A new access system to higher education for international students was approved in March of this year, in the context of the internationalization strategy for Portuguese higher education. Decree-Law n.º 36/2014 establishes a special competition of access and admission where all higher education institutions can create the adequate conditions to attract more international students to Portugal. The increase of the number of international students will also allow an increase of the use of the institutions’ capacity, as well as in their revenue, that can be, in turn, used to foster the quality, creating a truly international environment.
This system applies to students that hold a secondary school diploma that gives them access to higher education in the country where it was issued. It can also be applied to international students that have finished their secondary studies in Portugal or an equivalent study programme. This new system does not include students from EU Member-states, who benefit from the same access conditions as Portuguese nationals. It also does not include scholarship holders from Portuguese speaking African countries that benefit a specific regime.
The legal diploma that establishes this system: https://dre.pt/pdf1sdip/2014/03/04800/0181801821.pdf
