Universidade Politécnica de Portalegre - Politécnico de Excelência

What Politécnico de Excelência gives you

This is a yearly set of awards for students at the Universidade Politécnica de Portalegre (formerly Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre) in Portugal. Winners are honoured at a ceremony each February. It is not one scholarship but a bundle of prizes for top students at all levels: short higher-technical courses (CTeSP), bachelor's, master's and doctorate. What you get depends on which prize you qualify for:

• Best first-year student: 500 EUR paid into a bank account (CaixaProjecto), from Caixa Geral de Depósitos, to the top first-year bachelor's student at each of the four schools.
• +Interior and +Portalegre prizes: one year's tuition fee covered in full, for new students with the best entry grades (see who qualifies below).
• Best Operations Research student: 250 EUR for the top bachelor's or master's student in this field.
• Best international student: a cash prize from Caixa Geral de Depósitos for the top international bachelor's student.
• Best graduates and best entry grades: cash prizes for the students who finished a course with the highest average, and for those admitted with the highest entry grades, in each study cycle.
• João Serra Bonacho prize: the best master's thesis in the social field is published as a book.
• DGES merit grants: income-based state study grants that help cover the cost of your course.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are enrolled at one of the four schools of the Universidade Politécnica de Portalegre in Portugal.
• Level: All study cycles qualify, from short technical courses (CTeSP) to bachelor's, master's and doctorate, depending on the prize.
• Grades: Most prizes go to top performers, so you need very strong entry grades or the highest final average. The +Interior bachelor's prize needs an entry grade of at least 14 out of 20.
• Where you come from (regional prizes): The +Interior prizes are for students from secondary schools in the Portalegre district. The +Portalegre prize is for the top student from a secondary school outside that district.
• International students: The best international student prize is open to bachelor's students who hold international student status.
• Financial need (DGES grants): The state merit grants depend on your and your family's income.

How to apply

Most prizes need no application. The academic services work out the winners automatically from your grades. A few do need you to apply, each with its own deadline: the DGES merit grants by 2 October 2026, the Operations Research prize by 31 January 2027, and the João Serra Bonacho thesis prize by 30 September. Winners are announced at a ceremony each February.