FAQ
1. What is the normal duration of the courses?
The study cycles at the University of Coimbra are structured in accordance with the Bologna Process model (European Higher Education Area’s degree system):
The 1st cycle courses (undergraduate studies) have a normal duration of 6 to 8 semesters (3 or 4 years).
The 2nd cycle courses (masters) have a normal duration of 3 to 4 semesters (1.5 years or 2 years).
Some Engineering courses and the Medical, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Psychology courses have a structure composed of two integrated levels (1st cycle and 2nd cycle). These courses are called Integrated Masters and have a normal duration of 10 to 12 semesters (5 or 6 years).
The 3rd cycle courses (PhD) have a normal duration of 6 to 10 semesters (3 or 5 years).
For further information about the European degree system, please check www.uc.pt/en/china/sistema_graus
2. What is the language of instruction? What if I do not speak Portuguese?
The University of Coimbra is proud to be the number 1 higher education institution in the teaching of the Portuguese language. In most of the courses of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycle, the language of instruction is Portuguese. In the 2nd and 3rd cycles, there are some programmes taught in English. Please check this page and the respective Call for Applications (“requirements and tuition fees”) of the intended course.
To attend courses taught in Portuguese at the University of Coimbra, students must have at least an intermediate level of proficiency in Portuguese (B1 level of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
International students who do not have sufficient proficiency in the Portuguese language have to attend a Foundation Year Programme before starting the course or follow a Portuguese language course in parallel with the study cycle.
Learn more at: www.uc.pt/en/china/oportunidades/1ciclo/elegibilidade
3. How much are the tuition fee and the cost of living at Coimbra?
The costs of the Foundation Year Programme and 1st cycle courses tuition fee is 7000 euros/year for international students. The same fee is applied to the 1st+2nd cycle courses (integrated master's degrees).
With regard to the 2nd cycle and 3rd cycle courses please consult the Call for Applications of the intended course.
The living cost is estimated at 6000 euros/year.
Read more at: www.uc.pt/en/china/estudar-viver-coimbra/custos
4. Do I need to contact a recruitment agency to apply to the University of Coimbra? What are the reliable sources of information concerning the application process to the University of Coimbra?
Not necessarily. The whole application process and registration is virtual and has to be done by the applicant himself/herself in the online platform Inforestudante.uc.pt. All information recorded during the application must be true and related to the applicant, such as addresses, email contacts, phone and mobile phone numbers, etc.
Applicants cannot apply using other person's information.
In addition to the website information available at www.uc.pt and www.uc.pt/china (sub-site in Chinese), other reliable sources of information are the following:
Sina Weibo: www.weibo.com/univcoimbra
Wechat: univcoimbra
The China Desk of the International Relations Unit can provide support to clarify and verify doubts regarding the application process to the University of Coimbra. Send an email to dri.china@uc.pt if you need support.
5. What is the Inforestudante?
Inforestudante is a platform where students can enter data and documents from the moment of application to the completion of the course at the University of Coimbra. The application process is done in the Inforestudante platform, which provides the following functions: student registration, course selection, submission of required documents and payment of fees.
The application results will also be published in Inforestudante. The Letter of Acceptance will be sent in digital format to the email address and on paper to the address registered in this platform.
Students of UC can also do their registration in courses and subjects in this platform, as well as submit course assignments, consult class schedules and exam scores, pay tuition and other administrative fees, etc.
6. What are the application requirements for the courses of the 1st cycle?
For the courses of the 1st cycle, eligible applicants are Chinese nationals who have completed secondary education and do not have Portuguese nationality or any other nationality from a European Union Member State. For the academic year 2022/2023 Gaokao, Liankao, Joint Admission Examination for Macao, A-Level and IB (International Baccalaureate) exam scores of 2022,2021,2020, 2019, 2018 or 2017 will be accepted.
The ranking of the applications is done on a decreasing ranking order using the scores (converted to the Portuguese scale) of all international student submitted applications.
More information can be found in: www.uc.pt/en/china/oportunidades/1ciclo/gaokao
Chinese applicants holding a foreign secondary education diploma or a Portuguese secondary education diploma, who have made the Portuguese admission exams can also apply with the grades obtained in this examination.
