How to Do a PhD in Portugal: FCT Studentships and Visas

Who can apply for an FCT studentship

Portugal funds most PhD research through grants from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), the national science agency. FCT is not a university. It funds PhD candidates who are enrolled, or who can enrol, in a PhD programme that leads to a doctoral degree, most often at a Portuguese institution.

To apply for the regular line of the FCT PhD studentship call, you must meet these rules:

• You must not already hold a doctoral degree.
• You must not have had an FCT-funded PhD studentship before, for any length of time.
• You must be enrolled, or able to enrol, in a PhD programme that leads to a doctoral degree.

Portuguese citizens can apply. So can citizens of EU member states, citizens of other countries, stateless people, and people with refugee status.

Tip: The regular line funds research at academic institutions. A separate line funds PhD work carried out mostly in a non-academic environment, such as a company. Check which line fits your project before you apply.

Apply to a doctoral programme first

Before you request FCT funding, a university must accept you into a PhD programme. FCT funds research; it does not admit students to a programme. Most Portuguese universities run PhD admissions in phases through the year. For example, NOVA School of Science and Technology (NOVA FCT) in Lisbon ran four application phases for 2026/27, from mid-February to early January of the following year.

International students, meaning people who are not Portuguese, not EU citizens, and have not lived in Portugal for more than two years without interruption, must submit extra documents. These include a signed declaration under the International Student Statute (Decree-Law No. 36/2014) and an academic transcript. Translate documents that are not in Portuguese, English, French, or Spanish. Certify them with a Portuguese consular stamp or a Hague Apostille.

Tuition fees are set by each university, not by FCT. For example, NOVA School of Science and Technology charged €2,750 a year for its PhD programmes in 2026/27, plus a €35 registration fee. Check the fee table of the university you apply to; fees differ between institutions.

Deadlines and the FCT timeline

FCT normally opens its main PhD studentship call once a year, in March. The requirements and the general timing have stayed about the same for several years, but you should still check fct.pt for the exact dates of the next call.

Apply only through the myFCT online portal (myfct.fct.pt). FCT does not accept applications by email or on paper.

Funding and evaluation

If FCT selects your application, you get a monthly allowance. You may also get support for tuition fees, training activities, conference travel, personal accident insurance, and, for some grants, relocation costs. The exact amounts change with each call. Check the current Table of Studentship Grant Amounts on fct.pt before you apply; do not rely on figures from an old call.

FCT scores every application on three criteria: merit of the applicant (30%), merit of the work plan (40%), and merit of the hosting institution (30%). An application needs a weighted score of at least 3.000 out of 5.000 to receive a studentship.

Documents you need

• Passport or national ID
• Academic transcripts, translated and certified if not in Portuguese, English, French, or Spanish
• CV
• A short work plan for your PhD research
• Proof of enrolment, or acceptance, in a PhD programme
• For international students: the signed International Student Statute declaration

How to apply, step by step

1. Contact potential supervisors and apply to a PhD programme at a Portuguese university; each programme sets its own phases and deadlines.
2. Once you have a place, or a supervisor willing to host you, prepare your FCT application and work plan.
3. Submit your FCT application through myfct.fct.pt before the call closes.
4. Wait for your chosen institution to validate your application. Contracting institutions have 10 working days, after the deadline, to validate applications on myFCT. FCT excludes applications that are not validated in time.
5. Check the preliminary results. If your result is unfavourable, you can dispute it during the preliminary hearing phase.
6. Wait for the final results and, if selected, sign your studentship contract with your hosting institution.

Visa and residence permit for non-EU students

If you are an EU citizen, you do not need a student visa. If you plan to stay more than 90 days, register for a Certificado de Registo at your local town hall, within four months of arrival.

If you are not an EU citizen, you need a student visa before you travel. Apply at the Portuguese embassy or consulate in your home country. Processing can take months, so apply early.

After you arrive in Portugal, book an appointment with AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo), the Portuguese immigration agency, to get your residence permit.

A residence permit for higher education students is normally valid for three years and can be renewed. If your programme is shorter than three years, the permit is issued for the length of the programme instead. Holders of this permit can also work in Portugal.

For the full rules and the current list of required documents, check AIMA's official site (aima.gov.pt) before you apply.

Common mistakes

• Waiting to request FCT funding only after a programme's own deadline has passed. Check both deadlines together.
• Sending documents that are not translated or certified in the required way.
• Applying to the wrong line: the FCT call has a regular (academic) line and a separate non-academic line. Pick the one that matches your work plan.
• Applying without a university or supervisor ready to host you. FCT funds research; it does not replace admission to a programme.
• Forgetting the Contracting Institution step. If your chosen institution does not validate your application in time, FCT excludes it from the call.

Where to find open positions

Many Portuguese PhD opportunities are advertised directly by doctoral schools and FCT-funded R&D units, not only through the yearly FCT call. Browse current PhD positions or fully funded PhD positions on PhD Atlas to see what is open now. If you are also looking in other EU countries, see our guides on how to do a PhD in Spain or how to do a PhD in France.

For the work plan FCT asks for, see how to write a research proposal for a PhD application. For degree recognition before you enrol, see foreign degree recognition for PhD applications. For settling in, see housing for new PhD students and health insurance for PhD students moving abroad.

PhD Atlas matches open PhD positions to your CV. Sign up free to see positions that fit your field.