The Portuguese Higher Education System
The higher education institutions in Portugal are managed and overseen by the General office of higher education (Direccao Geral do Ensino Superior). The head of each institution in Portugal is a rector, and all rectors are members of the National Board of Education.
Higher education provides scientific, technical and cultural groundwork that prepares students for to enter the labour market. The University education is the oldest in the Portugal and dates back to the 13th century, while the non-university (polytechnic) higher education started in the 1980s. The traditional higher education institutions of Portugal are located in Oporto, Lisbon, and Coimbra. The University of Coimbra is the country’s oldest higher education institution established in the year 1920.
Higher Education Facts
- 114 Higher Education Institutions, about 5000 courses, and around 350000 students.
- 307 R&D Units in all domains of knowledge awarded 525 Million euros from Horizon 2020.
- Portugal was considered the World Leading Destination in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Higher Education Institutions
Higher education in Portugal has gone through many transformations in accordance with the Bologna process. Higher education in Portugal is split up into two types:
- University education
- Non-university higher education or polytechnic education
University Education: The university higher education lays emphasis on theory and research. Universities in Portugal offer bachelor, master and doctoral degrees.
Non-university Higher Education (Polytechnic): The polytechnic education offers practical and professional knowledge and skills. Polytechnics in Portugal award bachelor and master’s degree.
Higher Education Qualifications
First cycle: This cycle comprises of bachelors degree, also called as licenciado. The bachelor degree lasts for 3-4 years (5 or 6 years also) depending upon the field of study.
Second cycle: This cycle includes Masters, also called as mestre. The master’s degree requires 1-2 years of study.
Third cycle: This cycle includes PhD, also called as doutor. The duration of the doctorate degree varies.
First and second cycle degrees are offered by university as well as non-university higher education institution (polytechnic). The third cycle degree is award only by the universities in Portugal.
Academic Year
The academic year in Portugal is split up into 2 semesters:
First semester starts in September and goes on until January
Second semester starts in February and ends in June
Admission Requirements
The admission requirements vary from university to university. Public higher education institutions make use of a national examination, while the private higher education institutions conduct their own entrance examination.
To gain admittance into the first cycle of the Portuguese higher education, students must hold a secondary school leaving certificate. For second and third cycle requires an undergraduate and master’s degree respectively.
Contact the individual higher education institution to know about the additional prerequisites for your academic programme.
To know more about the admission requirements and procedure, click
here.
Language Requirements
Portuguese Language Proficiency
As the language of instruction at the higher education institutions in Portugal is Portuguese, students are required to demonstrate their Portuguese language proficiency level. Students can submit either the result of the school exams if Portuguese was the subjects as part of the curricula, or can submit a Portuguese language proficiency certificate.
Centre for Evaluation of Portuguese as a Foreign Language or (in Portuguese Centro de Avaliacao de Portugues Lingua Estrangeira), or
CAPLE is a certificate of proficiency as second language in European Portuguese, prepared by the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon.
TELC - The European Language Certificates: This language test offers Portuguese exam at Level B1.
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