International Students
Considering the growing number of foreign students seeking portuguese universities to complete a full course, it was created in 2014 the International Student Statute (ISS), which regulates the access to U.Porto for candidates who do not have Portuguese nationality or from another Member State of the European Union. In the case of 1st cycle and integrated masters courses, this is done through the Special International Student Access and Admission Contest. Here's what you need to know ...
Who can apply?
To what courses?
How to apply?
When to apply?
Fees and Financial Support
Informations and Contacts
Who can (and cannot) apply?
This contest is open to all students who are nationals from a country outside the European Union , except for those who:
- have legally resided in Portugal for more than two years, without interruption, on 1 January of the year in which they intend to enter higher education, as well as children legally residing with them;
- benefit, on 1 January of the year in which they intend to enter higher education, the status of equal rights and duties granted under an international treaty granted between the Portuguese State and the State of which they are nationals.;
- are attending a Portuguese instituion of higher education under an international mobility programme or exchange;
- have dual nationality / citizenship, being one of them the portuguese.
In addiction, the candidate must fulfil one of the following requirements set forth in the U.Porto International Student Statute:
- Hold a Portuguese secondary school diploma or legal equivalent, issued by a secondary school or by the appropriate services within the Ministry of Education;
- Hold a qualification that grants access to higher education, understood as any diploma or certificate issued by a competent authority in the country of origin, attesting to the student's completion of an educational programme that confers them the right to apply and enrol in higher education in Portugal. Validation of this qualification should be issued by the official education services of the country in which the qualification was obtained.
To what courses?
For the 2021/2012 academic year, the U.Porto faculties have 682 vacancies* - for 50 1st cycle (bachelor's) and integrated master's degree courses - for International Students . The faculties of Medicine and Dental Medicine do not have vacancies available through this contest.
* The faculties of Sports and Engineering have not yet released the number of vacancies available for the respective courses in 2021/2022.
Below you can find updated information on the number of vacancies available for each course in each phase of the contest and the respective links to the application pages.
* To the vacancies indicated for each phase will be added, except where indicated, the remaining vacancies of the previous phase of the contest.For personalized information about the courses you wish to enroll in, go to the "International" section of this website.
How to apply?
Applications must be submitted online (check the links for each course above) to the academic services of the U.Porto faculty where the student wishes to study, within the indicated deadlines. It is up to each U.Porto faculty to establish the entry requirements in accordance with the Regulations for the application of the U.Porto International Student Statute (in portuguese). In general, applicants to 1st cycle (bachelor) and integrated master courses at the U.Porto must:
- Hold specific academic qualifications in the areas of knowledge required for the cycle of studies they are applying to. The candidate should provide proof of these qualifications with substantiating documents at the time of application and/or by taking a written and/or oral and practical exams at the faculty at he/she wishes to study;
- Be an independent speaker of Portuguese, corresponding to level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - CEFRL. Language skills may be verified with an assessment of speaking skills by video conference;
- Satisfy the Prerequisites (physical, functional or vocational skills which have a particular relevance for the course) that may be established for the cycle of studies you wish to attend. These are the U.Porto courses that require prerequisites:
| School / Faculty | Course | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty of Arts | Archaeology | Visual capabilities (D) |
| Faculty of Arts | Communication Sciences | Visual and motor capacities (F) |
| Faculty of Arts | History of Art | Visual capabilities (D) |
| Faculty of Dental Medicine | Dental Medicine | Interpersonal communication (B) |
| Faculty of Pharmacy | Pharmaceutical Sciences | Interpersonal communication (B) |
| Faculty of Sports | Sports Sciences | Functional, physical and sports aptitude (C) |
| Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences | Veterinary Medicine | Interpersonal communication (A) |
Please consult and read carefully the information provided by the Faculty that requires the prerequisite(s). For the 1st cycle (bachelor) degree on Sports Sciences (Faculty of Sports), which requires the completion of a set of functional, physical and sporting aptitude tests, candidates must register for the prerequisites by email: prerequisitos@fade.up.pt.
When to apply?
In the table below you can find the Applications Calendar for the academic year 2020/2021.
| Procedures | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Submission of applications | 2 January › 1 March 2021 | 2 March › 20 May 2021 | 19 July › 25 July 2021 |
| Analysis of applications | 2 March › 12 March 2021 | 21 May › 2 June 2021 | 26 July › 30 July 2021 |
| Posting of provisional results | 15 March 2021 | 4 June 2021 | 2 August 2021 |
| Prior hearing | 16 March› 29 March 2021 | 7 June› 21 June 2021 | 16 August › 27 August 2021 |
| Posting of final results | 30 Março 2021 | 22 June 2021 | 2 September 2021 |
| Submission of complaints | 31 March › 21 April 2021 | 23 June › 14 July 2021 | 3 September › 23 September 2021 |
| Publication of decision about complaints | 28 April 2021 | 21 July 2021 | 1 October 2021 |
| Enrolment / Registration | 31 March › 12 April 2021 | 23 June › 5 July 2021 | 3 September › 8 September 2021 |
| Admission of non-placed applicants | 13 April › 26 April 2021 | 6 July › 16 July 2021 | 9 September › 13 September 2021 |
| Publication of leftover places | 27 April 2021 | 19 July 2021 |
Fees and Financial Support
The frequency of 1st Cycle (Bachelor) and Integrated Master degrees courses of the U.Porto implies a payment of an annual fee that, in the case of students covered by the International Student Statute (ISS), varies between ¤3,500 to ¤8,000 (check the values by course for the 2020/2021 academic year). Minding the ties that bind Portugal to the countries of the CPLP - Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor), a reduction of up to 45% may be applied to the tuition paid by students from those countries.
The University of Porto promotes and/or sponsors various types of financial aid programmes for its international students. For students who benefit from scholarships awarded by external entities, governments or partner institutions, this support may be translated into a a reduction in their tuition, equal to the difference between the amount of the annual fee/tuition and the amount of the subsidy bestowed upon the University of Porto by the donor entity. In these cases, the student must provide proof of the type of scholarship they have been awarded.
Each faculty of the U.Porto may also grant financial incentives for students enrolled under the Special Contest for International Students on a non-merit basis, depending on the overall access classification. The maximum value of this incentive corresponds to the difference between the value of the annual fee applied to students with ISS and the value of the maximum annual fee fixed for the national students. This support is granted under the Regulations of the program of incentives for international students of the University of Porto (in Portuguese).
Once at U.Porto, our international students can also apply for merit scholarships awarded to those students with exceptional academic performance, independently of their geographic origin or socio-economic status.
Learn more about funding opportunities for international students at U.Porto.
Informations and Contacts
General legislation regarding the Special Contest for International Students is available (in Portuguese only) for consultation in the Directorate General for Higher Education (DGES) website. For more information, please consult the Regulations for the application of the U.Porto International Student Statute (English version forthcoming).
For more information, contact the U.Porto Office for Admissions to Higher Education (GAES-UP) and/or the academic services of the school/faculty that you wish to apply to.
In the "Internacional" area of this website you will find detailed information about all the services and facilities available to international students at the University of Porto.
Office for Admissions to Higher Education (GAES-UP)
U.Porto Rectorate
Praça de Gomes Teixeira
4099-002 Porto, Portugal
Telephone: (+351) 220 408 198/053
E-mail: acesso.es@reit.up.pt
In-person and telephone assistance: Check the Schedule
More information