Foreign students wishing to attend the University of Algarve may do so:

1. By applying through the “Change of institution/course” regimes for access to higher education, if you have been enrolled at a foreign higher education institution, on a course defined as higher by the legislation of your country and have not completed it, as long as you meet the requirements in articles 9 and 10 of Ordinance no. 181-D / 2015 of 19 June with application of article 20-A of Decree-Law no. 296-A / 98, of 25 September

It should be noted that the status of international student applies to students who do not have Portuguese nationality, except:

1. Nationals of a member state of the European Union;
2. Family members of Portuguese citizens or nationals of a member state of the European Union, regardless of their nationality;
3. Those who, not being nationals of a member state of the European Union, will have legally and uninterruptedly resided in Portugal for more than two years on the 1st of January in the year in which they intend to enter higher education, as well as the children residing with them. Note that residence purely for studying does not count for this purpose;
4. Those who, on the 1st of January in the year in which they intend to enter higher education, benefit from the status of equal rights and duties granted under the international treaty between the Portuguese State and the State of which they are nationals;
5. Those who apply to enter higher education through special regimes.
6. Those who are attending UAlg under an international mobility programme, an exchange agreement for that purpose, or a cycle of studies in association with one or more foreign higher education institutions;

You can apply to the University of Algarve through the international student procedure for Bachelor’s and Integrated Master's courses. The results you obtained in the ENEM exams will be accepted in place of the entrance exams.

For applicants who took the ENEM exams, the University of Algarve requires a minimum of 500 points in the essay paper and at least 475 points in each of the other papers, as per the information available on the University of Algarve’s website.

The Calendar for the Special Competition for Access and Admission to the first cycle (Bachelor's Degrees) and Integrated Master's under the statute of international student at the University of Algarve will be made available at the beginning of December each year. The competition comprises three application phases and you should note that some courses may not offer places in the second and third phases.

Before formalising your application, you should take note of the following procedures:

• Confirm if there are places available on the course that interests you;
• Gather the documentation required to attach to your application:​​​​​​
  • Identity document (passport)
  • CPF;
  • A statement confirming that you have completed secondary school;
  • Your ENEM results (It is mandatory to have a score equal to or greater than 500 points in the essay paper and equal to or greater than 475 points in the other papers);
  • A declaration of honour (mandatory document for your application to be considered valid).

The document attesting to your academic qualifications must be authenticated by the official education services of the issuing country and by the Portuguese embassy or consulate in that country or must bear the Hague Apostille.

• Pay the application fee (each application corresponds to one course, if you want to apply for more than one course you will have to pay a fee for each application).

Applications are made online using the form provided on the University of Algarve website. After you have registered on the website and filled in the form, you will receive an e-mail confirming that your application has been submitted.

​​​​​​​Tuition fees can be paid in up to eight instalments. Top-ranked applicants are eligible for discounted tuition fees under the Incentive Scheme for the Enrolment of International Students in Initial Study Cycles at the University of Algarve.

Foreign students wishing to attend the University of Algarve may do so:

1. Through exchange programmes​​​​​​​for those who want to study at the University of Algarve for only one semester or one academic year;
2. By applying through the National Competition for Access to Higher Education, if they are nationals of a member state of the European Union or will have been legally resident in Portugal for more than two years, uninterruptedly, on 31 August of the year in which they intend to enter higher education. For these applicants, the conditions of access to higher education are equivalent to those of Portuguese citizens (Portuguese emigrants benefit from a special contingent). Applicants who completed their secondary education abroad, must contact the Directorate-General for Higher Education or a secondary school in order to obtain information about equivalence to Portuguese secondary education;
3. By applying through the regime to change your institution/course combination for access to higher education, if you have been enrolled at a foreign higher education institution, on a course defined as higher by the law of your country, whether you have completed it or not and provided that you comply with the provisions of Articles 9 and 10 of Ordinance no. 181-D/2015, of 19 June, with application of Article 20-A of Decree-Law no. 296-A/98, of 25 of September;
4. Through the Special Access Regimes. Foreign students may also benefit from special access conditions, if they are in one of the following situations:
   1. National scholarship students from Portuguese-speaking African countries, within the framework of cooperation agreements signed by the Portuguese State;
   2. Foreign officials from diplomatic missions accredited in Portugal and their relatives residing here, on a reciprocal basis;
   3. Nationals of the territory of Timor-Leste and their children.

