According to collegesanduniversitiesinusa, Portugal is located in the very west of the Iberian Peninsula. The combination of beautiful cities, the Algarve in the south, the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the mountains in the north attracts many tourists every year. The volcanic Atlantic island of Madeira is also part of Portugal.
When you think of Portugal, you inevitably think of times gone by: the seafaring nation and world power that explored sea routes and continents. In the early modern period, seafaring brought the country to great power and wealth.
Facts about the Republic of Portugal
Today’s Portuguese like to look back on this and have even created their own term for this backward-looking melancholy: the saudade. This sadness has become an integral part of the Portuguese way of life. It is also expressed in traditional Portuguese guitar music, fado, among other things.
Due to their seafaring past, the Portuguese are an ethnically very mixed population. Many Portuguese emigrated to other European countries as guest workers. Accordingly, people here are open to strangers and are often multilingual. Studying in Portugal offers the chance to get to know Portuguese culture better and to experience the national pride of Portugal.
Costs and financing of studying in Portugal
In Portugal, both public and private institutions charge tuition fees. At state universities and polytechnic universities, you should calculate around EUR 500 per year. Studying in Portugal at a private university is usually more expensive at around EUR 1800. In any case, there are additional registration fees and occupancy fees for the individual courses.
Daily life in Portugal is cheaper than in Germany. However, the average salaries are also much lower at the same time. Of course, rental prices in Portugal vary depending on the city, district and comfort level chosen. Very cheap rooms are often windowless and in need of renovation.
Accommodation while studying in Portugal
Measured by the number of students, there are hardly any student dormitories in Portugal so far. Their rooms are relatively cheap, but often difficult to find for international students due to the fierce competition. If you look around for a room in a shared apartment, you can expect costs in the wide range of EUR 100-350 per month.
Anyone who decides to study in Portugal quickly realizes that there is a special kind of student coexistence, similar to that in Brazil: In the Repúblicas, students live together in whole houses. These non-profit, independent organizations came into being in the 14th century. Foreigners can apply for a place here just like locals. Rooms with a host family are also available for guest semesters. They cost around EUR 100-200 per month. As a positive side effect, not only do language skills increase quickly, but also knowledge of the country and its people.
DAAD scholarships
For studying in Portugal there are numerous other funding opportunities for studying in Portugal. The international BAföG administered by the federal government enables support that is directly related to the personal financial situation. It is independent of domestic BAföG funding. The DAAD also offers a range of scholarships. Various political, economic and cultural organizations have also committed themselves to individual funding with grants. Student loans are also a way of financing study abroad in Portugal.
Requirements for studying in Portugal
To study in Portugal, you first need to have a general university entrance qualification. Entrance tests are also required for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies: Freshmen must take part in the Concurso nacional at state universities. At the private universities it is the Concurso local. In terms of content, the school knowledge is checked.
In addition, there is a numerus clausus in many areas of study in Portugal. In this context, the applicants create a ranking list of the study locations and programs they want. Those who wish to continue their studies apply directly to the respective university. You should inform yourself well in advance about the admission criteria and application deadlines.
In order to study in Portugal, international students must always apply for an equivalence test of their university entrance qualification and all other certificates or certificates of achievement. To do this, they submit their certified and translated documents to the Ministério da Educação. Then they have to take further admission tests, the provas específicas. They are organized by the relevant university.
Sufficient knowledge of Portuguese is also required to study in Portugal. International students can prove their language proficiency by passing several general entrance exams, the Provas de Aferição. As a rule, every university offers preparatory and accompanying language courses. A few universities also have English-language courses in their programs. This means that there is basically also the option of studying in English in Portugal.
