Universidade NOVA de Lisboa

About Universidade NOVA de Lisboa

NOVA was established on 11 August 1973 during an expansion of Portuguese higher education. Its official history describes an institution created to respond to growing demand while encouraging interdisciplinary work and technological development alongside established fields such as medicine, science, and the humanities. Government statutes classify it as an autonomous public higher-education institution headquartered in Lisbon. The university comprises nine schools. These include units focused on science and technology, social sciences and humanities, business and economics, medicine, law, information management, tropical medicine, public health, and chemical and biological technology. The schools retain distinct academic identities and occupy different sites, so the practical experience varies considerably by subject. A business student in Carcavelos, an engineering student in Caparica, and a law student at Campolide should expect different journeys, facilities, and local surroundings. Official university figures report 47 accredited bachelor's degrees, one integrated master's, 149 master's degrees, and 75 doctorates. NOVA also reports 41 research and development units and nine libraries. These figures show substantial breadth, although not every school offers every degree cycle or teaches in the same language. Prospective students should use the 2026 program catalogue as an initial comparison tool, then consult the responsible school's page for authoritative curriculum, schedule, language, admissions, and fee information.

Admissions are administered by degree cycle and school; there is no single university-wide deadline or selection formula that safely applies to every NOVA applicant. For many undergraduate places, Portuguese and other eligible applicants enter through Portugal's national higher-education access system. Non-EU applicants who meet the legal definition of an international student generally use a separate international-student competition operated by the relevant school. Master's and doctoral candidates apply through school and program procedures. Requirements may include prior academic qualifications, specified entrance subjects or examinations, language evidence, translated or authenticated records, and program-specific selection components. As one current example, NOVA IMS's 2026/27 international undergraduate process requires academic documents, proof of the language of instruction, a mathematics assessment, and an interview. That school's fifth application phase runs from 3 to 20 August 2026, but those dates and requirements must not be generalized to other NOVA schools. Applicants should first locate the intended course in the 2026 catalogue and then follow its link to the responsible school. They should confirm eligibility category, campus, teaching language, required examinations, document legalization rules, application fee, selection method, and enrollment timetable directly from the applicable 2026/27 notice. International applicants who need immigration permission should also allow time for visa processing after admission. NOVA IMS advises non-EU students to verify requirements with the appropriate Portuguese embassy or consulate and to apply well before departure.

NOVA's 2026 catalogue shows broad provision across the arts and humanities, social sciences, health, business, law, data, natural sciences, and engineering. Bachelor's options include Anthropology, Communication Sciences, Law, Economics, Management, Global Public Health, Computer Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Mathematics, and Translation. The catalogue also lists an integrated master's in Medicine, numerous specialized master's programs, and doctoral study including Public Health and Medicine. Academic responsibility rests largely with the individual schools. NOVA FCT concentrates on science, technology, and engineering; NOVA FCSH covers social sciences and humanities; Nova SBE focuses on business and economics; NOVA Medical School and the National School of Public Health cover distinct areas of health education; NOVA School of Law and NOVA IMS specialize in law and information management. ITQB NOVA and the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine contribute particularly research-intensive environments in biological, chemical, and tropical-health fields. The university describes its research as collaborative and interdisciplinary. Its current research page identifies research units, associated laboratories, scientific infrastructure, publications, theses, and cross-disciplinary projects as components of the research environment. This can matter for students seeking laboratory work, dissertations, or progression to doctoral study, but access depends on the program and school. Language must be checked course by course. The database identifies Portuguese as the institutional language of instruction, but individual offerings may use Portuguese, English, or another program-specific arrangement. Applicants should not infer an English-taught curriculum from the English-language catalogue title alone; the individual program record and school admissions notice are the appropriate sources.

Key Highlights

• Public university founded on 11 August 1973
• Nine specialized schools across the Lisbon metropolitan area
• Official figures list nine libraries and 41 research and development units
• Degree provision spans bachelor's, master's, integrated master's, and doctoral study

Student Life & Environment

Student life is distributed across NOVA's schools and campuses rather than concentrated in one residential precinct. University social services, SASNOVA, coordinate support including scholarships, subsidized meals, accommodation, psychology, psychiatry, nutrition, sports, and volunteering. Students' unions also organize activities and represent students through the university's consultative structures. SASNOVA's accommodation page reports three halls of residence with 460 beds in total. Places are limited relative to the wider university community, and priority is given to Portuguese scholarship recipients and international exchange students. Applications are required, allocation is normally for one academic year, and students must apply again for subsequent years. The university has also developed partnerships and room-sharing initiatives to supplement its own capacity. Students should therefore plan for private accommodation and begin searching early rather than assume that a university room will be available. The university promotes participation in team and individual sports, volunteering, cultural events, and mobility. Support for students with disabilities or special educational needs includes accessible rooms in designated residences and services intended to promote autonomy and inclusion. The precise clubs, facilities, orientation activities, and counseling arrangements differ by school, making the relevant school website and student association useful sources after a program has been selected.

Location & Surroundings

NOVA is headquartered at Campolide in Lisbon, but it is geographically decentralized. Its schools occupy sites in Lisbon as well as Almada, Oeiras, and Cascais. Official campus information identifies eight principal sites: Campolide, Carcavelos, Caparica, Junqueira, Oeiras, Avenida de Berna, Santana, and Lumiar. The university also operates NOVA Cairo, so applicants must confirm the country and campus attached to a program. Campolide hosts the rectorate and schools including Law and Information Management. NOVA FCSH is associated with Avenida de Berna, the medical school with Santana, and public health with Lumiar. NOVA FCT is across the Tagus River at Caparica in Almada, ITQB NOVA is in Oeiras, and Nova SBE is in coastal Carcavelos. These locations produce materially different commutes and neighborhood experiences. Students comparing accommodation should map travel to their actual teaching site, not simply to central Lisbon. Rail, metro, bus, and river connections may form part of the journey depending on the campus. Moving between schools for electives, research, or events can also require additional travel time.

Costs & Career Outcomes

NOVA does not publish one tuition figure that represents every student. Fees vary by school, program, cycle, nationality or admissions status, and academic year. A current NOVA IMS example illustrates the variation: its 2026/27 international undergraduate page states an annual tuition fee of €7,500, a €70 application charge per selected program, and a €3,000 pre-registration payment credited toward tuition. These amounts apply to that school and route only. Elsewhere, published charges can differ substantially, so candidates should rely on the fee schedule linked to their exact 2026/27 course and include registration, insurance, materials, immigration, travel, and housing in their budget. University residence accommodation is subsidized but scarce. SASNOVA reports 460 beds across three halls and prioritizes scholarship recipients and exchange students. Private-market housing may therefore be the largest uncertain expense. Eligible students can investigate Portuguese social-support grants and school-specific scholarships, but eligibility and award value should be confirmed before relying on them. Career support is also organized partly by school. Examples include employer connections, internship and vacancy platforms, counseling, mentoring, CV support, interview preparation, and career events. At university level, the ObipNOVA observatory tracks graduates' transitions into work. NOVA's employability page reports that about 90 percent of its master's and doctoral graduates are in the labor market one year after completion, but the underlying displayed cohorts are historical and this figure should not be interpreted as a guaranteed current outcome for a particular degree. Program-level placement evidence is more useful when available.