It should be noted that the status of international student applies to students who do not have Portuguese nationality, except:

1. Nationals of a member state of the European Union;
2. Family members of Portuguese citizens or nationals of a member state of the European Union, regardless of their nationality;
3. Those who, not being nationals of a member state of the European Union, will have legally and uninterruptedly resided in Portugal for more than two years on the 1st of January in the year in which they intend to enter higher education, as well as the children residing with them. Note that residence purely for studying does not count for this purpose;
4. Those who, on the 1st of January in the year in which they intend to enter higher education, benefit from the status of equal rights and duties granted under the international treaty between the Portuguese State and the State of which they are nationals;
5. Those who request entry to higher education through special regimes;
6. Those who are attending UAlg under an international mobility programme, exchange agreement for that purpose, or a cycle of studies in association with one or more foreign higher education institutions.

You can apply online on the Application Portal, via the special competitions intended for applicants who have passed the exam specifically designed to asses the capacity of adults aged 23 and over to take a degree course. The dates of the application period will be advertised on UAlg’s website. For more information about the necessary documentation, selection criteria and places on offer, see the UAlg website.

These are competitions for students with specific qualifications, as follows:

1. Adults over the age of 23 who have passed the exams specifically designed to assess their capacity to attend higher education;
2. Holders of a technological specialisation diploma;
3. Holders of a higher vocational technical diploma ;
4. Holders of other higher education certificates or diplomas;
5. Special competition for international students.

Applications are made online, on the Application Portal.

No. This is only one of the specific qualifications necessary to apply through the Special Competitions for access and entry to higher education. After you have passed the final assessment procedure in the exams for applicants aged 23 and over, you must submit an application through the Special Competitions process.

No. The purpose of these exams is solely to allow access to higher education, pursuant to Decree-Law no. 64/2006 of 21 March and the Regulations for Special Competitions for Access to Higher Education. No equivalence to school qualifications is granted.

If you did not complete your secondary education, the only way is to take the exams designed to assess the ability of those over the age of 23 to attend higher education. However, you can only do this if you will be 23 years old or over by the 31st of December in the year prior to sitting the exams. Please read the information available on this competition as well as the Regulation for the Assessment of Capacity for Higher Education Attendance for Over 23s.

Passing the test allows you to move on to the subsequent phases: curriculum review and interview. When you have successfully passed the entire process you will be able to apply for a Bachelor’s or Integrated Master's degree course at the University of Algarve. To apply, you must complete the procedures inherent to application via special competitions.

It is an entrance exam, which will assess your potential to enter higher education. It consists of two phases of assessment:

• Phase one consists of the written exam and carries a weight of 50% in the assessment process. If you obtain a mark of less than 9.5 you will be excluded from the next phase. The exam consists of two parts. The first part is a general Portuguese language exam, which is the same for all courses and lasts one hour; the second part, lasting two hours, is specific to the course being applied for;
• Phase two comprises a curriculum review and interview, which have a weighting of 30% and 20%, respectively, in the assessment process.

Registration for these exams is done online on the Application Portal. You must submit the following documents along with the online application form:

• ​​​​​​​A Europass model curriculum vitae(http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/) along with documentary evidence of the details you include in it;
• Certificate of academic achievement;
• Training carried out, courses attended and anything else that will enhance your curriculum;
• A copy of your identity document;
•  Your taxpayer number;
• A declaration, under honour, that you do not have a qualification that would entitle you to access higher education.

These documents must be scanned and submitted using the online application form.

You must have turned 23 years old by the 31st of December in the year preceding the exams and you must not have any qualification that would entitle you to access higher education, as provided for in paragraph 1 of article 4 of the Regulation for the Assessment of Capacity for Higher Education Attendance for Over 23s. You must also not have international student status pursuant to Decree-Law no. 36/2014, of 10 March, amended and republished by Decree-Law no. 62/2018, of 6 August.

