Search “University of Porto scholarships” and you’ll find articles listing a “U.Porto International Student Scholarship” worth specific dollar amounts, with fixed January/March deadlines. None of that appears on the University of Porto’s own official page. Here’s what’s actually there, straight from U.Porto and Portugal’s national science foundation.
What the University of Porto Itself Actually Offers
According to U.Porto’s own official scholarships page, the university promotes or sponsors three main categories:
1. SASUP Scholarships (Need-Based)
Run by the Social Support Services of the University of Porto, these are available to students enrolled in Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Integrated Master’s programs. Here’s the detail most listicles skip entirely: U.Porto’s own page states these scholarships are available to EU member-state nationals, stateless persons, and students from countries with specific cooperation protocols with Portugal — and explicitly states that students holding “International Student Status” are not eligible. If you’re applying from a country without a cooperation protocol with Portugal, you likely fall into that excluded category, so don’t count on SASUP as your funding plan.
2. Merit Scholarships
Awarded annually to U.Porto students with the best academic results. This is not an entry scholarship — you need to already be enrolled and have a track record at U.Porto before you can be considered, so it’s not something a prospective applicant abroad can apply for directly.
3. Scientific Scholarships
Research-focused funding for Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students involved in research projects, often tied to external grants, government bodies, or research consortia rather than being purely a U.Porto internal fund.
Social Support Fund
A separate, smaller fund for students who didn’t qualify for SASUP but are facing temporary financial hardship — again aimed at currently enrolled students, not a pre-admission funding source.
The Real Fully Funded Route: FCT PhD Studentships
If you’re aiming for a PhD specifically, this is the legitimate, well-documented, fully funded path — and it’s a national Portuguese program, not a University of Porto program specifically, though it funds PhD research at Porto and other Portuguese universities.
- Run by: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal’s national science foundation
- Coverage: A monthly stipend (commonly cited around €1,260 for grants held in Portugal, though this can vary for international arrangements), tuition coverage, and research costs; installation and travel allowances are available for international candidates
- Eligibility: Open to Portuguese citizens, EU nationals, and international applicants from third countries, including stateless or refugee candidates — you generally cannot apply if you’ve previously held an FCT-funded PhD studentship
- How to apply: Entirely through the official myFCT online portal — no other submission method is accepted
Official site: FCT — Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
What About Undergraduate and Master’s Funding?
This is where things get thinner. Unlike the PhD route (FCT), there isn’t an equivalent national fully funded scheme for undergraduate or standard Master’s study in Portugal that’s broadly open to all international students. Realistic options at that level include:
- U.Porto’s own partial tuition arrangements, which vary by faculty and program — contact the specific faculty’s international office directly, since terms differ across U.Porto’s schools
- Fee reductions for PALOP countries (Portuguese-speaking African countries) — this doesn’t apply if you’re not from a Portuguese-speaking African nation
- Your own country’s bilateral scholarship agreements with Portugal, if any exist — worth checking with your national scholarship authority
- Self-funded study, which is genuinely the most common route for non-EU undergraduate and Master’s students in Portugal, given Portugal’s comparatively lower cost of living and tuition relative to other Western European countries
How to Apply: Realistic Steps
- Decide your degree level first — PhD applicants have a real, confirmed fully funded national route (FCT); Bachelor’s and Master’s applicants generally don’t, and should plan around partial funding or self-funding.
- For PhD applicants: Identify a potential supervisor and research topic at U.Porto (or another Portuguese institution) before applying through myFCT — FCT studentships are typically tied to a specific research proposal.
- For Bachelor’s/Master’s applicants: Apply directly to your chosen U.Porto faculty, and separately email that faculty’s international office to ask about any partial tuition reductions — terms are not standardized university-wide.
- Check your own country’s scholarship authority for bilateral agreements with Portugal before assuming none exist.
- Budget realistically. If you don’t qualify for SASUP (most international students outside EU/cooperation-protocol countries don’t) and aren’t pursuing the FCT PhD route, plan your finances around either partial funding or full self-funding.
Porto or Lisbon? A Quick, Honest Comparison
Since this often comes up alongside Porto scholarship searches: Porto is generally cheaper to live in than Lisbon, with a smaller, more compact city feel, while Lisbon offers a larger international student population and more direct international flight connections as the capital. Neither city’s university offers meaningfully different scholarship access for international students — the funding landscape (SASUP-style need-based aid restricted to EU/protocol nationals, FCT for PhDs) is broadly similar at Portugal’s major public universities. The choice between them is really about lifestyle and program fit, not funding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there really a “University of Porto International Student Scholarship” with a fixed dollar amount? Not according to U.Porto’s own official scholarships page. Several third-party scholarship blogs list this as if it’s a standing program with specific figures and deadlines, but it doesn’t appear in U.Porto’s own published categories (SASUP, Merit, Scientific). Treat specific dollar figures from unofficial sites with caution and verify directly with U.Porto.
Can international students get need-based SASUP funding? Only if you’re an EU national, stateless, or from a country with a specific cooperation protocol with Portugal. Students classified under “International Student Status” are explicitly excluded, per U.Porto’s own page.
What’s the most reliable fully funded option at U.Porto? The FCT PhD Studentship — a national Portuguese program, not University of Porto-specific, but it funds PhD research there and is genuinely open to international applicants.
Is undergraduate study in Portugal ever fully funded for international students? Not through a broad national or university-wide scheme. Most non-EU undergraduate and Master’s students in Portugal are either self-funded or rely on bilateral agreements with their own country.
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