Application Procedures
Learning Agreement
Language of Instruction
Transcript of Records
Application Deadlines 2013/2014
Academic Calendar 2013/2014
Accommodation
Foreign Student Guide
Portuguese Language Courses
Erasmus Student Network - ESN-Porto
Contacts
Application Procedures
Application forms and supporting documents are exclusively submitted online. Therefore, no documents have to be sent to the University of Porto (U.Porto), unless paper originals are absolutely required by the students' Home University.
Students selected by their Home University have to register online in order to obtain their username and password to access the Application Form, at the U.Porto's website:
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Online application
or
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International >Life at U.Porto > Administrative Procedures > Ask for login
An automatic e-mail is sent containing a temporary username and password. Please note that, for security reasons, this password will expire automatically, therefore students will have to create their personal and definitive password to login and access the Application Form.
We strongly advise students to read the Online Application Guide also available on the same page (on the right-hand side menu).
To make filling the Application Form in more effective and easier, we recommend students organise all the information required with their exchange coordinator, particularly with regard to filling in their Learning Agreement (see below), before accessing the online form. Once it has been completed and electronically submitted, the form has to be printed, signed by the student and competent Erasmus Coordinators, stamped, and uploaded at the U.Porto's site.
Freemovers: Please note that these procedures also apply to Freemover Students, who propose a study period at the U.PORTO outside the Erasmus Programme.
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Learning Agreement
The Learning Agreement is a fundamental component of the application, as it is a proposal of studies during your exchange period at the University of Porto.
a) Access to Study Plans
A description of the undergraduate courses offered and ECTS credits can be found at Undergraduate Programmes, and postgraduate study plans at Master's degrees. Please note that only students attending an equivalent postgraduate level at their home university can select subjects at this level of studies.
Select the most appropriate degree and at the bottom of the general description, click on 'Plano de Estudos/Study Plan' (information in English is available in most cases by clicking on the British flag at the top of the pages).
The 2012/2013 academic year can be selected from a drop-down menu at the top of each specific study plan. Most of the subject programmes for the coming year have already been updated, so students can easily check the contents to make their final choices. Please note that each subject programme indicates the teaching language for that particular subject. Furthermore, students should take care to select subjects in the semester corresponding to the proposed semester of mobility.
b) Choosing subjects
Undergraduate exchange students are free to choose subjects from practically any of our first degrees, except for Communication Studies (see below) and subjects called 'Project' or 'Seminar'. Postgraduate students can only select subjects from a maximum of two master's courses. Students should select between a minimum of 20 ECTS credits to a maximum of 30 ECTS credits per semester.
Students and coordinators should be aware that, given this freedom of choice, initial learning agreements may be subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, namely timetable clashes, at the start of each semester.
c) Undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Communication Studies
Please note that only students proposing an exchange period under the specific Erasmus agreements in Communication and Media studies can apply to these degrees (see exception above). Furthermore, this degree is lectured at a different building from the main Faculty, which is located closer to the city centre at Praça Coronel Pacheco:
Campus I: City Centre – Building 10
d) Undergraduate degree in Information Science
The degree in Information Science is lectured jointly at this Faculty and at the Faculty of Engineering (location: Campus II: Asprela - Building 8). If you are interested in selecting courses from this degree, please contact Ms. Carla Augusto (caugusto@letras.up.pt) for more information about the different subjects and where they are lectured.
In both c) and d), please note that issues related with timetable clashes may arise if subjects from other degrees lectured at the main building are also selected. The main Faculty is located at:
Campus III: Campo Alegre – Building 11
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Language of Instruction
Please also note that a large majority of the subjects lectured here are taught only in Portuguese, so applicants should try to have some preparation in the language before arrival. Many teachers are willing to assist students in this matter, namely by allowing them to write papers and take exams in other languages, but this situation can only be agreed upon in each individual case after arrival. (See information below on Portuguese Language Courses).
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Compulsory Language Certificates
English: It is compulsory for acceptance that all students who do not speak Portuguese include a language certificate with their application form, attesting to knowledge of English at least at B2 level.
