Required Information/Documents
Deadlines for the arrival of the application forms / learning agreements
Language — Lectures and Courses
All Application Forms to the University of Porto MUST be submitted ONLINE.
Therefore, no documents have to be sent to us by post or by e-mail, except if specifically requested.
The first step you should take is to contact the International Relations Office of your Home University.
In each University there is an internal process to select students for partner institutions. If your University assigns our Faculty as your ERASMUS host institution, you need to formalize your application.
Students selected by their Home University have to register online in order to get the username and password needed to access the Application Form in the U.Porto website:
http://sigarra.up.pt/up_uk/web_base.gera_pagina?p_pagina=122272 or
(International > Life at U.Porto > Administrative Procedures -> Ask for login)
You will receive an e-mail containing a temporary username and password. Please note that, for security reasons, this password will expire automatically, which is why you will have to create your personal and definitive password to log in and access the Application Form.
We strongly advise you to read the Online Application Guide also available in the same page (sidebar on the right).
For a more effective and easier way to fill the Application, we recommend students to organize all the information with the Home Institution's mobility coordinator before accessing the Application Form.
The Application Form should be completed online and submitted, then printed, signed by the student and the Erasmus Coordinator(s), stamped and uploaded.
Required Information/Documents
a) The Application Form must be filled in English, preferably, and the Learning Agreement has to be signed by the Student and by the Local and Institutional Coordinators of the Home University.
b) Transcript of Records
An official certificate from the Home University, in English, with the courses and respective grades obtained by the student until the moment of the application (Transcript of Records before the mobility).
c) Learning Agreement
The Learning Agreement should be filled in with the help of the designated teachers of your Home University.
Please be sure that you choose subjects that will be available on the semester corresponding to the proposed period of studies. You should also bear in mind that a semester corresponds approximately to 30 ECTS and a whole year of studies to 60 ECTS. The maximum workload for a student is 37,5 ECTS per semester.
When planning your learning agreement, please choose only the courses that you realistically intend to attend and complete so as to avoid further unnecessary changes to the agreement.
LEARNING AGREEMENT — FOR 1st OR 2nd CYCLE STUDENTS
Study plans of FEUP Degrees
Civil Engineering CLICK HERE for detailed information on the programme and to check which subjects will be offered in English
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Industrial Engineering and Management
Informatics and Computing Engineering
Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Mining and Geo-Environmental Engineering
IMPORTANT NOTE: we can only accept/approve a Learning Agreement that shows subject(s) existing in the official study plans of our Degrees, approved by the Portuguese Ministry of Higher Education.
So, for instance, if you intend to do the final project/diploma work at our School during the ERASMUS exchange, you should take a look at the links below to see, on each study plan of the correspondent Degree, what is the official subject's name, code and ECTS.
If you choose to do your final project/diploma/thesis as a specific subject (with a code and 30 ECTS credits), you won’t be allowed to register for any other subject(s), since it has to be attended full-time. This rule is valid for all FEUP students.
This subject involves some mandatory procedures, e.g. a written Master’s thesis and its public defence before a panel of referees that will assess the student’s work and assign it a mark.
Clicking on each subject will display relevant information about lectures, language in which lectures are given, subjects’ programme, number of theoretical and practical classes, etc.
Each subject’s timetable is only available at the beginning of each semester.
The study plans of our courses may suffer changes before the start of the academic year in September. The Learning Agreements approved by our Faculty may therefore be subject to adjustments and arrangements upon the student's arrival at FEUP.
LEARNING AGREEMENT — FOR PhD STUDENTS
If you are a PhD student and you want to do a part of your PhD thesis at our School, you should choose, in the Learning Agreement, and from a Doctoral Programme syllabus, the subject (name, code and ECTS credits) “Dissertation/Thesis/Project” more suited to the area/work you intend to develop.
LEARNING AGREEMENT — FOR ERASMUS PLACEMENTS
If you are going to do your mobility under ERASMUS Placements, you should choose a subject (name, code and ECTS credits) from any of our Courses, which you find more suitable to the area/work you will develop at FEUP.
You should also fill in the Training Agreement and Quality Commitment — Erasmus Programme form and upload it with the other application documents.
