Why Portugal

All Portuguese higher education institutions are assessed and accredited according to the highest international standards.

Five of our higher education institutions are ranked in the Top 500 of the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities and 7 are positioned in the QS World University Rankings.

Portugal has been investing consistently in Research & Development in the last 20 years, attaining some of the highest growth rates in PhD production and scientific publication in the European Union.

Portugal is an active member of international scientific organizations (ESA, ESO, CERN, EMBL, EMBO, ESRF, JET, among others) and has established long-term International partnerships with world-leading institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Texas at Austin, Fraunhofer Institute and the Ismaili Imamat.

Over the last eight years, foreign student enrolment in Portuguese higher education institutions has more than doubled, which proves their excellent reputation.

This has been shaping the higher education and science landscape into an open, multicultural and international environment over the last years. Dozens of languages are now heard in any Portuguese campus and an increasing number of courses is available in English.

Since the XV century, the Portuguese have been travelling the world bringing new knowledge and connecting all corners of the globe. Today we are the European Leading Destination.

Portugal is a quiet and safe country enjoying a politically stable and socially peaceful environment.

The country is classified as the 3rd most peaceful worldwide (Global Peace Index 2019).

You can relax and devote your time and energy to the really important things in life.

Portugal devotes a lot of effort and investment in connecting people to science, technology, higher education and open science, places where science and society meet.

Scientific knowledge is a common, inclusive and available good for everyone’s use. To study and to do research in Portugal is to participate in that engagement with society.

We want to attract creators and innovators in all fields and we try to give them the best possible conditions to work. We encourage invention and experimentation in the arts, in science, in industry or in the social area. We embrace eccentricity and risk-taking, we admire imaginative and radical thinking.

Hundreds of products and international start-ups have originated from incubators managed by Portuguese higher education institutions.

Join us. We are just getting started.

The list of cultural treasures includes monuments that span Portugal´s 800-plus years history.

Portugal holds stunning landscapes for life in the great outdoors. From the mainland to the archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores, we are home to award-winning beaches.

Portuguese higher education institutions promote sports, arts and cultural activities through clubs and associations, as an extension of academic life.

Portuguese is the 4^th most spoken language in the world, with more than 260 million speakers.

Portuguese is the official language of the 9 member states of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé e Príncipe and East-Timor) and is also spoken in Macao (People's Republic of China).

Portuguese is a working language in 32 international organizations, and it is the 5^th language with the largest number of users on the Internet.

Portuguese are known for being tolerant, open to multiculturalism and for enjoying diversity. Portugal brings people together.

We are a genuine, passionate and family-friendly people. The human scale of the country reflects in the way we welcome others and accept different lifestyles.

We rank second in the world as best country integrating migrants (Migrant Integration Policy Index).

Portugal is an ideal place to live!

3 000 hours of sunshine and a mild weather all year round, 850 km of white-sand beaches, beautiful and diverse landscapes, protected natural areas and a vast historic heritage. Our gastronomy is valued all over the world and the excellent Portuguese wines add to the quality of life.

We are considered the 3th best country in the world by expatriates and the one with the best quality of life (Expat Insider 2019).