Without two years of residency, immigrants are excluded from accessing universities as national students

To compete for university spots under the general regime (as a national student), immigrants must have held legal residency in Portugal for over two years, uninterrupted, by January 1st of the year they apply. Students who do not meet this specific cut-off must apply through the international student regime, which involves higher tuition fees and separate application deadlines, regardless of whether they completed their secondary education in Portugal.