The Application Form should be completed online and submitted, then printed, signed by the student and the Erasmus Coordinator(s), stamped and uploaded.
A free mover student is a student whose home University does not have any kind of agreement with the University of Porto and/or our Faculty of Engineering.
A free mover student has to pay a fee which amounts more or less to 200€ per course unit. This fee is of equal quantity for all course units (excepting the Master's thesis course unit, which a free mover student cannot as such complete at FEUP). The more course units a student selects, the higher the overall fee will be. In a standard case, for example, a student who completes one semester of free mover studies, enrolling in four course units, pays approximately 800€ of fees.
In the case that a student wishes to complete a free mover period without enrolling in any course units as such, i.e. doing an internship under the free mover status, or completing a part of their thesis at FEUP (but defend it at their home institution), they are subject to paying a monthly fee for the duration of their mobility period. The fee depends on the student's level of studies in the following way:
- 1st cycle (Bachelor) student: 75 euros per month
- 2nd cycle (Master) student: 100 euros per month
- 3rd cycle (Doctoral) student: 150 euros per month
In a standard case, therefore, a Master's level student who develops their thesis at FEUP for the duration of five months, and then defends it at their home institution, pays 500€ of fees.
As a free mover applicant, please follow the standard procedures in terms of deadlines, required documents, forms, etc.
N.B. Neither our Faculty nor the University of Porto will provide any kind of financial support to international students under the free mover conditions.
Deadlines for the arrival of the application forms / learning agreements:
Full Academic year — 15th June 2012
1st semester — 15th June 2012
2nd semester — 30th November 2012
Extension of the Period of Studies
Students who are attending the 1st semester of the academic year and wish to extend their period of studies for the 2nd semester have to formalize the procedure:
- First, get in touch with the teacher/coordinator responsible for the mobility at the home University and get her/his agreement;
- If s/he agrees, the student has to formalize the request by presenting the Application Form for changes to the Learning Agreement at the Cooperation Division office (room A215) until 30th November.
N.B. This procedure doesn’t apply to students who are already registered for the whole academic year.
Language — Lectures and Courses
Most of the lectures at the 1st Cycle are given in Portuguese. Some of the subjects at the 2nd Cycle (Master) are already taught in English.
At our website, by clicking on each subject you want to attend, relevant information about lectures, the language in which lectures are given, the subjects’ programme, the number of theoretical and practical classes etc. will be displayed.Foreign students are advised to learn Portuguese before coming to Porto (if possible), although it is not a prerequisite for undertaking studies at FEUP.
After arriving in Porto, there is also a wide range of possibilities to learn Portuguese, the fifth most spoken language in the world (about 260 million speakers).
In case of mobility programmes (e.g. ERASMUS), especially at the graduate level, it is planned that in some subjects foreign students will be able to have orientation (contents and bibliography) in English and also do their reports and written examinations in English. However, this will have to be arranged with teachers on a case-by-case basis, since there isn’t any official list of subjects taught in English.
Language courses at the Faculty of Engineering
Foreign students (mobility students, as Erasmus, regular foreign students at the graduate and post-graduate level) and researchers are welcome to apply online (please click) to one of the following beginner’s courses, offered by the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto, but that take place at FEUP:
Intensive Beginner’s Course — Level A1.1
4 ECTS credits
This four-week (more intensive) or six-week (less intensive) course is intended for foreign students and researchers with no previous knowledge of Portuguese who wish to gain basic knowledge of the language with an emphasis on oral skills. The course includes a short introduction to Portuguese everyday life and language, including basic grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and short writing exercises.
Study period: from October to November/ from March to April
Location: Campus FEUP
Intensive Beginner’s Course — Level A1.2
4 ECTS credits
This course is intended for foreign students and researchers with knowledge of Portuguese equivalent to the Intensive Beginner’s Course — level A1.1.
Students will improve their Portuguese language proficiency and broaden their knowledge of Portuguese society. They will also acquire deeper knowledge of important basic grammar as well as an elementary working vocabulary.
Study period: from October to November/ from March to April
Location: Campus FEUP
Fee for Erasmus Students (except Erasmus Mundus students) is reduced, since they benefit from a FEUP funding. FEUP degree students may benefit from a maximum of 50% of fee reduction.
