The University of Aveiro (Universidade de Aveiro, or UA) was founded in 1973 in Aveiro, a coastal city in central Portugal between Porto and Coimbra. It’s a young, campus-based university, and most of its departments are on its main Santiago campus. In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published in June 2026, it was 425th in the world and the fifth-highest-ranked university in Portugal. It’s known for engineering, materials science, telecommunications, chemistry and the environmental sciences.
Most of UA’s bachelor’s programmes are taught in Portuguese, and international students have their own special contest, which includes entrance exams for those who can’t be exempted. Here are 10 things you can do to give yourself the best chance, based on the University of Aveiro’s own guidance and official Portuguese information.
1. Check whether you’re an international student
Portugal’s International Student Statute (Estatuto do Estudante Internacional) gives students who aren’t Portuguese or EU/EEA citizens their own “special contest” for bachelor’s and integrated master’s places, with separate places, dates and fees. You can’t use it if you’re a family member of a Portuguese or EU citizen, if you’ve lived legally in Portugal for more than two years by 1 January of the year you apply (time on a student visa usually doesn’t count), or if you benefit from the Statute of Equal Rights and Duties for Brazilian citizens. If you can’t use it, you apply through the national access system like Portuguese students. At UA, non-European international candidates who want to take a bachelor’s (1st cycle) course can apply through the special access competition for international students, while master’s and doctoral applicants follow UA’s postgraduate application calls. University of Aveiro: international students applications.
2. Choose up to three courses
In each phase of the special contest, you can apply for up to three courses, listed in order of preference. Most bachelor’s courses are taught in Portuguese, so you’ll need to be able to study in Portuguese, and the number of places and any entrance exams are shown on each course page and in the call announcement.
3. Know the three application phases
UA’s special contest runs in three phases, starting in January, for courses that begin in September. For 2026-27, the first phase ran from 5 to 29 January 2026, the second from 25 March to 7 April 2026 and the third from 1 to 9 July 2026. The first and third phases were only open to candidates who could be exempted from UA’s entrance exams, so if you need to sit the exams, the second phase is your main chance. Expect similar dates for 2027-28.
4. Prepare for the entrance exams, or get exempted
If you can’t be exempted, you’ll take written entrance exams for your course: in 2026 they took place from 20 to 30 April at UA and at selected locations, including, where possible, in some candidates’ home countries. UA publishes the syllabus and sample exams for each course, so use them to prepare. You’re exempt if you can prove you’ve taken exams in your own country that UA recognises, so check the list of recognised exams first. University of Aveiro: special call for international students.
5. Get your documents ready
You apply through UA’s online application platform with a copy of your passport or ID showing your nationality, and your educational certificates, including the qualification that gives you access to higher education in your country, translated into Portuguese or English. Allow time for translations, and check the call announcement for any other documents your course needs.
6. Apply for a master’s in one of three stages
For 2026-27, applications for UA’s master’s degrees ran in three stages: 2 to 12 February, 14 April to 14 May and 1 to 4 September 2026. For a foreign degree, you’ll need an official declaration from your university showing your final grade and its grading scale, and all your documents must be authenticated by the education authorities of your country and recognised by a Portuguese consulate, or carry the Hague Apostille, or your application will be excluded. Documents not in Spanish, French or English must be translated into one of those languages. University of Aveiro: postgraduate applications.
7. Prove your English for English-taught courses
English-taught programmes ask you to prove your English, usually with IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT or a Cambridge English qualification, although applicants who studied in English may be exempt. Minimum scores are set by each programme, so check yours, and book your test early so your results are ready when you apply. Practise with our free IELTS and TOEFL practice tests.
8. Understand the fees and look for scholarships
For 2026-27, UA’s tuition fees for international students depend on the field: €5,000 a year in the arts, sciences, engineering and health, €4,150 in economics, management, mathematics and education, and €3,500 in the human, social and political sciences, compared with €697 for Portuguese and EU bachelor’s students. UA also has incentive scholarships that can reduce the fee for international students who meet its academic criteria. Portugal has few large scholarships for international students, but look at the Camões Institute (for students from some Portuguese-speaking countries), the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for doctoral studentships, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Santander Universities, as well as funding from your own government. University of Aveiro: tuition fees for international students.
9. Apply for your student visa, then your residence permit
EU/EEA and Swiss citizens don’t need a visa, but if they stay longer than three months they must get a registration certificate from their local town hall. If you’re from outside the EU/EEA, you first apply for a residence visa for higher education at the Portuguese embassy or consulate in your country once the University of Aveiro has accepted you, and you must show that you have enough money to live on, health or travel insurance and a criminal record certificate. The amount is based on Portugal’s monthly minimum wage, which is €920 in 2026. The visa lets you enter Portugal, where you book an appointment with AIMA, Portugal’s Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, to apply for your residence permit with proof of enrolment, tuition payment, accommodation and means of subsistence. Under current rules, the residence permit for higher education students is valid for three years, or for the length of your course if it’s shorter. If you arrive from another Schengen country and don’t pass Portuguese border control, you must declare your entry to AIMA or the police within three working days. AIMA appointments can take time, so apply for your visa as soon as you’re admitted. AIMA: residence permit for higher education students.
10. Plan for work during and after your studies
With a residence permit for study, you can work as an employee or be self-employed alongside your studies, as long as your studies remain your main activity, and you’ll need to register with Portuguese social security and get a tax number (NIF). Most part-time jobs need Portuguese, so don’t count on them to pay your tuition or living costs. After you graduate, you’ll need to switch to a residence permit that allows you to work, for example once you’ve found a job, so check the current options with AIMA before your student permit runs out. The University of Aveiro’s career services can help you find internships and jobs. AIMA: residence permit for higher education students.
Applying for a PhD at the University of Aveiro?
UA’s doctoral programmes have several application stages a year: for 2026-27 they ran from 2 to 12 February, 14 April to 30 June, 1 to 7 September and a fourth stage in November 2026 or January 2027, depending on the programme. You’ll usually need a master’s degree and a research project, and many doctoral students in Portugal are funded through FCT studentships or research projects. See our 50 sample SOPs and free GRE practice tests.
Be ambitious, but apply to a balanced list
Apply to more than one university to give yourself options. Read our guides to the University of Lisbon, the University of Porto, NOVA University Lisbon and the University of Coimbra. Our guide to studying in Portugal explains how the Portuguese system works, and our free study abroad assessment can help you build a shortlist.
Information was taken from the University of Aveiro’s official admissions and fee pages, AIMA and other Portuguese government sources and the QS World University Rankings 2027, and checked in October 2026. Admissions rules, deadlines, fees and immigration rules can change, so always confirm the details on the University of Aveiro’s applications website before you apply. StudyAbroadMarket is not affiliated with the University of Aveiro.