In accordance with point 2 of article 12 of Ordinance 181-D/2015, of 19 June, students holding a TSC diploma who wish to apply for higher education at a polytechnic facility must take entrance exams for the course they intend to apply for. The facility is responsible for determining which exams are required for which courses.

You will find the necessary information on the University of Algarve’s website as well as the registration calendar for the exams you need to sit in order to apply through the special competitions or for changes to your institution/course.

You can also contact a secondary school and register there to take the specific higher education entry exams. Exams taken at secondary schools let you apply for polytechnic and university courses.

If you turned 23 no later than the 31st of December in the year prior to taking the exams, you can register for the entrance exams for applicants over 23 years old.

Note : Students who have international student status are not eligible to apply under this regime.

Since you have Portuguese nationality, you cannot apply as an international student even though you took the Brazilian ENEM exams or other entrance exam for the State and Federal Public Universities, and even though you achieved the minimum grades and registered on a higher education course. You can apply only in the following ways:

• Change of institution/course pursuant to articles 8 to 12 of Ordinance 181-D/2015, of 19 June. You can get additional information through the following website.

• National Competition for Access to Higher Education. You must apply to a secondary school for equivalence to secondary education in Portugal and register to take the specific exams. You can request information at a secondary school in Faro, for example, by sending an e-mail to: administrativos@aejdfaro.pt. To check the specific tests through the National Competition for Access to Higher Education, consult the website of the Directorate-General for Higher Education;
• If you are over 23 years old, you can register for the entrance exams for applicants over 23 years old. 

In order to change your institution/course, you must meet the requirements set out in paragraphs b) and c) of article 9 of Ordinance no. 181-D/2015 of 19 June; specifically, you must have taken national secondary school examinations or equivalent, corresponding to the entrance exams required for the course that you intend to change to and have obtained the minimum pass mark required. For national examinations, the codes of the examinations taken must coincide with the codes of the examinations required in the year of your application. These exams are only valid for the purpose of changing your institution/course. To check which entrance exams are required by the University of Algarve for the different courses, see the DGES website.

If you have not taken the entrance exams required for your desired course, you must register with a secondary school to take them or, if you are over 23 years old, you can register for the access exams for the over-23s. More information is available here.

You can, for information purposes, request accreditation of previous training, professional experience or studies. This can only be considered when you receive an offer of a place and register on the course you are applying for at the University of Algarve, pursuant to the Regulation for the accreditation of previous training, professional experience and studies at the University of the Algarve.

The documents generally required to apply for a change of institution/course are shown below. Please note that you must check exactly which documents are required in the year when you apply.

• A copy of your identity document;
• Your secondary education certificate showing a breakdown of your marks in years 10, 11 and 12.
• The “ENES” form or declaration from the secondary school detailing the exams taken (along with their respective codes) for access to higher education;
• Your last university registration certificate;
• A certificate (from the University if it is state run) that you are not subject to a prescriptive period;
• A certificate of the subjects taken in higher education;

Applicants who have previously attended UAlg and who obtain a place under this regime, must settle any outstanding debts they may owe to the university or they will not be permitted to register.

Obs.: Students who have international student status are not eligible to apply under this regime.

You must submit an application online, on the Application Portal, as long as you meet the requirements set out in paragraphs b) and c) of article 9 of Ordinance no. 181-D/2015 of 19 June. For more information on applications for a change of institution/course, i.e. the required documentation, selection criteria and vacancies, please consult the UAlg page during June/July at http://www.ualg.pt/pt / content / change-pair-institutional-course.

A change of institution/course is the act by which a student matriculates or registers at a different institution and on a different course from the one(s) that they were matriculated on/registered for in previous academic years.

You can change your institution/course without interrupting your matriculation and registration at a higher education institution.

Pursuant to article 6 of the University of Algarve’s Ad-hoc Module Regulations, you must formalise your ad-hoc module application by completing the online registration form. The application period is set annually and is advertised on the UAlg website. Your application must be accompanied by the following documents, in PDF format:

1. Certificate of academic achievement;
2. A detailed curriculum vitae;
3. An explanation as to why you want to take an ad-hoc module;
4. A copy of your identity document (or, in the case of foreign nationals, your valid residence permit) and your taxpayer number.