Please indicate your FEUP student/research number on the application!
Language courses at the Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto also organises several language courses:
Summer Course of Portuguese for Foreigners
Starting date: July
Duration: 60 hours
Intensive Course of Portuguese for Foreigners (3 Courses)
Starting dates: March, September and October
Duration: 60 hours each course
Annual Course of Portuguese for Foreigners
Starting dates: 1st semester — October; 2nd semester - February
Duration: 60 hours each semester
Erasmus Intensive Language Course (EILC) — New
Starting dates: August and January
For more information about these language courses, including fees, location, application procedures, etc., please check the webpage of the Faculty of Arts or contact
Mr. Pedro Oliveira
Formação Contínua
Faculty of Arts
Phones: +351 22 607 71 67/00
Fax: +351 22 607 71 53
E-mail: pmoliveira@letras.up.pt
Accommodation in the University Halls of Residence is not managed by our Faculty, but by the central International Office (SRI) of the University of Porto.
SRI, the central International Office of the University of Porto, which will give final approval to the students' applications, only manages accommodation in the University Halls of Residence.
Each year SRI receives much more requests for accommodation than the number of places available for Erasmus mobility students. For that reason, the allocation of university accommodation is done on a first-come, first-served basis. An answer to the request will be given to the student by SRI in due time and always after the approval by the correspondent Faculty of the proposed Learning Agreement. For all these reasons, we advise you to send your application as soon as possible so that you can have more chances to find a place in the University Halls of Residence.
Furthermore, SRI can also send you a list of private rooms/apartments/flats available in Porto; however, it cannot assume any responsibility for this kind of accommodation, since it is not managed by the University.
IMPORTANT NOTE: students’ requests don’t justify any legal claim for receiving a room at the University Halls of Residence!
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOMMODATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Ms. Teresa Medeiros, responsible for the Incoming Students at the central International Office of the University of Porto; Phone: +351 220408056; Fax: +351 220408183
Once the application is uploaded, it will be printed and analyzed at FEUP. Each Learning Agreement will be analyzed by the teacher responsible for the mobility programmes at each area of Engineering. It can take at least one month to have the final answer about each application, counting from the reception date of the application at the Faculty of Engineering.
As soon as the application is approved by the Faculty of Engineering, it is sent to the central International Office of the University of Porto (see contacts below), which will issue and send the student the Acceptance Letter + Approved Learning Agreement, and other relevant information, e.g. about accommodation.We strongly advise students to read the University of Porto webpage very carefully before their departure to Porto:
Before leaving your home country, you should have the following documents:
- Acceptance letter + a copy of the approved Learning Agreement;
- Confirmation of accommodation (even temporary accommodation);
- ID or passport;
- Study Visa (for foreign exchange students coming from non-EU countries);
- European Health Insurance Card (for foreign exchange students coming from any EU country);
- Private Health Insurance (for foreign exchange students coming from non-EU countries);
- Two passport-sized photos.
All students should try to arrive in Porto at the beginning of September (1st semester) or at the beginning of February (2nd semester), and must start their academic activities at FEUP on the first day of classes (September 10th 2012 for the 1st semester / February 13th 2013 for the 2nd semester). All students unable to meet these deadlines should inform our Cooperation Division as soon as possible using the email address erasmus@fe.up.pt.
ACADEMIC CALENDAR 2012/13 (only in Portuguese)
Arriving by air
The Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport is located about 11 km north of the city centre. Most airline companies fly to Porto. From there you can take a taxi, a bus (nº 56 or nº 87) or the metro.
You can also fly to Lisbon and then take an internal flight or the train to Porto.
Registration
The first two places you should go upon your arrival are:
- 1st - The International Office of the University of Porto (SRI)
Address: Praça Gomes Teixeira (near the “Lion’s” square)
Office hours: from 2.30 pm to 5.00 pm
- 2nd - The Cooperation Office of the Faculty of Engineering, where your registration as an ERASMUS exchange student takes place.
Address: Rua Dr. Roberto Frias - Room A 215
Office hours: from 9.30 am to 1.00 pm
Mobility Period Statement
If your University requires a statement which confirms the date of your arrival at FEUP, you may request this document at the Cooperation Office of FEUP during office hours (from 9.30 am to 1.00 pm).
