Funding

Law 37/2003 of 22 August, in its current wording, lays down the framework for the funding of higher education and provides that such funding is to be channelled via: a) the State and higher education institutions – via the core operating budget; b) students and higher education institutions – through the payment of tuition fees; c) The State and students – through social support for higher education. Higher Education, Science and Innovation Budget Programme (Programa Orçamental Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) is mainly funded by resources from the state budget (56%), as well as from its own revenues.

The State funds, on an annual basis, the core operating budget for the teaching and training activities of public higher education institution , using a formula. For 2026, higher education institutions are set to receive an allocation of €1 543M, corresponding to tax revenue. (See the 2026 State Budget presentation, Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation - MECI).

Higher education institutions also have their own sources of income, notably tuition fees paid by students, European funds for co-financed projects, donations and services provided.
The State may also enter into programme agreements with HEIs to carry out activities aimed at achieving specific objectives, including support for specific programmes, support for the launch of new courses and courses in areas prioritised for the country’s development; support for the provision of specialised services to the community; amongst others. 
 

Programmes “Impulso”    

Within the Recovery and Resilience Plan, MECI/ Institute for Higher Education (IES, I.P.) takes over the management of the "Impulso" programmes: Impulso Jovens STEAM, Impulso Adultos and Impulso MAIS Digital.

The programmes Impulso Jovens STEAM (Impulse STEAM Youth) and Impulso Adultos (Impulse Adults) are investments created in 2021, which aim to support initiatives to be developed by higher education institutions, in partnership or consortium with companies, public and/or private employers and including local, regional and national authorities and public bodies.

The Impulso Jovens STEAM (€122M) aims to promote and support initiatives geared exclusively towards increasing the higher education of young people in science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM).  It focuses on supporting projects promoted and developed by HEIs with stakeholders and in close articulation with secondary schools, through the offer of bachelor's degrees and other initial higher education training (e.g. vocational higher technical courses in the case of polytechnic education), within a framework of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity.

Impulso Adultos (€130M) aims to strengthen and diversify post-secondary training, supporting the conversion and updating of skills of active adults, through short-term training in higher education, at initial and postgraduate level, in all areas of knowledge, as well as lifelong learning. It focuses on supporting programmes developed by HEIs (with stakeholders), geared towards initial and postgraduate higher education training for adult audiences in all areas of knowledge

The Impulso Mais Digital programme has a total budget of €105M euros and encompasses five measures. Its objective is to stimulate the modernisation of the higher education network, with an emphasis on key areas for the country's resilience and the increase of skills in society and companies, namely in digital and technological areas, through a greater number of training offers by Higher Education Institutions and a greater number of young people and adults trained and retrained, reinforcing and accelerating the implementation of the ‘Impulso’ programmes.

It also aims to contribute to quality education by modernising teaching practices in higher education, with a view to promoting academic success, reducing drop-out rates and student welfare, as well as updating technology and modernising training conditions, in addition to promoting sustainable agriculture, improving health systems, the green transition and environmental sustainability.

Other programmes

The programme Programa de Promoção de Sucesso e Redução de Abandono no Ensino Superior - Promotion of Success and Reducing Dropouts in Higher Education (Non-Convergence Regions) was  created in 2023. It’s financed by a total of  €11M of euros of tax revenue funds to encourage HEIs based in the regions Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Algarve, Azores and Madeira to develop mechanisms to support the academic integration of new students and promote their success, by adopting innovative teaching and learning practices and strengthening self-learning and teamwork practices.

The Programme for the Promotion of Mental Health in Higher Education (Programa para a Promoção da Saúde Mental no Ensino Superior), also launched in 2023, is a programme with a budget of €12M (of tax revenue funds) to promote the implementation of projects in the area of mental health and well-being, supporting institutions in creating an adequate response to the growing demands of the academic community in the areas of personal, social and professional development throughout the academic journey and in the transition to the labour market.

Financial autonomy and control

According to current legislation, public higher education institutions (HEI) enjoy autonomy in relation to the state in the areas of administration, finance and assets.

The management of each HEI’s finances and assets is controlled by a single supervisor, under the terms of the law. In addition to this control, the Directorate-General for Research, Planning and Evaluation (Direção-Geral de Estudos, Planeamento e Avaliação - DGEPA), which is the coordinating body for the budget programme, monitors the implementation of the HEIs budget, as well as ensuring efficient, effective and economical management of resources, and compliance with current legislation. It is also responsible for the overall assessment of the implementation of HEIs policies and results.

HEIs are subject to audits by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) and the Court of Auditors.

Fees within public higher education

Fees are intended to cover part of the operating costs and investments made by HEIs and are charged to all students. They are subject to a legal maximum.

The annual tuition fee, both for technical higher vocational courses and for 1st and 2nd cycle courses, which are a legal requirement for professional practice, is fixed by each higher education institution and range from €495 to €697 (2024/2025). Higher education institutions teaching other study cycles are free to set their own tuition fees.

Tuition fees have been kept at the same level since 2021 via an article in the State Budget, in response to the covid-19 pandemic. Since then, the maximum higher education institutions can charge for undergraduate programmes is €697.

These amounts are charged only to Portuguese students, students coming from EU countries and third countries with bilateral agreements in the area. According to the International Student Statutes, students coming from countries other than these can be charged higher tuition fees that correspond to the real cost of the course.

Differences in the amounts collected in tuition fees depending on the courses/ institutions are decided by each HEI, and payment is made directly to the institution by the student.

For more information, see Chapter 6. Higher Education and the Eurydice interactive web-based tool National Student Fee and Support Systems in European Higher Education.

Financial support for learners' families

Tax benefits for households are provided through the deduction of educational expenses (e.g. tuition fees) regarding the assessment of the respective income tax due. The tax benefit is 30% of all educational expenses up to a maximum of €800 per year. There may be additional restrictions, depending on the family's total income (tax benefits decrease as total household income increases). On the other hand, there may be an increase in benefit in the case of extra spending on housing for students who live away from home and cannot find a place in a student hall of residence. 

Family allowance is granted to families with offspring enrolled in higher education who are under 24 years old if the household income does not exceed 1,5 times the social support index multiplied by 14 (in 2023: €10 089,03) and when family assets are less than 240 times the social support index (in 2023: €115 303,20).

Financial support for learners

Eligibility for need based scholarships is determined by the income of the student and their family. These grants are based on the level of tuition fees. For the 2025/2026 academic year, the reference fee is €697 for bachelor’s degree programmes and up to €2 750 for master’s degree programmes. 

Current policies refer to Despatch No. 7647/2023, 2nd series, 24 July, revised and amended by Despatch No. 7253/2024, 3 July. The despatches also revise the amounts to be awarded and increase the limits for accommodation supplements. 

In 2025/2026, around 19% of students enrolled in the Portuguese higher education system received a social support scholarship.

There are grants for underprivileged students and scholarships specially designed for students abroad. Additional support is given to students who travel to study in less populated regions of Portugal (see +Superior Programme below). Those students studying away from their usual place of residence may be entitled to housing benefit, worth between €287,38 and €496,38 per month in the municipalities with the highest rental costs.

Some HEIs offer special support to students suffering financial difficulties resulting from changes to the family’s socioeconomic situation during an academic year. This type of support is not regulated at central level and each HEI decides if and under what conditions it is conceded.

Educational expenses are partially deductible in terms of IRS (income tax) if the student is no longer considered a dependant, applying the same tax deduction rules relevant to families.  

For students with special educational needs who receive a social action scholarship, in addition to regular housing support, there are supplements for specific expenses regarding products and services. There are also attendance grants for students with disabilities equal to or greater than 60%, which are not means tested and match the cost of attendance fees, to a maximum set by law.

During the academic year 2025/2026 the financial support granted to these students totalled the attendance fees paid, up to a maximum of €2 750 per year. For this academic year, merit grants were set at €3 800 per year. The number of merit scholarships that each institution can award is previously determined as one scholarship for every 500 students. To be eligible, students must have completed all the academic requirements of the previous year and achieved good results (more than 16 on a scale of 0-20).

+Superior Programme

By providing mobility grants, the +Superior Programme aims to encourage and support higher education attendance in regions of the country with lower take-up and less demographic pressure by economically deprived students, who usually reside in other regions.

The programme regulations for the academic year 2025/26 (approved by Despatch No. 7646/2023, 2nd series, 24 July) extends the programme to all students enrolled in the relevant study cycles and institutions included. It also includes students who did not request support in the year of their placement, as before, as well as students enrolled in master's degrees. This regulation also extends the deadline for submitting the application throughout the academic year, in line with that established for applications for social action grants.

In total, the programme involves 16 public higher education institutions and their higher vocational technical courses, undergraduate study cycles, integrated master's degree and master’s 2nd cycle).

Each +Superior Programme scholarship is €1 700 (amount allocated annually).

For students in higher vocational technical courses, and those applying for the special system to attend higher education for those over 23 years of age, the scholarship awarded is 15% more.

The following regions and HEIs are covered: Alentejo region (Universidade de Évora; Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre; Instituto Politécnico de Beja; Instituto Politécnico de Santarém); Algarve region (Universidade do Algarve); Alentejo (Universidade de Évora, Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre, Instituto Politécnico de Beja), Oeste e Vale do Tejo (Instituto Politécnico de Santarém, Instituto Politécnico de Tomar), Centro region (Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco; Instituto Politécnico da Guarda; Universidade da Beira Interior; Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão de Oliveira do Hospital do Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra; Instituto Politécnico de Viseu); Norte region (Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo; Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro; Instituto Politécnico de Bragança); Azores autonomous region (Universidade dos Açores); Madeira autonomous region (Universidade da Madeira).

National Higher Education Accommodation Plan (PNAES)

Given the continuous rise in housing costs, student accommodation has, in recent years, become increasingly important in terms of access to higher education. At the same time, the number of students living away from home has been rising, both in absolute terms and as a percentage, reinforcing the need to improve existing student accommodation provision. In the 2023/2024 academic year, students living away from home accounted for 33% of the total student population.

The National Plan for Accommodation in Higher Education (PNAES) is one of the higher education reforms underway as part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP).

The PNAES aims to provide 18,000 beds for higher education students by the first quarter of 2026, with an investment of €516M, to be funded through grants. This support is intended for eligible institutions, including public bodies with a significant role in the fields of science and higher education, such as local authorities, higher education institutions and other bodies with recognised activity in the social, property and hospitality sectors.
In addition to the creation and refurbishment of 18,000 beds, the PNAES aims to ensure that the costs borne by higher education students are lower than market rates. Access to these accommodation solutions is based on objective, transparent and non-discriminatory criteria, covering students in both public and private higher education, with priority given to students on grants who have moved away from home and students from economically disadvantaged households or in vulnerable situations, such as refugees.

PNAES represents the largest investment ever made in student housing and the largest investment in higher education infrastructure in recent decades, through the construction of 36 new halls of residence and the refurbishment of 99 existing buildings. By 2026, the supply of affordable student accommodation will increase from 157 halls of residence (as of 2021) to 243 halls of residence and from 15,073 to 26,792 beds, representing an increase of approximately 80% compared to current capacity.
For more information, see government’s website.

Private education

Scholarships for private education students

Private institutions are free to define the allocation of resources within their budgets. A student in private higher education can apply for a scholarship at the HEI they are attending. Any decision is made by the department responsible for social support, usually called social support offices. Private school students can also apply for the higher education social support grant.

Some HEIs have special funds to help students who are ineligible for scholarships. This support may be provided in exchange for the student performing tasks at the institution.

The Institute for Higher Education (Instituto para o Ensino Superior - IES, I.P.) provides information on the body that analyses grant applications for each private higher education institution.

In addition to the support provided by the state and HEIs, there are some private, not-for-profit institutions that provide scholarships, such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Camões Institute.