charge lower fees to students from Portuguese-speaking countries and Latin America
• Specialisation: Egas Moniz School of Health and Science, founded in 1982, has 3,634 students and more than 50 courses in health and the sciences; The Lisbon MBA is a joint venture of Católica-Lisbon and Nova SBE with MIT Sloan, accredited by AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB
• Location: Lisbon has the Universidade de Lisboa, created by the merger of the Technical University of Lisbon and the former Universidade de Lisboa; Porto has the Universidade do Porto; and there are universities in Coimbra, the Algarve and the Azores (Universidade dos Açores), as well as smaller schools such as the Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança

Frequently asked questions

How much does a university degree cost in Portugal?

At the Universidade de Lisboa, the bachelor's fee for 2026/2027 is €697 for Portuguese and EU students. International students pay more: at the Universidade do Algarve, between 1,500 and 4,500 euros a year in 2025/26.

How do non-EU students apply?

Through the special competition for international students, applying directly to each university or polytechnic. Each institution sets its own requirements, deadlines and documents.

Do I need to speak Portuguese?

For most bachelor's programmes, yes. Universities ask for proof of the language of instruction; at the Universidade do Algarve the requirement is level B1 or B2 of the CEFR.

What is the difference between a university and a polytechnic?

Both award bachelor's and master's degrees. Universities are research-oriented and are the only institutions that award doctorates and integrated master's degrees; polytechnics focus on applied, professional training.