Learn more at: www.uc.pt/international-applicants/oportunidades/1ciclo
7. Is there any scholarships for Chinese students?
The international students who enter the University of Coimbra (UC) through foreign higher education entry examinations have the opportunity to apply to merit scholarships. Learn more at: www.uc.pt/en/china/oportunidades/funding/ei/
There are several financial support options for Chinese students who wish to study abroad or who are already studying at the University of Coimbra. Learn more at: www.uc.pt/en/china/oportunidades/funding
8. How do I know if my Gaokao, Liankao, Joint Admission Examination for Macao, A-Level or IB scores meet the requirements to apply?
To find out whether the scores obtained in Gaokao, Liankao, Joint Admission Examination for Macao, A-Level or in IB meet the minimum requirements to apply for the intended course at the University of Coimbra, visit the webpage: www.uc.pt/en/china/oportunidades/1ciclo/gaokao
The following step by step helps you to understand how it is done.
Choose the course you want and check what is the required "stream". For instance, in the case of Psychology, the "stream" is natural sciences.
If you are from Beijing and the 2018 score of your Gaokao was at least 375, it means you have the minimum score to apply to UC, as students from the People's Republic of China need to have at least 50% of the maximum score of their provincial Gaokao scale in the case of Mainland China.
To find out if the grades obtained in the A-Level exams meet the minimum requirements, see www.uc.pt/en/china/ch/oportunidades/1ciclo/a-level
IB minimum requirements are available at: www.uc.pt/en/china/oportunidades/1ciclo/ib
9. In addition to the Gaokao, the Liankao, Joint Admission Examination for Macao requirements, A-Level or IB score, which other documents are required for the application?
The complete list of documents is available at: www.uc.pt/en/china/oportunidades/1ciclo/candidatura
10. Where can I find the declarations to upload into my application?
Declaration templates are available in Inforestudante.uc.pt. You have just to download the declarations in the documents’ section, fill in your information and then upload them into the platform.
11. I will graduate from secondary school in 2020, can I apply to UC?
Secondary education must be completed prior to the submission of the application, regardless of the year in which it was completed. To apply in the 1st and 2nd calls for applications of the school year of2022/2023, entrance examinations must have been taken in 2022,2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 or 2017.
Those who will complete the secondary education and entrance examinations in 2022 can only apply in the 3rd call for applications.
12. What are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd calls for applications?
There are three application deadlines at the University of Coimbra. The first application period is called the 1st call. The unfilled places from this call will be available in the second application period that is called the 2nd call. The third application period is called the 3rd call and comprises the vacancies that were not filled in the 2nd call.
Each application is a separate process and the applicant can apply to one or more calls. If the student has applied in the 1st call and has succeeded, he/she does not need to apply again. If he/she did not succeed, he/she can try other courses in the 2nd call or in the 3rd call. Each application is subject to a fee of € 50.00.
13. When does the school year in UC start?
The academic year at the University of Coimbra begins in September and ends in July.
The 1st semester begins in mid-September and ends in early February; the 2nd semester begins in early February and ends in late July. In this period there are three holiday periods: Christmas, Easter and Summer (entire month of August).
The academic calendar can be found at: www.uc.pt/en/china/estudar-viver-coimbra/mais-info/calendario
14. Is the payment of 30% of the tuition made in every school year?
Yes. For more details, see the page about the payment of the tuition and administrative fees at www.uc.pt/en/china/oportunidades/1ciclo/taxas
15. How can I make the tuition payments at the University of Coimbra?
The payment of fees can be made online or in person. Check the payment methods in www.uc.pt/en/china/estudar-viver-coimbra/mais-info/payments
16. Why are the courses of Medicine not offered to international students?
By decision of the Portuguese Government, only national students can apply to these courses, therefore the University of Coimbra cannot open applications to the integrated master in Medicine by course change/transference or through the special access and admission competition for international applicants.
17. How do I validate my degree from the University of Coimbra in China?
The qualifications obtained at the University of Coimbra are recognized by the Ministry of Education of China, as you can see in this webpage:
For more information about the procedures, please visit the website of the China Academic Degrees & Graduate Education Information:
