University of Aveiro
Universidade de Aveiro
A 1973 campus university on Aveiro's lagoon, built around engineering, materials and telecoms, with buildings by Siza.
- Students
- 16,000
- Tuition
- €3,500
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1973
- QS World Ranking
- #425
- 2027 edition
About UAveiro
The University of Aveiro (UAveiro) was founded on 15 December 1973 and opened in 1974-75 with a single course, Electronics and Telecommunications, and 46 students. It deliberately chose fields that older Portuguese universities did not cover and that matched the regional economy, adding environmental studies, teacher training, industrial management, music and tourism. Today it has more than 16,000 students, 1,461 teachers and about 500 researchers.
UAveiro is unusual in combining university and polytechnic education in one institution. It has 16 departments, from Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics to Materials and Ceramic Engineering, Medical Sciences and Communication and Art, plus four polytechnic schools in Aveiro, Águeda and Oliveira de Azeméis. Most teaching happens on the Santiago campus, a 'city within a city' between the lagoon and the town centre, with buildings by architects including Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto Moura.
Portuguese and EU students enter through the national access competition using national exam results. Students from outside the EU apply through UAveiro's own special competition for international students, usually taking written entrance exams, and pay the international-student fee of 3,500 to 5,000 euros a year. Degrees are taught in Portuguese, so non-EU applicants need Portuguese at B1. It suits students who want a modern, compact campus, strong engineering and science, and a small coastal city.
Why students choose UAveiro
Low public fees: 697 euros a year for Portuguese and EU students in 2026-27.
International undergraduates admitted with an application grade of 16 out of 20 or higher can get an incentive scholarship that cuts their annual fee to 1,000 euros.
Strong research labs on campus, including the Aveiro Institute of Materials (CICECO), the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and the Instituto de Telecomunicações, all Associate Laboratories.
UAveiro reports graduate employability of 92% to 99% across fields (2026), with 98% in engineering, manufacturing and construction.
Admissions
2027-28 entry (dates below are from the 2026-27 cycle)
Selectivity
No overall admission rate is published. Portuguese and EU applicants are ranked through the national access competition on secondary grades and national entrance exams; non-EU applicants are ranked in UAveiro's special international competition on written entrance exams (or recognised foreign exams), on a 0-20 scale, and fail below 9.5.
Typical entry requirements
| Portuguese secondary diploma (or EU national with equivalent) | National access competition: secondary diploma plus the national entrance exams set for each course |
|---|---|
| Non-EU secondary qualification (special international competition) | A qualification giving university access in your country, plus UAveiro written exams in the course's subjects (or recognised home-country exams) and Portuguese at B1 |
| Health degrees and Music | Nursing, Physiotherapy, Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy and Speech Therapy require a medical precondition certificate; Music requires a musical aptitude exam taken in person at UAveiro |
| English language | Undergraduate degrees are taught in Portuguese, with English-taught degrees only in exceptional cases. Non-EU applicants must prove Portuguese at CEFR B1 (applicants schooled in Portuguese are exempt); those without B1 can exceptionally apply if they commit to an intensive Portuguese course, and enrolment is confirmed only once they reach B1. |
Deadlines
- International competition, 1st phase Non-binding Passed29 January 2026 (2026-27 cycle, past)
Opened 5 January 2026; only for candidates exempt from local exams. Final ranking 26 February; enrolment 13-19 March 2026.
- International competition, 2nd phase Non-binding Passed7 April 2026 (2026-27 cycle, past)
Opened 25 March 2026; written exams 20-30 April; final ranking 1 June; enrolment 17-22 June 2026.
- International competition, 3rd phase Non-binding Passed9 July 2026 (2026-27 cycle, past)
Opened 1 July 2026; only for candidates exempt from local exams. Enrolment 3-5 August 2026.
- National access competition, 1st phase Non-binding Passed6 August 2026 (2026-27 cycle, past)
Opened 20 July 2026; a 2nd phase ran 24 August to 20 September 2026.
The 2027-28 calendars are not yet published; all dates shown are from the 2026-27 cycle and have passed. UAveiro says international applications run in phases starting in January, so expect the first 2027 phase to open around January 2027.
How to apply
Portuguese and EU students apply online through the national access competition run by the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES), listing up to six institution-course combinations. Non-EU international students apply on UAveiro's PACO platform in the special international competition, choosing up to three courses per phase, uploading ID, school certificates translated into Portuguese or English, and sitting written entrance exams if needed. Application fee 70 euros.
What admissions looks for
- Results in the entrance subjects each course requires, via national exams or UAveiro's written exams.
- A final classification of at least 9.5 out of 20; places go to the highest-ranked candidates.
- Portuguese at B1 for non-EU applicants, since teaching is in Portuguese.
- For health courses and Music, the medical precondition or musical aptitude exam.
