International Applicants

How to apply

To apply to a bachelor’s programme at the Polytechnic University of Leiria, international applicants have to go through the Special Call for International Students.

Please check the language and academic qualifications required for bachelor’s programmes below.

If you have any questions you’d like to clarify before submitting your application, feel free to send us an email.

Language requirements

The attendance of any bachelor’s degree at the Polytechnic University of Leiria requires an independent knowledge of the language in which the programme is taught, proved in one of the following ways:

1. Domain of the language in which the course is taught, at a level equal to or greater than the so-called B2 level in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), certificate by a competent authority in language knowledge.
2. Proof through a written and oral test, with approval, in one of the Higher Schools of the Polytechnic University of Leiria.

NOTE: Students who come from countries whose official language is the one in which the course is taught, or whose language is considered an affine language, are exempt from the above provisions.

Required Documentation

Academic qualifications

• Copy of a valid ID card/passport.
• Portuguese secondary school diploma or foreign equivalent.
• Letter issued by the applicant’s country authorities assuring the applicant has the right to and the necessary competencies to apply for a bachelor’s degree at a foreign higher education institution.
• Copy of Portuguese secondary school leaving exams results transcript, or equivalent.
• Copy of their country’s secondary school leaving exams results transcript.
• Copy of certificate stating the applicant has passed their country’s secondary school leaving exams, which are equivalent to Portuguese ones. It must include their final results and rating scales.
• Language proficiency certificate of the language in which the study programme is taught.
• Copy of certificate stating the applicant has completed secondary school education and has studied subjects of similar level and content of the ones studied by Portuguese students. It must include their final results and rating scales.
• For applicants admitted to the School of Health Sciences, it is also mandatory to bring proof of achievement of the prerequisite Interpersonal Communication – Group A (type of proof: medical questionnaire declaration).
• For applicants admitted to the Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Therapy, it is also mandatory to bring a declaration written by a Speech Therapist, attesting to the absence of language and/or speech disorders and the mastery of oral and written Portuguese language.
• Power of attorney, when the application is submitted by the State Attorney.

If the applicant holds a Portuguese secondary school diploma or a legally Portuguese equivalent qualification, their academic qualifications will be assessed based on the National Call for Admission to Higher Education.

If the applicant does not hold a Portuguese or foreign secondary school diploma, their qualifications will be assessed based on documentary evidence of:

• Educational achievement in exams of similar level and content than those of the students admitted through the general access regime for the study cycle, including the corresponding final results and rating scales;
• And/or educational achievement in a level of education that provides acquisition of knowledge in subjects of similar level and content than those of the students admitted through the general access regime for the study cycle, including the corresponding final results and rating scales. 

In any case, applicants can ask to sit the Portuguese higher education admission exams. They take place at Politécnico de Leiria and are similar to the Portuguese secondary school leaving exams.

NOTE
Reading this information does not exempt you from consulting the document “Despacho n.º 54/2025”, published on this page in “More Information“.

1. Apply and get the results

• Apply at the INFORESTUDANTE.
• Get the results notification.

2. Register and pay

• Receive the notification of results
• Enroll in the INFORESTUDANTE
• Pay the enrollment fee (€100) + 30% of the annual fee (€900)

3. Get a Portuguese study visa

• Find detailed information on how to obtain a visa to enter Portugal on our International Students page.
  Keep in mind: The documents submitted with the application must be original and duly certified/authenticated.

4. Travel to Portugal

• Gather all the documentation you need and plan your journey.
• Pack your bags and we’ll be here ready and excited to welcome you.

Information about application assessments

Despacho n.º 54/2025 – Concurso especial de acesso e ingresso de Estudantes Internacionais em cursos de Licenciatura

Despacho n.º 60/2025 – Júri das Provas de Avaliação da Qualificação Académica Específica