Studying in Portugal from Pakistan

A guide for Pakistani students applying to Portuguese universities at undergraduate (bachelor's) and postgraduate (master's and PhD) level, including how your grades are used and converted.

This guide is for information only. Requirements and procedures can change. Always confirm with the Direção-Geral da Educação (DGE), Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior (DGES), and your chosen institution.

Undergraduate applications

Pakistani students applying to a first cycle (licenciatura / bachelor's) in Portugal use their secondary school qualification. In Pakistan this is typically the HSSC (Higher Secondary School Certificate), also called Intermediate or FSc, awarded by the boards (e.g. FBISE, BISE). Portugal does use these secondary grades for admission: you must obtain an equivalência (equivalence) of your foreign diploma to the Portuguese secondary-school certificate, and the outcome includes a final grade on the Portuguese 0–20 scale.

Equivalence of your secondary diploma (DGE)

Equivalence is handled by the Direção-Geral da Educação (DGE), the Directorate-General for Education. If you are resident in Portugal, you apply at a public or private secondary school with pedagogical autonomy in your area of residence. If you are abroad, you send your application to DGE by post. Required documents typically include:

• Official academic certificates/diplomas (with legal certification, e.g. Portuguese consular legalization, foreign consular legalization in Portugal, or Hague Apostille)
• Certified Portuguese translation of all foreign documents
• Indication of school years completed, cycle of studies or course, and final grades; additional documentation on grading scales and the foreign education system may be required
• Valid ID (e.g. passport)

Fees may apply and vary by school; check with the establishment. The school (or DGE when the case is not covered by specific ministerial orders) will determine your equivalent Portuguese grade on the 0–20 scale using the official conversion tables where applicable. Once you have the equivalência, you can apply to public universities through the Concurso Nacional de Acesso (National Competition for Higher Education).

More information: DGE – FAQ Equivalence of Foreign Qualifications, and the official government service for requesting equivalence.

How your secondary grades are converted

The table below reproduces the conversion mapping for Pakistani secondary education as it appears in Portuguese official conversion documentation. It maps Pakistani points, qualitative mention (letter grade), and percentage ranges to the Portuguese scale of 0 to 20 values. We have not located the specific legal instrument (despacho/portaria) that publishes it; applicants should confirm with DGE that this table applies to their certificate. If your board still reports marks/points, you can use the points column; otherwise use the letter grade or percentage range that matches your transcript.

Where a new-system table might appear: Portuguese conversion tables for foreign secondary education are approved in annexes to Portaria n.º 224/2006 (8 March 2006) and Portaria n.º 699/2006 (12 July 2006), and the Comissão Nacional de Acesso ao Ensino Superior (CNAES) publishes annual deliberations (e.g. Deliberação 674/2025, 22 May 2025) with rules and annexes on conversion of classifications. These are published in the Diário da República (dre.pt / diariodarepublica.pt). We did not find a PDF or annex that explicitly lists a conversion table for Pakistan's new grading system (A++, A+, etc.); the annexes are long and country-specific tables may be inside the PDFs. To check whether a new table exists, consult the annexes of those Portarias and CNAES deliberations on the official gazette site, or ask DGE/DGES directly for the current conversion table for Pakistan.

The converter below uses the traditional scale only. It does not accept Pakistan's new letter grades (A++, A+, B++, etc.).

Postgraduate (Master's and PhD) applications

If you already have a university degree from Pakistan (e.g. bachelor's or master's) and want to study a second degree in Portugal (e.g. master's or PhD), you must obtain degree recognition through the Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior (DGES). This is separate from secondary equivalence.

DGES offers three types of recognition:

• Automatic recognition: For foreign degrees that appear on DGES's official list as identical in level and nature to a Portuguese bachelor's, master's or doctorate. You apply online (RecON). Processing is typically up to 30 days.
• Level recognition: Confirms that your degree is at least at the level of a Portuguese bachelor's, master's or doctorate. You apply at a public higher-education institution in the same field or via DGES. If your degree matches an existing precedent, processing can be ≤30 days; otherwise up to about 90 days.
• Specific recognition: Course-by-course analysis to equate your degree to a specific Portuguese degree. You apply at a public institution that offers the corresponding degree. Decisions can take up to 90 days.

As part of recognition (or separately if you already have recognition), you can request conversion of your final grade to the Portuguese 0–20 scale via DGES. DGES applies conversion rules for foreign higher-education grades; confirm with DGES how Pakistani university grades (e.g. CGPA or percentage) are converted, as country-specific tables may apply. You apply via the DGES recognition portal and the grade conversion service.

Useful links: DGES – Degree and Diploma Recognition, DGES – Conversion of final classification to the Portuguese scale.

Language requirements

Language requirements are set by each institution; DGES does not publish a single national rule. Confirm with the institution you are applying to.

Degrees taught in Portuguese: Many institutions require Portuguese proficiency, often reported as B1 or B2 (CEFR). A common option is CAPLE (Centro de Avaliação de Português Língua Estrangeira), developed by the University of Lisbon in collaboration with Instituto Camões (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). CAPLE levels include DEPLE (B1) and DIPLE (B2); exams are offered in Portugal and in many countries. Check the institution for accepted certificates and minimum level. More information: CAPLE.

Degrees taught in English: Many institutions require English proficiency (often reported as B2). The Portuguese government does not publish an official list of approved English tests. Some Portuguese universities accept IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge English, and/or the Duolingo English Test (DET)—this is institutional policy, not government approval. Accepted tests and minimum scores vary by institution; always check the university. Some institutions may grant exemptions (e.g. a Medium of Instruction (MOI) letter from a school or university where teaching was in English, or previous study in an English-speaking country). Confirm with the institution.