Yes. Students enrolled on a course at UAlg can apply to take ad-hoc modules from other courses, at the same degree level, with the following limits:

1. Up to 60 ECTS in each academic year;
2. Up to 50% of the curricular ECTS for a given cycle of studies, as long as they do not exceed 60 ECTS for that cycle;
3. Up to 78 ECTS, in the set of all modules in which they enroll, in their study cycle and in the other study cycles, as long as it does not contravene the provisions of point a). ​​​​​​

A student enrolled on a course and requiring up to 30 ECTS to complete it may enroll on an ad-hoc moduIe from a course that is on the next degree level up; however, enrolling for more than 60 ECTS in the set of study cycles is not permitted.

Anyone who is not matriculated as a student at UAlg can apply to take ad-hoc modules as an external student, with the following limits:

1. Up to 60 ECTS in each academic year;
2. Up to 50% of the curricular ECTS for a given cycle of studies, as long as they do not exceed 60 ECTS for that cycle;
3. From different UAlg courses, respecting the provisions of the previous paragraphs.

Pursuant to article 5 of the University of Algarve’s Ad-hoc Module Regulations, the following can apply to take ad-hoc modules:

• UAlg students who wish to take modules that are not included on their course syllabus as long as they abide by the defined limitations (up to 60 ECTS in the study cycle);
• Any interested persons over 17 years of age who are not UAlg students and who have the knowledge and skills appropriate to the level of education they intend to attend, as long as they abide by the defined limitations (up to 60 ECTS in the study cycle) .

Applications for accreditation should preferably be submitted at the beginning of the academic year.

Yes, you can withdraw. However, if you withdraw from ad-hoc modules after registering for them, you will not be entitled to a refund of any fees paid and all fees due must be paid in full.

No, but you do have to pay a registration fee, which may be paid upon registration or in instalments as defined by Rector's Order.

No. You can only do this after you have settled any outstanding debts from your previous registration in full, including any interest on arrears.

In this case, you have eight working days in which to cancel your registration, starting from the time of being informed that your visa has been refused. You will only be required to pay the first instalment of the fee. In all other cases cases, if you cancel your matriculation and registration you will only be required to pay 50% of the total amount of the tuition fee for the academic year in question, as long as you cancellation request is submitted no later than 31 December.

No. In this case you are only obliged to pay all instalments that have already fallen due, including the tuition fee payment due in the month corresponding to the date of your request.

If you do not take the ENEM or entrance exam to access state and federal public universities and the Pontifical Catholic University, you are not able to access higher education in Portugal.

In this situation, there are two ways for you to take exams and apply for higher education:

1. You can apply to a secondary school for equivalence to secondary education in Portugal and enroll to take the national exams. You should ask for information at a secondary school, for example in Faro, which you can do by sending an email to: administrativos@aejdfaro.pt. To check the national exams needed to apply through the national competition for access to higher education, see the website of the Directorate-General for Higher Education. This option give you the chance to apply through the change of institution/course pathway and as an international student;
2. If you are over 23 years old, you can register to take the entrance exams for the over-23s;
3. If you take the ENEM in Brazil and obtain a minimum of 500 points in the essay paper and at least 475 in each of the other papers, you will meet the conditions to formalise your application as mentioned in point one.

You can apply for a place at the University of Algarve under the regime allowing changes of institution/course provided that you meet the required conditions. Pursuant to articles 8 to 12 of Ordinance 181-D/2015, of 19 June, foreign students may request a change of institution/course as long as they have been matriculated and enrolled on a course at a foreign higher education institution, have not completed said course, and have taken final exams in similar (equivalent) subjects to the entrance exams for the course they wish to enter. Said exams must be national in scope.

You must attach the ENEM declaration, which may be from previous years.

If you took the entrance exam to access state and federal public universities and the Pontifical Catholic University, you can also send it so that your results can be verified.

For ENEM holders, the University of Algarve requires a minimum of 500 points in the essay paper and at least 475 in each of the other papers; for those who took the entrance exam, your converted mark must be equal to or greater than 9.5, in accordance with the Portuguese marking scheme.