Tips for applying to UAveiro
- 1 If you are from outside the EU, check whether your national exams are on UAveiro's list of recognised exams: that exempts you from local exams and opens the January and July phases to you.
- 2 Aim for an application grade of 16 or more: it cuts international undergraduate fees to 1,000 euros a year through the incentive scholarship.
- 3 Start Portuguese early; B1 is required and enrolment depends on it.
- 4 Use UAveiro's sample exams and programmes for each course to prepare for the written entrance exams.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
International undergraduates enrolled full-time with an application grade of 16 or higher receive an incentive scholarship reducing annual tuition to 1,000 euros, renewable subject to academic achievement. Annual fees can be paid in 10 monthly instalments from September to June. Portuguese and EU students can apply for UAveiro scholarships and prizes and national support.
- Tuition reduced to 1,000 euros a year (application grade 16/20 or higher)
- International incentive scholarship (undergraduate)
- 10 monthly instalments, September to June
- Payment option
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters: September to January and February to June
Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering
UAveiro's founding course in 1974-75, backed today by the Instituto de Telecomunicações and IEETA on campus.
Materials and ceramic engineering degrees
Taught by the Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering, alongside CICECO, the Aveiro Institute of Materials.
Environment and planning degrees
Environmental studies were among UAveiro's first degrees (1975-76), and CESAM on campus researches environmental and marine science.
Medicine (integrated master's)
UAveiro's single integrated master's, taught by the Department of Medical Sciences in the Health building on the Crasto campus.
Music
Entry requires a musical aptitude exam taken in person at UAveiro.
Tourism and Industrial Management
Both part of UAveiro's early push into fields not covered by traditional universities.
Research
- Three Associate Laboratories on campus: CICECO (materials), CESAM (environment and marine studies) and the Instituto de Telecomunicações.
- 20 research units and 368 national and 217 international research projects in 2025.
- 51 patent applications and 323 cooperation contracts in 2025.
Schools & faculties
- Department of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics
- Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Department of Civil Engineering
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Physics
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Biology
- Department of Environment and Planning
- Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism
- Department of Medical Sciences
- Department of Communication and Art
UAveiro's 2026 employability figures by field: education 99%, sciences, mathematics and IT 99%, health and social care 99%, engineering, manufacturing and construction 98%, arts and humanities 97%, social sciences, business and law 97%, services 92%.
Student life
Almost everything is on the Santiago campus, an area the size of about 92 football fields between the lagoon, old salt pans and the city centre: residences, canteens, libraries, galleries, a sports pavilion, an athletics track and more. The neighbouring Crasto campus has more residences and the head office of the Academic Association (AAUAv), founded by students in 1978. UAveiro offers 11 recreational and 29 competitive sports.
- Santiago campus architecture by Álvaro Siza Vieira, Eduardo Souto Moura, Gonçalo Byrne and others, visited by architecture specialists every year.
- Academic Association of the University of Aveiro (AAUAv), founded in 1978.
- 11 recreational and 29 competitive sports.
- A member of the ECIU European university alliance, with 696 incoming and 243 outgoing exchange students in 2025-26.
Housing. UAveiro has 16 residences with 1,142 beds (2025) on its Santiago and Crasto campuses.
Location
Aveiro is a small coastal city in central Portugal, built around a lagoon and canals. The Santiago campus sits between the lagoon's former salt pans and the city centre, a short walk from town, and UAveiro also has schools in Águeda and Oliveira de Azeméis.
Nearest airport: Porto Airport (OPO)
Notable alumni
- RD Rui DiogoBiologist and writer at Howard University; bachelor's in biology from Aveiro
- AC Alexandra CunhaMarine biologist and former president of the Liga para a Proteção da Natureza; biology graduate
- CF Catarina FagundesWindsurfer at the 1996 Olympics, the first Portuguese woman in an Olympic sailing event; tourism planning and management graduate
- SC Susana CorreiaMember of the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic since 2019; marketing graduate
Frequently asked questions
How much does the University of Aveiro cost for international students?
Under the international student statute, undergraduate fees for 2026-27 are 3,500 to 5,000 euros a year depending on the field. Students admitted with a grade of 16/20 or higher can get an incentive scholarship that lowers this to 1,000 euros.
Are courses at the University of Aveiro taught in English?
Undergraduate degrees are taught in Portuguese, with English only in exceptional cases, so non-EU applicants must prove Portuguese at B1.
How do international students apply to the University of Aveiro?
Non-EU students apply through UAveiro's special competition for international students in phases starting in January, choosing up to three courses and usually sitting written entrance exams. EU students apply through Portugal's national access competition.
Does the University of Aveiro have an entrance exam?
Yes, for international applicants: UAveiro sets written exams in each course's subjects, held on campus and at selected locations, unless you hold recognised exams from your home country.
What are the fees for Portuguese and EU students?
697 euros a year for bachelor's and integrated master's degrees in 2026-27.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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