Portugal currently hosts 80,000 foreign students in higher education, a number that has quadrupled in the last 15 years, going from 20,000 to 80,000 students in the 2024/2025 academic year. This growth occurs at a steady pace of about 4,000 new international students per year, out of a total of more than 456,000 enrolled in Portuguese higher education.
The most significant growth is seen in integrated master's degrees, where the number of foreigners increased sevenfold, going from 3,282 students in 2010 to 22,523 in 2025. However, despite this trend, the majority of foreign students attend bachelor's degrees, which is the degree level with the highest number of foreigners in Portugal.
Brazilian students dominate in absolute terms across all study cycles, with 18,271 students, of which 15,201 are in public institutions. Angola occupies second place with 7,136 students and Guinea-Bissau third with 4,891 students. Among non-Portuguese-speaking countries, France leads with 5,126 students, followed by Italy with 4,707, Cabo Verde with 4,696, Spain with 4,223 and Germany with 4,082.
In private higher education, the countries with the highest representation are France (3,917), Brazil (3,070), Angola (2,866), Spain (1,358), Italy (1,095), Guinea-Bissau (1,089) and Germany (1,031). China and Poland complete the list with 1,664 and 1,317 students, respectively.
