University of Lisbon

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities is a college with very good teachers and interesting content, and there are very dynamic classes. There are all kinds of people in this college, so it is quite diverse, although mostly made up of girls. On the negative side, the state of its facilities stands out. It is a college over 100 years old that needs work with some urgency.

However they can improve a lot of things, for example, the social integration for international students. There are a few activities in the small campus, I think we students need other activities different than only studies, as playing sports or dancing or cinema…

The UL got a huge open space between the nature with pretty and classic buildings for different areas of study. The professionals are one of the bests. Everything’s happens there and you got a lot facilities like different places to study, a variety of sports, gyms, a beautiful park and a perfect access by transports or car.

It's beyond a shadow of a doubt a rather prestigious faculty of medicine associated with the largest hospital in Lisbon (Santa Maria Hospital) and home to only Nobel Prize of Medicine and Physiology recipient in Portugal. Its teaching methods remain the classical style, meaning the first 3 theoretical and the other 3 practical. Consultant/Student Ratio not very good. Doesn't offer transportation from and to the Hospitals which means, students sometimes have to spend money in transportation to get to classes in different hospitals. Student Life is definitely a big thing in this faculty. The Student's Union proves to be extremely proactive, organizing welcome meetings for the newcomers, parties, useful lectures to broaden our horizons and practical workshops to improve our skills.

The university is at an excellent location inside the urban matrix of Lisbon. Public transportation abounds: subway, bus, and train are available at short walking distances. A universal canteen is available to all university students, although each faculty has its own. The university stadium is open to everyone and you can practice many different sports there. Internet is available for all the students on the entire campus. The administrative services are poorly organized, although I've heard they treat foreign students better than resident students. Expect a lot of bureaucracy. The professors are mostly excellent and they try to be available to the students whenever they can. However, classes are usually in Portuguese, so you will need to learn Portuguese if you want to enjoy classes as best as you can. Fortunately, the language is easy to learn. Just take some classes in Duolingo to get accustomed. Your colleagues and students are very receptive. This was probably the best part of joining this university, and many of my colleagues are still some of my best friends today! If everything else fails, know that your colleagues will at least be there to help and support you. Just be careful not to get dragged too much into the "student life". I've known many people that didn't graduate because of that. Enjoy knowing and spending time with other students, but don't lose your focus!

Although most professors were highly qualified (which is a very important aspect), their methods and teaching practices were most of the times obsolete. Teachers' training should be revised and access to teaching career should be limited to the best.

University of Lisbon is one of the most, if not the most, recognizable universities of Portugal. It is home to colleges with great programs, teachers and location (in the heart of the city!). I study IT (Informatics Technology) at FCUL (Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa/College of Sciences of the University of Lisbon). I came into this course not knowing much but I love it, eat it and breath it now. I didn't really know what to expect but I'm so happy with what I ended up with. Programs are not hard per se, they just require a lot of work and focus, otherwise, you're going to get caught up. Especially in informatics. But all the hard work is always very rewarding. I have everything I need at my college to study/work; it's close to affordable restaurants, cafés, supermarkets; and all my teachers are great and approachable. The facilities could use more funding from the government but it's still ok. The university is at the heart of the city and on top of that, Lisbon (like Portugal) is not very big, so you can go anywhere and do anything. I always use public transportation, it's my way of life. I use the train and metro everyday and the only thing I really avoid is peak hours or buses (they are always late, don't show up or overall unpleasant rides.) Being a public university, it is heavily funded by the government and very affordable, whether you're portuguese or not. For reference, prices of bachelor degrees for portuguese people (per year) do not cross the 871,52€ mark and for foreign students they're around 3000€-4000€. These prices apply to any public university in the country and, unlike many places, public has better reputation than private in Portugal. In conclusion, my university is great specially in the Science/Economics/Health/Law fields, which are the ones I'm most familiar with and that also generate more professional opportunities (in general). I have a guaranteed higher-paying job once I'm out and will be well prepared for a multitude of tasks in the professional world. Would definitely recommend this University (maybe even my exact course/similar courses) because, even though they demand effort/work obviously, they are approachable and so is the value of the courses.

The Institute of Social and Political Sciences (ISCSP) of the University of Lisbon, has highly qualified teachers and a social action service that responds to the needs of students. ISCSP is far from the Center, close to Monsanto, which means that there is not much academic spirit.