Transcript of Records
Applicants must also upload a Transcript of Records with their application, i.e., a certificate issued by the Home University showing a list of courses taken, the ECTS credits per subject, local or national credits, if applicable, local grades and, if possible, ECTS grades awarded. Please note that this document is an integral part of your application and is a requirement in the ECTS procedures stipulated by the EU: applications cannot be officially accepted if it is not included.
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Application Deadlines 2013/2014
1st semester and annual applications: 15th June 2013
2nd semester: 30th November 2013
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Academic Calendar 2012/2013
1st Semester: 9 September 2013 - 8 February 2014
Classes: 9 September - 18 December 2013
Exams: 6 - 25 January 2014
Resit Exams: 27 January - 8 February 2014
2nd Semester: 10 February - 15 July 2014
Classes: 10 February - 7 June 2014
Exams: 9 – 28 June 2014
Resit Exams: 30 June - 15 July 2014
Main holidays:
Christmas: 19 December 2013 - 3 January 2014
Carnival: 3 - 4 March 2014
Easter: 14 - 21 April 2014
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Accommodation
Please note that the International Office (SRI) only manages accommodation in the University’s Halls of Residence.
Halls of Residence
- Students can apply for accommodation in the University's Halls of Residence on the online application form mentioned above.
- Each year, U.Porto receives more requests for accommodation than the number of places available for exchange students. For this reason, rooms are allocated on a "first come, first served" basis.
- Requests for accommodation in a Hall of Residence will be only considered after the student’s proposed Learning Agreement has been accepted by the faculty the students are applying to.
- Submitting a request does not justify any legal claim to accommodation in a Hall of Residence
- Students will receive an answer to their requests in due time.
Private accommodation
Porto offers a wide range of private accommodation for students. The International Office/SRI compiles a list of offers based on contacts from landlords but takes no responsibility for the conditions offered or arrangements between tenants and landlords.
Should you be interested in this obtaining this list, please send a request to SRI at incoming.mobility@reit.up.pt.
Temporary Accommodation
It may be best to look for accommodation after arriving in Porto. Temporary accommodation can be booked at the two options below.
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World SPRU - Sociedade Privada de Residências Universitárias / University Residence WorldSpru Porto Campanhã
Homepage: http://www.spru.pt/
Please note that this Residence hall is privately-owned and not the responsibility of the University of Porto
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Foreign Student Guide
Please consult the U.PORTO'S Foreign Student Guide as it contains a wide range of useful information on aspects like procedures, services, life in Porto, transports, etc..
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Portuguese Language Courses
The Faculty offers different Courses of Portuguese for Foreigners, including intensive courses (Beginner's) for Erasmus students, usually in September/October and in February/March, and there is also a 1st Semester Course (Oct. - Feb.) and a 2nd Semester Course (Feb. - June), with several levels ranging from Beginner's to Advanced. Information can be found at Language Courses, under Courses of Portuguese for Foreigners.
There are also several EILC - Erasmus Intensive Language Courses in Portugal for both semesters, including the EILC course at the University of Porto. Please see the European Commission’s site for more information and instructions on how to apply. Information on the courses taking place in Portugal during the 2012/2013 academic year can be consulted at the EILC Portugal 2012-2013 site.
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Erasmus Student Network - ESN-Porto
The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is a student organisation founded in 1990 to support and develop student exchange, whose mission is to foster student mobility in Higher Education under the principle of "SHS - Students Helping Students". Local offices can be found in many European universities, and this is also true of the University of Porto. Please see the ESN-Porto website, register and receive information about activities, events, excursions, etc., which are organised throughout the year for exchange students (it is open to all international students, not only Erasmus). The ESN has also set up a network of local students to help incoming students. For more information, please see ESN-Buddy.
Useful sites
www.ErasmusU.com
Site dedicated to exchange students: you can find useful tips on the city and the university left by ex-Erasmus students, accommodation offers and, most important, it is a place to meet other students that will be studying in Porto (and other places in Portugal).
www.bquarto.pt
Contacts
For further information, please contact us
