For High School Students Applying to Bachelor's Degrees

For foreign secondary-school graduates applying to a Portuguese bachelor's program, Portugal requires an equivalência (equivalence) of your foreign diploma to the Portuguese secondary-school certificate. Equivalence is governed by the Direção-Geral da Educação (DGE), the Directorate-General for Education.

You must apply in person at a public or private secondary school with pedagogical autonomy (at the level of schooling of your degree) in your area of residence. (If you are abroad, you send your application to DGE by post.) Required documents include:

• Official academic certificates/diplomas (with legal certification - e.g. Portuguese consular legalization, foreign consular legalization in Portugal, or Hague Apostille)
• A certified Portuguese translation of all foreign documents
• The certificate must explicitly show the school years completed, the final grades or GPA, the grading scale with its minimum passing grade (and, if needed, how any qualitative grades convert to numbers)
• An up-to-date government ID (e.g. passport)

(The equivalence request form can be found on the DGE website.)

Equivalence is granted free of charge. The school (or DGE, if the case is not covered by specific ministerial orders) will determine your equivalent Portuguese grade. In secondary-school equivalence the outcome includes a final grade on the Portuguese 0-20 scale.

Once you obtain the equivalência, you are eligible to apply to public universities via the regular Concurso Nacional de Acesso (National Competition for Higher Education).

For Postgraduate Students Seeking Second Degrees

If you already hold a foreign university degree and wish to pursue another degree (e.g. a second bachelor's, a master's, or doctorate) in Portugal, you must obtain degree recognition through the Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior (DGES), the Directorate-General for Higher Education.

There are three types of recognition:

• Automatic Recognition: A generic recognition for foreign degrees that are identical in level, objectives and nature to Portuguese bachelor's, master's or doctorate degrees (associate degrees cannot be recognized). Only degrees appearing on DGES's official automatic-recognition list qualify. Applicants can check eligibility on the DGES website. This is the fastest route (processing ≤30 days). You can apply for automatic recognition at either DGES or a public university of your choice.
• Level Recognition: A case-by-case recognition of the academic level (bachelor's, master's or doctorate) of your foreign degree. Available for degrees from any country. You apply at a public higher-education institution (in the same field of study as your degree) or via DGES. It simply confirms "your foreign degree is at least the level of a Portuguese bachelor's/master's/doctorate." If your exact foreign title matches one already recognized for that country/institution ("precedence" applies), the process also takes ≤30 days; otherwise the decision can take up to ~90 days.
• Specific Recognition: A detailed, course-by-course analysis. The university will assess whether your foreign degree is identical to a specific Portuguese degree (in level, duration and curriculum) in a particular field. This is needed if you want recognition not just of level but also of the programme content. You apply at a public institution that offers the corresponding degree. The decision can take up to 90 days.

All recognized degrees are legally valid in Portugal. You can choose whichever type fits your goals (all three have equal legal validity). You apply online via the DGES recognition portal (RecON).

As part of the recognition process, you can also request conversion of your final grade classification to the Portuguese 0-20 scale. This conversion uses the official DGES conversion table, which maps foreign GPA ranges to specific Portuguese integer grades (10-20). The conversion can be requested simultaneously with recognition or separately if you already have recognition.

Transferring from US Universities to Portuguese Universities

If you're currently enrolled in a US university and wish to transfer to a Portuguese university, you can apply for a change of course or transfer. Students who have been enrolled in a foreign higher education institution can request a transfer or course change in Portugal, whether they have completed their degree or not.

The application process is handled directly by each Portuguese institution where you wish to enroll. You'll need to:

• Submit your application directly to the Portuguese institution
• Provide documentation of your enrollment and academic record from your US university
• Meet any specific requirements set by the Portuguese institution
• Be aware that transfer spots are limited and availability varies by institution

Applications can be submitted at any time during the academic year, provided there are integration conditions available. The specific deadlines, required documentation, and procedures vary by institution, so you should contact the institution directly for detailed information.

Note: This process is separate from degree recognition. If you've completed a degree in the US and want to pursue a second degree in Portugal, you'll need to go through the recognition process described above.