The date of arrival is the day when the student registered at SRI (the central International Office of the UP).
Fees
An ERASMUS student is exempt from paying any fees to the host institution. However, students may be asked to pay the school insurance fee against personal accidents (around 2€).
Changes to the previous Learning Agreement
If for any reason you intend to make a change to the original Learning Agreement, you have to formalize this procedure.
Since any change to the previous Learning Agreement must be accepted by both institutions, we advise you first to get in touch by e-mail with the teacher responsible for the mobility at your University, to see whether s/he agrees with the changes or not. If s/he agrees with your proposal, you need to formalize these changes by presenting at the Cooperation Division the Application Form for changes to the Learning Agreement until the following deadlines:
Subjects from the 1st Semester: until 30th September
Subjects from the 2nd Semester: until 10th March
To end your mobility period successfully, here are some things you should do before your departure.
Mobility Period Statement
If your University requires a statement which confirms the date when you finish your mobility period, you may request this document at the Cooperation Office of FEUP during office hours. You should do it at least two days before you return to your country and clearly indicate which of these two documents you need:
- Mobility Period Statement: the document contains the date of arrival (which is the date when you registered at the central International Office of the UP) and the date of finishing your mobility period (which is the date when you finished your period of studies at FEUP; i.e. the date of the last presentation given, exam taken or assignment submitted — not the date when you leave Porto).
- Academic Period Statement: the document contains the dates of the beginning and the end of the semester/academic year that you were enrolled in FEUP and thereby certifies your registration during that period.
Questionnaire about the stay
Since it is our goal to make the students' period of studies at FEUP as pleasant and fruitful as possible, we kindly ask each mobility student to fill in this questionnaire. The data gathered from it is extremely useful for the Cooperation Division, since it will contribute to an assessment and improvement of all the procedures related to student exchange implemented by FEUP.
Transcript of Records
When the period of studies ends, a Transcript of Records (including all the marks achieved) is sent by the Cooperation Division to your Home University. This document will contain information about the subjects you have attended and the correspondent grades you have obtained. As soon as we send this document to your Home University, we will inform you by e-mail.
For more detailed information concerning the grading system used at FEUP/University of Porto (Local Grades and ECTS Grades), please click here.
AT THE FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
Senior International Officer (Manager): Ms. Carla Rocha
Officer for Incoming Students: Mr. Miguel Nunes
E-MAIL CONTACT: erasmus@fe.up.pt
PHONE: +351 225081411
FAX: +351 225081440
Location: Building A, Room A215
ERASMUS Local Coordinator: Prof. José Martins Ferreira
Teachers responsible for the exchange programmes at each Engineering area:
- Civil Engineering - Prof. João Pedro Pêgo
- Mechanical Engineering - Prof. João Tavares
- Electrical and Computer Engineering - Prof. Artur Cardoso / Prof. Rui Esteves Araújo
- Industrial Engineering and Management - Prof. Dulce Lopes
- Chemical Engineering - Prof. Miguel Madeira
- Mining and Geo-Environmental Engineering - Prof. Jorge Carvalho
- Metallurgical and Materials Engineering - Prof. José Carlos Fonseca
- Informatics and Computing Engineering - Prof. Rosaldo Rossetti
- Environmental Engineering - Prof. Miguel Madeira
- Bioengineering - Prof. Maria do Carmo Pereira
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PORTO
Central International Office (SRI)
Responsible for the Incoming Students: Ms. Teresa Medeiros
E-MAIL CONTACT: incoming.mobility@reit.up.pt
Phone: +351 220408174
Fax: +351 220408183
There are a lot of students’ associations connected with the University/Faculty that, among other activities, aim to help the integration of foreign students who come to Porto. If you need any external help regarding accommodation or other matters related with the integration in our University, you may contact:
ESN PORTO – ERASMUS Student Network: esnporto@reit.up.pt
AEFEUP – The Student Union of the Faculty of Engineering: geral@aefeup.pt
Local BEST Group Porto – Board of European Students of Technology: porto@best.eu.org
http://www.up.pt (University of Porto institutional website)
http://www.up.pt/erasmus (SRI website for incoming ERASMUS students)
http://www.fe.up.pt (Faculty of Engineering website)