Information on available places and application dates for this competition can be found online at: https://www.ualg.pt/pt/content/mudanca-par-instituicaocurso

If there are places available on your intended course, you will have to submit the following documentation in order to apply:

• Your ENEM declaration;
• A copy of your identity document
• A copy of your CPF;
• A certificate of enrolment and subjects taken in higher education;
• Your curriculum vitae;

If you passed an ENEM or entrance exam to access state and federal public universities and the Pontifical Catholic University but do not have Portuguese nationality, you can also apply as an international student, as long as there is a place available for the course you want. Information on this type of application is available here.

If you wish and for information purposes only, you can request an accreditation process for analysis by the credit committee at any time; any such accreditation can only be considered once you have been offered a place and are registering for your course at the University of Algarve.

If your application is successful, your tuition fees will be calculated on the basis of the rules for resident non-EU foreign students, which means you will be classed as an international student for the purposes of fees. You can pay your fees in eight instalments.

After you have been offered a place and if you register, the documentation you submitted during the application process must be legalised by the official education services of the issuing country and authenticated by the Portuguese embassy or consulate in that country or with the Hague Apostille.

You have the following options to complete your course in Portugal:

1. You can make an application through the institution/course change regime to access higher education. Pursuant to articles 8 to 12 of Ordinance 181-D/2015, of 19 June, namely paragraph 2, article 9 and article 10 with application of article 20-A of Decree-Law no. 296-A/98, of 25 September, you can apply for a change of institution/course if you meet all of the following requirements:

• You were matriculated and enrolled on a course at a foreign higher education institution and did not complete it;
• You passed final exams in subjects equivalent to the entrance exams for the course you want to apply for; said exams must be national in scope.

You can apply online, on the Application Portal. More information is available on the UAlg website .

To see which entrance exams the University of Algarve requires for the different courses, visit the DGES website .

If you are applying from a foreign higher education system, the support documents your are required to submit for your application must be legalised by the official education services of the issuing country and authenticated by the Portuguese embassy or consulate in the country in question, or with the Hague Apostille. Additionally, if the documents are not originally in Portuguese and are in a language other than Spanish, French or English they must be translated into Portuguese by an official translator.

The following documents are required for your application (but you must also check whether any other specific documentation is required in the year of your application):

• A copy of your identity document;
• A certificate proving completion of final exams in similar (equivalent) subjects to the entrance exams required for the cycle of studies that you intend to apply for;
• A certificate of enrolment and subjects taken in higher education;
• Your curriculum vitae;

2. If your final exams, equivalent to secondary education, were taken in the last three years, they are valid and you can also apply for the national competition, which opens in July. You can find more information about students who took entrance exams abroad on the website of the DGES - Directorate-General of Higher Education.

Pursuant to article 20-A of Decree-Law no. 296/A/98, in order to replace entrance exams with final exams, you must submit the following documents when you apply:

• A copy of the report showing that during the online application process you requested to use alternative entrance exams;
• A document issued by the legally competent body of the country where you did your non-Portuguese secondary education, indicating your final course mark and the marks obtained in the final exams of that course that you want to use in place of the entrance exams;
• Document proving the equivalence of the non-Portuguese course to Portuguese secondary education, including the final course mark converted to a scale of 0 to 200; To apply for equivalence to secondary education in Portugal, you must request information at a secondary school;
• A document proving that you meet any prerequisites that require physical, functional or vocational aptitude tests, if necessary for the institution and course to which you are applying - Prerequisites Form for the year of application.

Your documents, which you must submit to an Office for Access to Higher Education, must have been issued by the education services of your country of origin and authenticated by the official education services of that country. They must also be recognised by the Portuguese embassy or consulate, or have a Hague Apostille. They must be translated by an official translator (except for documents in Spanish, French and English).

If you did not take entrance exams for higher education, you can register to take the entrance exams as an independent student, either in Portugal or at a Portuguese school in your country.

Please note: Students who have international student status are not eligible to apply under this regime.

