University of Lisbon - Instituto Superior Técnico

The University of Lisbon (ULisboa) is the largest and most prestigious university in Portugal and is one of Europe’s leading universities, with over 50,000 students. Heir to a university tradition that spans over seven centuries, ULisboa is co-responsible for making the city of Lisbon one of the great European capitals of culture and science, as it welcomes more than 9,000 foreign students every year (about 18% of the total number of students) from over 100 countries, who are seeking high-quality education as well as a different culture, delightful weather, and the hospitality and safety that Lisbon, and Portugal, have to offer (4th safest country in the world, 2021 Global Peace Index). Located in the heart of the city, it provides its entire community with the best and most diverse academic programs and vows to deliver a uniquely enriching experience.

Instituto Superior Técnico (Técnico) is the School of Engineering of the University of Lisbon. Created almost 11 decades ago, Técnico has approximately 12,000 students of more than 60 different nationalities. Top-ranked in Portugal, Técnico is internationally recognized for its academic and scientific excellence in the fields of Engineering, Architecture, Science, and Technology, for promoting the relationship between university-business-society and for encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship, job creation, and knowledge. Técnico offers many Bachelor, Master, Doctoral, and lifelong training programs, and develops Research, Development, and Innovation (RD&I) activities, which are essential to provide an education based on the top international standards. Técnico has three campuses with privileged access to Lisbon’s main points of interest and to its stunning city resort (Sintra, Cascais, Estoril, Arrábida). Located in one of Lisbon’s most central areas, the Alameda campus is served by an excellent public transportation network, allowing easy access to all points of the city, and offers a wide range of cultural, leisure, and sports activities.

The Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Georresources (DECivil) is one of the founding and largest departments of Técnico. DECivil has 141 faculty members and 1500 BSc and MSc students (14% of which international), distributed by three main areas: (i) Civil Engineering, (ii) Mining and Energy Resources; and (iii) Architecture. In addition, DECivil also hosts 250 Ph.D. students, in a very exciting and diverse environment. All education programs are strongly grounded in solid experimental teaching and, for that purpose, very well-equipped laboratories are available in different fields, where ground-breaking research is carried out, as attested by the outstanding positions in various academic rankings: Civil Engineering - 2nd (Europe) in 2021 NTU Taiwan Ranking and 17th (Europe) in 2021 Shanghai Ranking; Petroleum Engineering – 47th (World) in 2021 QS World University Ranking.

Accreditation

EUR-ACE® is a framework and accreditation system that provides a set of standards that identifies high-quality engineering degree programmes in Europe and abroad. The EUR-ACE® label is a certificate awarded by an authorised agency to a HEI (Higher Education Institution) in respect of each engineering degree programme which it has accredited.

A3ES is the Portuguese Agency for the Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education. The accreditation decision depends on the assessment of (i) the quality of the performance of higher education institutions and their organic units, and (ii) the quality of the study programmes leading to a given degree. A3ES is a full member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, is listed in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education and is a member of CHEA International Quality Group.

Required Documents

Applications for a specific course or study cycle program are made online. The applicant must provide all the documents mentioned in the Regulation, as well as a motivation letter referring to the selected course or study cycle. To complete the application process it is necessary to submit the following scanned documents as PDF files:

• Recent photo;
• Up-to-date CV;
• Identification document / passport;
• Copy of CPF (only applicable to candidates to BSc degrees of Brazilian nationality);
• An official academic transcript that you have completed secondary education or equivalent in the country of origin, with final average and proof of access to higher education exams (only applicable to candidates to BSc degrees);
• Official academic transcript records of bachelor degree and Diploma with final average (only applicable to candidates to MSc degrees);
• A document specifying the type of grading scheme of the academic records (only applicable to candidates to MSc degrees);
• Document certifying the applicant’s Portuguese language level: B1 level in Portuguese Language and complete the B2 level until the end of the first year of the degree (only applicable to candidates to BSc degrees);
• Statement Under Oath, that the applicant does not have Portuguese nationality nor any other country nationality that is a member of the EU and fulfills the requirements needed for the Access and Admission category for International Students;
• Bank transfer slip of the payment for the application fee.

International Students

Citizens of countries outside the European Union or the Schengen Area must apply for a visa in their country of origin, at a Portuguese Embassy/Consulate. Please note that a ‘tourist’ visa is not valid for studies in Portugal.

Non-European citizens who have a residence permit in a Schengen country must apply for a visa for Portugal, in the country where they have a residence permit when the stay is longer than 3 months.

The visa application must be submitted several months in advance because it can take up to at least 12 weeks, depending on the country of origin. Some visa applicants may also be subject to security checks. You can consult the document below for more information.

Students European Union/EEA/Switzerland

For the first 3 months of your stay in the country, you only need to have a valid identity document or passport. After this period, you must apply for a permit within 30 days at the Lisbon City Hall and it will be valid for 5 years.