Portugal

Places on bachelor's and integrated master's programmes at public institutions are allocated through the national admission system, the Concurso Nacional de Acesso, run by DGES. EU citizens are not "international students" under Portuguese law – you apply on the same terms as Portuguese students.

With a secondary school leaving certificate from abroad you will need:

• a certificate of equivalence (certificado de equivalência) – issued by a Portuguese secondary school or the Direção-Geral da Educação; your grade is converted to the 0–200 scale,
• results of the entrance exams (provas de ingresso) – see: Entrance exams,
• documents with an apostille and a Portuguese translation (unless they are in English, French or Spanish).

Dates for 2026: 1st phase – applications from 20 July to 6 August, results by 23 August at the latest; 2nd phase – from 24 August to 20 September; 3rd phase – 10–12 October.

Students from outside the EU usually count as international students (unless, for example, they have lived legally in Portugal for more than two years without a break). They don't take part in the Concurso Nacional, but apply through the special admission contest for international students (Concurso Especial para Estudantes Internacionais) directly to the university or polytechnic of their choice. Each institution sets its own requirements, deadlines and documents. Apply early: you need the admission letter for your student visa, and the visa procedure can take a few months.

For master's programmes and private institutions you apply directly to the institution.