About
The University of Porto (U.Porto) is a public research university located in Porto, Portugal. Founded in 1911 but with roots dating back to the 18th century, U.Porto features 14 faculties across 3 campuses integrated within the beautiful and vibrant city of Porto. With approximately 30,000 students, including around 5000 international students, U.Porto is a lively and interesting place to work and study, with a commitment to global education and international improvement through research.
U.Porto are one of the institutions subscribing to the Porto Climate Pact, committing to use the university’s resources and technological innovations to aid the sustainable development of the city, in particular its carbon neutrality objectives. U.Porto is also the headquarters of the Common House of Humanity, a network that advocates the global governance of the earth’s natural resources.
Consult U.Porto on QS World Rankings to learn more about their current world ranking and academic reputation in different subject areas.
Location
U.Porto has three main campuses. City Centre campus (C1), Asprela campus (C2), Campo Alegre (C3). The Faculty of Economics is located on the Asprela campus; a full map of faculties and facilities is available here. Travelling between campuses (and traveling in Porto generally) is made easy with the Andante card, allowing travel on the city’s busses and metro network. The Andante Sub23 card for students 23 and under grants a permanent discount on travel – students will need to present proof of enrolment to claim it. That being said, Porto is not a large city – students can walk or cycle most places they’d need to be. The U-Bike scheme at U.Porto allows students to rent electric and conventional bikes.
Green Spaces: There are some truly wonderful green spaces on campus and within the city, including a sculpture garden and a botanical garden. Find the full list here.
Porto frequently ranks as one of the best cities to visit in Europe. It is colourful, lively and has a long and interesting history (look out for the iconic Clérigos tower!) stretching back to the 13th century. It also has a fantastic food scene and takes full advantage of its seaside location. Despite these draws, Porto has a remarkably low cost of living (see more in the ‘Cost of living’ section under the "Student Life and Experience" tab).
Level of competitiveness
This destination is only open to students from the School of Economics and Finance, and as exchange students, they are hosted by U.Porto’s Faculty of Economics.
- School of Economics and Finance agreement: Less competitive *
The level of competitiveness (Less competitive * / Competitive ** / Very competitive ***) refers to one's chances of being allocated an exchange space at this partner. This is an approximation determined by the number of applications received for this destination during the last academic year versus the total number of exchange spaces available to Queen Mary students.
Students should note they will be classed as mobility students rather than simply ‘international students’, who are at U.Porto on a permanent rather than temporary basis. The website for international mobility students should be students’ first place for common enquiries.
Language of Instruction
- English, for this agreement with the School of Economics and Finance (for instruction and examination).
Portuguese is widely spoken in Porto and U.Porto encourages incoming students to speak as much of it as they can. U.Porto offers language courses to incoming students that also teach cultural awareness and basic Portuguese history. Students should be aware a different course is available if their native language is Spanish, Italian or Romanian. Any questions about language courses should be directed to U.Porto.
Academic Calendar
The academic calendar varies by faculty. Find the full academic calendar for the Faculty of Economics here.
- Mobility and Training week (Orientation): Approx. 1 week, mid-September
- Semester 1: classes run September – December (examinations in January – important for optional semester students to note, so that they return to Queen Mary in time for semester 2).
- Semester 2: classes run February – May (examinations in June)
Courses
All courses within FEP (the Faculty of Economics) can be found here. Within the ‘study cycles’ boxes students can filter for courses taught in English.
Credits
Students must enrol on a full courseload: 30 ECTS per semester / 60 ECTS for the full academic year (equivalent to 60 Queen Mary credits per semester / 120 Queen mary credits for the full academic year). The number of credits awarded for each course varies depending on the workload. At U.Porto, 1 ECTS corresponds approximately to 27 hours of work.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale of 0-20, with 20 being the best and a pass mark of 10.
- 18-20: Excellent
- 16-17: Very Good
- 14-15: Good
- 10-13: Sufficient
- 0-9: Fail
U.Porto also uses the ECTS grading system alongside the above. The ECTS grading scale is based on the percentile of a student in a given assessment; how was the student’s performance relative to other students enrolled in the same course for the last three years. Therefore, the ECTS grade does not have a direct fixed correspondence to the local grade and will vary significantly depending on the overall outcomes of the course’s participants. For example, if all students achieved at least 80/100, many students marked 80-90 would rank C and below, despite the objective grade being high. Below is a list of the ECTS grades along with the corresponding percentage of students who achieve each grade:
- A: 10
- B: 25
- C: 30
- D: 25
- E: 10
- FX: -
Find out more about Queen Mary's credit transfer and grade conversion process.
