Latest news and stories about international students in education in Portugal for expats and residents.
The president of the student ombudsman network calls for improved government coordination regarding visa access and scheduling, emphasizing that while institutions are not surrogate parents, better administrative support is essential.
The Lisbon MBA Católica/Nova SBE has gained international recognition, with 80% of its students and 50% of its faculty being foreign. It ranks first in Portugal and 24th in Europe according to the Financial Times Global MBA 2026 ranking. The programme, a collaboration between Católica Lisbon, Nova SBE, and MIT Sloan, emphasizes diversity and has a 53% female participation rate. It is noted for its strong international course experience and has participants from 18 different nationalities.
The university rector specified that, of the approximately 10,000 students at the University of Évora, nearly 650 are international students, “of whom about 600 are from outside the European Union”.
The number of international students enrolled in Portuguese higher education institutions has reached 80,000.
Nova SBE is ranked second in the world for Master's in Management programmes. Dean Pedro Oliveira states that this result attracts more international students to Portugal and highlights the success of the courses in the job market.
Almost half a million people enrolled in higher education for the 2024/2025 academic year. This figure represents a 30 percent increase in the number of students over the last decade. PORDATA attributes this rise to the fact that there are more students in bachelor's and master's degree programmes. In addition to this, there was also an increase of 5,844 students in professional higher technical courses (CTeSP) and 4,753 in doctoral programmes.
More than three thousand students from Brazil are studying at the University of Coimbra through mobility programmes. Each academic year, the university cements its position as a top destination for Brazilians seeking to study in Portugal. In an interview with the Lusa agency, Vice-Rector João Nuno Calvão da Silva noted that a large portion of these students are enrolled in Law courses, as the legal systems in Portuguese-speaking countries are based on the Portuguese model. The university is currently seeing a historic record of international students, representing 120 different nationalities.
The University of Coimbra (UC) is very strong in the Portuguese-speaking world, hosting thousands of students from these regions and having strengthened its international appeal in recent years, said vice-rector João Nuno Calvão da Silva today.
Coimbra is attracting an increasing number of international students. There are already over 3,000 Brazilians, and students from Portuguese-speaking countries are primarily seeking the Law degree, which is based on the Portuguese legal system.
At a time when the Donald Trump administration threatened to halt the issuance of visas to international students, Harvard Business School considered bringing its MBA to Europe and Canada, having held talks with 'potential partners'. According to the Financial Times this Thursday, Portugal's Nova SBE was one of the schools considered.
If Portuguese and foreign institutions are competing for the same students in the same territory, how can equivalent competitive conditions be ensured?
A Brazilian student in Portugal discusses the diverse range of international students choosing the country for their studies.
At 20 years old, the son of Haakon and Mette-Marit sees his public exposure increased while representing the Norwegian royal house during one of its most turbulent years. Who is the prince coming to study in Lisbon?
The son of Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit will study Business Management at Forward College in Lisbon for one year, following in the footsteps of Infanta Sofia, who is heading to Paris.
The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon (FMUL) has opened applications for its Medicine and Nutrition undergraduate programmes for international students, with a deadline of 14 August. For the 2026/2027 academic year, FMUL is offering 11 places for Medicine and two for Nutrition. Brazilian applicants must have a high school diploma and a minimum ENEM score of 700 in each subject. Tuition fees for international students are 18,000 euros per year for Medicine and 11,000 euros for Nutrition, significantly higher than the 697 euros paid by domestic students, unless specific criteria for equal treatment are met.
“Every day I watch the news and hope that my family and friends are okay,” Alice Baaklini tells Expresso. She is one of thousands of Lebanese university students who decided to study abroad and are now experiencing the conflict from afar.
Rector Artur Silva revealed that 15% of UA students are international, with the largest group coming from Brazil. The supply of beds in university residences is being increased to keep up with demand.
The faculty reports that 13.54% of its students are from Brazil and there are 11 professors on the teaching staff. According to the institution, Brazilians add “competence, commitment, and friendliness to daily life”.
Tuition fees for international students can reach 44,000 euros per year. The European Parliament stated it is “negotiating” the issue that has repeatedly delayed the second UK-EU summit.
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The number of international students enrolled in Portuguese higher education institutions continues to rise.
There are 165,000, and among them, there is a high level of academic failure. A study by the Belmiro de Azevedo Foundation points to the need to provide schools with more resources.
The XIV Lisbon Forum highlights the growing influence of Brazilian legal and academic institutions in Portugal. With Brazilians making up over 50% of international students in Portuguese master's and doctoral programs, Brazilian legal thought is increasingly shaping courts, policy, and academic debate. Events like the Lisbon Forum and various colloquia demonstrate a shift where Brazil now actively contributes to the discourse on constitutional and legal matters, a trend expected to intensify with the Mercosur-EU agreement.
Data shows that more than half of international students studying in Portugal originate from Community of Portuguese Language Countries member states.
The Study in Portugal Network is expanding its presence to the University of Porto.
The Lisbon Institute of Accounting and Administration (ISCAL) aims to be a higher education institution with more “open doors” to the market and prepared for the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on accounting-related professions. President Pedro Pinheiro, recently reappointed after being the sole candidate for a second and final term, considers...
At 20, Madalena Gouveia is studying at Forward College, an institution that combines the academic rigour of the University of London with practical skills and soft skills. Through a 'flipped classroom' model, international cultural immersion, and 360-degree evaluations, the college prepares students for the real world by focusing on human intelligence and critical thinking, including the strategic use of AI.
The city is more multicultural and more and more companies are looking for young immigrants.
Young students take on the role of diplomats for three days in a United Nations simulation.
