Low tuition: Study in Portugal, Tuition Fees, Cost of Living and List of Universities

Portugal is a Southern European country that borders Spain and other European countries. The location of the country on the Atlantic Ocean influences many aspects of its cultures like salt cod and grilled sardines which are national dishes. Lisbon is the capital. If you have been looking for a country to study with low tuition fees in Europe, why not add Portugal to your list? Portuguese universities offer a wide range of study programs in the fields of Engineering, Medicine, Arts and Humanities, Sciences etc. So today, we will be focusing on studying in Portugal, tuition fees, cost of living etc.

Tuition fees

As I said at the onset, tuition fees in Portuguese Universities is quite low and affordable. Students who are enrolled for a bachelors or masters programs are charged an average tuition fee of approximately 950 – 1250 EUR per academic year. For PhD programs (third cycle programs), the average tuition fee amounts to approximately 2500 – 3000 EUR per academic year. Exchange students may be exempted from paying tuition fees at public institutions in Portugal depending on the agreement signed by the Portuguese institution and its counterpart abroad.

Cost of living

The cost of living in Portugal is one of the lowest in Europe. The cost of rents, food & primary goods, and entertainment are reasonably cheap. You can eat out for around 5€ at lunch time and have good meat or fish dish at a restaurant for less than 10€ for dinner. A full meal at the university canteen costs around 2.50€ and alcoholic drinks vary roughly from 0.80€ for a beer up to 5€ for a cocktail. A theatre ticket rarely costs more than 30€ and going to the cinema is rather inexpensive. So a student needs atleast 350€ to 500€ to cover the cost of accommodation, food, transportation etc in one month.

Admission requirements

If you are applying for a bachelors program in Portugal, you must meet the following requirements:

• Have completed upper secondary education.
• Have passed the university entrance examination in their home country.
• meet the study program pre-requisites if required. A pre-requisite is a subject any applicant must meet before being allowed to register for a course. For example, students seeking to study music in Portugal, will be required to pass an aptitude exam in music.
  To learn whether you need to pass a specific course before registering for the study program of your choice, you may contact an advisor at any of the Higher Education Admissions Offices (“Gabinetes de Acceso”).

For a masters degree program, applicants should be in possession of a relevant bachelor’s or equivalent degree diploma.

For a PhD program, applicants should be in possession of a relevant diploma or master’s degree program.

Language requirements

Since the language of instruction at Portuguese universities and colleges is Portuguese, you are required to prove your level of command of the Portuguese language. You may do so by presenting the results you received at school examinations if you studied Portuguese as part of your study program or by presenting Portuguese language courses diplomas. In general, most institutions require a minimum level of command corresponding to the B1/B2 level according to the European language passport. Please, note that the Portuguese language requirement usually applies to studies at the first cycle (undergraduate). Master’s and research programs may not require any knowledge of Portuguese since they are often designed for international students.

List of universities in Portugal

Here are some of the universities in Portugal you may apply for study:

• Universidade Independente
• Universidade Lusiada
• Universidade Fernando Pessoa
• Universidade do Porto
• Universidade de Evora
• Universidade de Aveiro
• Universidade Atlântica
• Universidade Aberta Lisboa
• European University Portugal