🇵🇹 How to apply to university in Portugal

Applications go through Each institution (International Student Statute). Programmes usually start: September/October.

Checked on 20 October 2026 against the official sources listed below.

The essentials

Application system: Each institution (International Student Statute)Portuguese and EU students use the National Access Competition (Concurso Nacional de Acesso); non-EU students apply to each institution under the international-student regime.
When programmes start: September/October.
International applicants: Non-EU students apply directly to each institution under the International Student regime, with its own deadlines and fees. EU students usually go through the National Access Competition.
Language: Set by each institution — Portuguese or English, as the course requires.

Key dates

Each institution fixes its deadline every year, at least three months before the course starts, and publishes it on its website. International-student calls usually open as early as January for the following autumn.

The dates for the next intake haven't been published yet. We add them once the official source does.

Your checklist

The usual steps for an international student applying to a bachelor's in Portugal, in order. Tick them off as you go — your ticks stay in this browser, with no account.

1.Check whether you qualify as an international student (non-EU, not legally resident in Portugal for more than two years).
2.Choose a programme and read the institution's call for international students.
3.Get your school certificate legalised, translated and, if asked, recognised.
4.Prove your Portuguese or English as the institution requires (there is no national test).
5.Apply on the institution's portal by its deadline and sit any required exam.
6.Accept your place and pay the fees the institution sets.
7.Apply for a study visa at the Portuguese consulate, then for residence with AIMA after arriving.
8.Arrange housing.

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Next steps

Sources

Written by CollegeMatcher in our own words from these official pages, checked on 20 October 2026. Dates change every year.

DGES — Concurso Especial para Estudantes Internacionais