Transcripts
Transcript guidelines vary by faculty. Students are encouraged to contact FEP (the Faculty of Economics) with any transcript-related questions.
Porto is a very desirable city, combining the iconic history and beautiful spaces of a major European city with a relatively low costs of living. U.Porto also has a good student culture with many opportunities to get involved in university life.
Students should register at the International Relations Office of the U.Porto when they first arrive. There they will receive their U.Porto ID card with which they can access university services like printing, self-service laundries and library loans. It also enables a range of discounts at local businesses within the city.
This page has a good overview of institutions and facilities within the city including transportation, emergency services and waste collection.
Accommodation
Compared to most of Europe (and especially to London), Porto is a relatively cheap city to rent in. As with every city, accommodation in the city centre or close to campus will be more expensive than locations further out. Especially for private renters, U.Porto suggests students stay in a youth hostel or hotel for a few days on arrival while they look for suitable accommodation. Finding accommodation at a range of price points and conditions is generally straightforward, so most students would not be staying in temporary accommodation for long.
Halls of Residence
There are limited places allocated to international exchange/mobility students in U.Porto halls of residence. Students should express their interest in this accommodation as soon as possible and in their initial application form. After that, vacancies are assigned by the U.Porto International Relations Service on a first-come first-served basis. Find out more about university housing for mobility students here. Both halls of residence owned and managed by the university and private halls of residence are available.
Apartments
There is plenty of rented accommodation available in Porto; students usually take a room in a student flatshare. Listings are available on local real estate agents as well as student-specific services like ErasmusPlay. Often, there are Facebook groups dedicated to incoming international students. Students may wish to partner with other students on the group and find an apartment together, or simply to share experiences and advice with other students looking for rooms.
Cost of living
The University of Porto provides information on the cost of living as a student here. You can find more general, up-to-date information about the cost of living in Porto here.
Please consult the estimated minimum and maximum cost of living figures for this destination country available in our “Estimated Costs of Living” document available on our Finance page.
Support services
SASUP provides a university health service which brings integrated health care to the entire academic body of U.Porto. This service should not be mistaken for standard health insurance. Consultations and appoints come at a cost, although at a significantly reduced rate. Find more about health services and the appointment process here. Some payment information can be found on the website, although students should also ask for full payment information in the process of making their appointment.
As a current Queen Mary student you will be able to find a summary sheet for this partner university on our QMplus page, with an overview of the local student support services available on the following topics: specific learning differences, physical impairments, sensory impairments, long term medical conditions, autism spectrum conditions, mental health and wellbeing difficulties, special accommodation provision, non-emergency health care, emergency services, harassment and trauma and suicide prevention.
Health insurance
Health insurance is not mandatory in Portugal but is strongly advised for incoming mobility students, as they are not eligible for the free healthcare services permanent residences receive. However, healthcare in Portugal is very reasonably priced.
UK citizens are eligible for a free UK GHIC card (UK Global Health Insurance Card) which provides access to some healthcare services in Portugal. Find out more about the UK GHIC here.
Student life
The FEP have provided (Faculty of Economics) have provided a great range of videos concerning all aspects of life at U.Porto. Check them out here.
- Volunteering: At U.Porto students have the opportunity to volunteer for causes ranging from preventing secondary school dropouts to preserving cultural artifacts.
- Arts and Culture: There are many museums and heritage institutions in Porto, many with free admission, and a plethora of historically significant architecture.
- Casa Comum: Located in the Rectory of U.Porto, the Casa Comum (the ‘Common House’) is a space where events for the academic community and general public are held. These events are often free and include exhibitions, readings, performances, open classes, scientific and cultural seminars and children's workshops. The Casa Comum website is regularly updated with new events and new episodes of their podcast.
- Sports and Fitness: U.Porto has excellent sports facilities. The U-Porto Sports Centre (CDUP-UP) provides a number of sports and fitness services. These include a welll-resourced gymn, the UPFIT program (fitness classes Monday-Saturday), four large and modern sports venues available for hire and low-cost nutritional health sessions.
