How to Get Into a University in Portugal as an International Student

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Portugal runs two separate admission systems for public higher education. EU citizens use the national contest and pay the national fee. Most other applicants use a contest for international students, run by each institution with its own places, rules and prices. The first thing to establish is which of the two you belong to.

Who is an international student

In Portuguese law an international student is, broadly, someone who is not a citizen of Portugal or another EU country. There are exceptions: non-EU citizens who have lived legally in Portugal for two years or more are not treated as international students and can use the national contest. If you are close to that line, ask the admissions office before you apply, because the status also decides what you pay.

Route 1: the National Access Contest

The Concurso Nacional de Acesso is run by the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES). One application covers public universities and polytechnics across the country, and you list several programmes in order of preference.

Your application score runs from 95 to 200. It combines your secondary school average, which counts for at least half, with national entrance exams in the subjects each programme requires, which count for at least 35%. Each programme sets its own weights. Applicants with a foreign secondary diploma need it recognised as equivalent, and DGES publishes which foreign exams can stand in for the Portuguese entrance exams.

The contest runs in phases over the summer. The cutoff we show on our Portugal pages is the score of the last student admitted in the first phase, which is the most competitive one.

Route 2: the contest for international students

Each institution reserves places for international students and publishes its own call: which qualifications it accepts, which exams or interviews it uses, the dates and the fee. You apply directly to the institution, and you can apply to several. Calls often open earlier than the national contest and close in several rounds, so check the dates on each institution's site.

Requirements usually include a secondary diploma that gives access to higher education in the country that issued it, and proof of the language of instruction.

Private institutions

Private universities and polytechnics run local contests with their own calendars. The entrance exam requirements still apply to their regular places.

Language

Undergraduate teaching is almost entirely in Portuguese. Institutions ask international applicants for proof of Portuguese, and the level is set in each call. Speakers of Spanish usually reach the required level faster than others, but a certificate is still needed.

Step by step

  1. Work out whether you are an international student under Portuguese rules.
  2. National contest: get your diploma recognised, check which entrance exams your programmes require, and apply through DGES in summer.
  3. International contest: read the call of each institution you want, and apply to each one directly.
  4. Accept your place and enrol.
  5. If you are not an EU citizen, apply for a study visa.

What it costs

The national fee is capped by law; international students pay a price set by each institution. See how much it costs to study in Portugal.

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.