There are several options if you wish to transfer to a different university:

1. National Competition for Access and Admission to Higher Education;
2. Change of institution/course;
3. Register for the entrance exams for over-23s, if you were 23 years old by the 31st December of the year prior to registering for these exams.

As long as you meet the conditions required for each regime, you can formally apply for all three at the same time (you must pay the fee for the three applications). However, if you are placed under more than one regime, you must choose one of them only when you register.

Yes, as provided for in article 4, paragraph b), of the Regulations for Higher Vocational Technical Courses at the University of the Algarve, applicants who have passed the special aptitude tests to assess the ability of the over-23s to attend higher education can apply for the course in question, pursuant to Decree-Law no. 64/2006, of 21 March, as amended by Decree-Laws nos. 113/2014, of 16 July, and 63/2016, of 13 September.

You can apply for one or more HVT courses taught by UAlg, up to a limit of six. However, you must put them in order of preference on the application form, as provided set out in paragraph 2, article 9 of the Regulation for Higher Vocational Technical Courses at the University of Algarve, which you can see on the UAlg website.

Applications for HVT courses are done online, on a form to be made available by the Academic Services, and in accordance with the information and deadlines set out in the rector’s order, published on the UAlg Portal at least five days in advance of the opening date for applications.

You must submit the following documents along with the online application form:

• Certificates of academic achievement;
• A detailed curriculum vitae;
• A copy of a valid identity document or residence permit (in the case of foreign applicants);
• Your taxpayer number;
• If you attended school abroad, a document demonstrating the equivalence of your studies to Portuguese secondary education;
• A certificate issued by a recognised entity for the purpose of mastery of the Portuguese language under the terms provided for level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), for foreign applicants whose mother tongue is not Portuguese and who did not do their secondary education in Portuguese.

These documents must be scanned and submitted using the online application form.

If you meet all the entry requirements for the HVT courses, you must also prove that you have the knowledge and skills corresponding to secondary level education in at least one of the relevant subject areas for each course. Documentary evidence will be required to verify that you meet the entry conditions, as provided for in paragraph 2, article 5 of​​​​​​ the Regulations for Higher Vocational Technical Courses at the University of Algarve.

To apply for HVT courses, you must meet one of the entry conditions mentioned in article 4 of the Regulations for Higher Vocational Technical Courses at the University of Algarve, namely:

a) You must have completed a course of secondary education or have a legally equivalent qualification;

b) You must have passed in the special aptitude tests to assess the ability of the over-23s to attend higher education, taken for the course in question, under the terms of Decree-Law no. 64/2006, of 21 March, amended by Decree-Laws nos. 113/2014, of 16 July, and 63/2016, of 13 September;

c) You must have a technological specialisation diploma, a higher vocational technical diploma or a higher education degree.

The Higher Vocational Technical Courses are polytechnic higher education courses consisting of 120 credits and lasting for four academic semesters. They confer a level 5 qualification on the National Qualifications Framework and the European Qualifications Framework.

No. Pursuant to paragraph 3, article 9 of the University of Algarve’s Regulations for Ad-hoc Modules, successfully completed modules can only be credited from the academic year after you pass them, under the terms and limits fixed by law and the regulations.

Pursuant to paragraph 1, article 9 of the University of Algarve’s Regulations for Ad-hoc Modules, attendance of said modules is subject to the operating rules set out in the module description, including assessment methods, when applicable.

The special end-of-course exam session does not apply to ad-hoc modules because it is intended only for students who are in a position to complete their course and obtain their degree in that academic year. Consequently, students taking ad-hoc modules do not meet the requirements to sit exams during the end-of-course exam session.

No. Pursuant to paragraph 6, article 9 of the University of Algarve’s Ad-hoc Modules Regulation, students enrolled exclusively on ad-hod modules are not eligible for worker-student status or other special statuses.

No. Ad-hoc modules, even if successfully completed, do not entitle you to recognition for part or all of the study cycle that they belong to.

They can be credited, from the academic year subsequent to passing them, under the terms and limits fixed by law and the regulation, if you have or will acquire UAlg student status, as provided for in paragraphs 2 and 3, Article 9 of the University of Algarve’s Ad-hoc Modules Regulations.