Located on the far west of Europe on the Atlantic coast, Portugal offers international students a mix of culture, history, warm weather, affordable living costs and high quality education.
There are over 90 universities in Portugal, and these fall into two main categories:
Universities – These tend to be research led. Universities in Portugal are fairly evenly split between publicly funded and privately owned universities.
Examples of public universities include the University of Lisbon, the University of Porto and the University of Algarve.
Examples of private universities in Portugal include the European University of Lisbon, the Autonomous University of Lisbon and the Catholic University of Portugal.
Polytechnic Institutes – There are many Polytechnic institutions and schools in Portugal which offer their students practical training to prepare them for career roles. There is a fairly evenly split of publicly funded and privately run Polytechnics in Portugal.
Public polytechnics include the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, the Polytechnic Institute of Lisboa and the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal.
Privately run polytechnics include the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra, the Polytechnic Institute of Maia and ISAVE – Instituto Superior de Saúde.
The official language of Portugal is Portuguese, whilst there are also several regional languages spoken in areas of the country such as Mirandese.
Universities in Portugal use Portuguese as their main language of tuition, and most offer Portuguese language courses to help get international students up to speed. Portuguese is the 4th most spoken language in the world, and can be an incredibly useful language to master.
Several universities are now beginning to offer bachelors and masters degrees taught in either partly or fully in English, such as Politécnico de Leiria who offer a Games and Multimedia bachelors programme taught in English and Portuguese.
Portugal is known for its historic and prestigious universities, with 17 universities featuring in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
University | Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2024 | Best Global Universities | QS World University Ranking |
University of Coimbra | 401-500 | 429 | 351 |
University of Lisbon | 401-500 | 202 | 266 |
University of Porto | 401-500 | 247 | 253 |
NOVA University of Lisbon | 501–600 | 487 | |
University of Aveiro | 601–800 | 525 | 344 |
University of Beira Interior | 601–800 | 1281 | |
ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon | 601–800 | 1121 | 751-760 |
University of Minho | 601–800 | 507 | 611-620 |
University of Algarve | 801-1000 | 1121 | |
Catholic University of Portugal | 801-1000 | 844 | 901-950 |
See below for a list of universities and higher education providers in Portugal. Click on universities you are interested in below to read more and to see which courses are available for international students.
Browse higher education providers in Portugal
Master (MSc) in Hospitality and Tourism Management MSc
Lisbon University Institute Portugal
Find out moreInternational Undergraduate Program UG:Bachelor
Catolica Lisbon School of Business & Economics Portugal
Find out moreMaster in Political Science and International Relations: Security and Defense Master
Católica Porto Business School Portugal
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