University of Lisbon

Key facts

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 7 November 2026.

What is the University of Lisbon?

The University of Lisbon (Universidade de Lisboa, ULisboa) is a public university in the Portuguese capital. The modern university was founded in 1911. In 2013 it merged with the Technical University of Lisbon, which dated from 1930, and the merged university has existed legally since 25 July 2013.^[6]

ULisboa is not one campus but a group of 19 schools, each with its own admissions, fees and international office. They include the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), the Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão (ISEG), the Faculty of Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Arts, plus institutes and a nursing school.^[6] The university counts 51,000 students, about 11,000 of them international.^[1] The central Rectory is at Alameda da Universidade, 1649-004 Lisboa.^[1]

How is the University of Lisbon ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, the University of Lisbon is joint 237th, tied with Beijing Normal University.^[2] A second source, a Portuguese study-abroad guide, gives the same position and lists it ahead of Porto (255th), NOVA University Lisbon (337th), Coimbra (342nd) and Minho (572nd).^[8]

We read the position in these aggregator and guide pages because QS’s own site blocks automated access. Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.

What can you study at the University of Lisbon?

Programmes are taught by the schools, not by a central faculty. According to the encyclopedia article we used, the 19 schools are:^[6]

• Sciences, engineering and agriculture: Faculty of Sciences, Instituto Superior Técnico (engineering), Instituto Superior de Agronomia.
• Health: Faculties of Medicine, Dental Medicine, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine and Human Kinetics, plus the Nursing School (ESEL), which joined the university on 30 December 2025.^[4]
• Social sciences, economics and law: ISEG (economics and management), Faculty of Law, ISCSP (social and political sciences), Institute of Social Sciences, Institute of Education, Faculty of Psychology, IGOT (geography and spatial planning).
• Arts and humanities: Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Letras), Faculty of Fine Arts, Faculty of Architecture.

Each school lists its own degrees on its website; ULisboa’s international pages point you to those school pages.^[7]

How much does the University of Lisbon cost in 2026/27?

Fees depend on your status. Portuguese and EU students pay the national propina; international students under the International Student Statute pay fees set by the university.

The bachelor’s and integrated master’s tuition for 2026/27 is €697, unchanged from the previous year.^[3] The 2027/28 international values in the same document are identical to 2026/27.^[4] The table shows examples from that document, not every programme; master’s and doctoral fees vary by school, and ULisboa tells international students to find their fee on the page of each course.^[3]

Why the amounts differ

Under the International Student Statute (Decree-Law 36/2014), international tuition is set by the university, takes the real cost of training into account and cannot be below the legal maximum for the cycle.^[4] Annual state budget laws freeze the national fee at the previous year’s level; for 2026/27 this restriction applies only to national or equivalent students, not to the international fees.^[4] Doctoral fees are generally close to the €2,750 a year that the national science foundation (FCT) pays for its scholarship holders.^[4]

Possible reductions

For master’s programmes, ULisboa says international students’ fees may be reduced to the amount Portuguese students pay; contact the school for details.^[9] The document we used is the rector’s proposal text for the General Council meeting of 28 May 2026, which ULisboa links from its fee page; check the school’s course page for the amount that applies to you.^[4]

How do you apply to the University of Lisbon?

The route depends on your nationality and residence, and on the level.

• Bachelor’s and integrated master’s, international students: the Special Admission Contest is open to people who are neither Portuguese nor EU nationals, have not lived in Portugal for more than two years without interruption up to 31 August of the application year, and hold a secondary diploma from their home country. People with a second nationality from an EU country, including Portuguese, cannot use it.^[5] You apply online through the platform of the school that offers the programme.^[10]
• EU nationals and long-term residents: they use the general admission regime (the national competition), which requires secondary education and the national entrance exams.^[7]
• Master’s: applications are made online, and you need a bachelor’s degree (licenciatura) or an equivalent foreign degree; the page does not name a single platform, so check with the school. Candidates who do not hold a Bologna-area degree can be accepted if the school’s Scientific Board recognises the degree or curriculum as equivalent.^[9]
• Doctorate and mobility: doctoral applications go through the schools’ online platforms and your degree must be recognised as equivalent; exchange students contact the international office of their home university.^[10]

Questions go to estudanteinternacional@ulisboa.pt.^[7] We give no deadlines because vacancies and criteria are set every year and differ by school.^[10]

Which language level do you need?

For the international bachelor’s route, ULisboa states that knowledge of Portuguese at level B1 is required, or English if the programme is taught in English.^[5] B1 is the CEFR level of independent users (the European scale runs from A1 to C2). The pages we read do not list which certificates are accepted and give no separate requirement for master’s programmes, so ask the school of your programme.^[9]

ULisboa says it offers several language courses and courses of Portuguese as a foreign language; contact your school for terms.^[10]

More about studying in Portugal

• Portugal: best universities
• Cost of Studying Abroad
• International Student Scholarships
• University Ranking Methodology

More university profiles in Portugal

• NOVA University Lisbon
• University of Coimbra
• University of Minho
• University of Porto