Instituto Politécnico de Santarém - Merit Award of the Directorate General for Higher Education (DGES)

What you get

You will receive a one-off payment of merit grant of around 2,425 EUR for one academic year if your academic performance ranks amongst the best at the Santarém Polytechnic Institute (IPSantarém) in Central Portugal. The exact amount varies each year. In accordance with national regulations, this amount is equivalent to five times the Portuguese guaranteed minimum monthly wage at the start of the academic year, and therefore increases in line with rises in the minimum wage. You will receive this money regardless of your family’s income; it is intended to cover your enrolment and tuition fees. It is funded by the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education.

Who can apply

• University: You are enrolled on a degree programme at one of the IPSantarém schools.
• Level: You study a short-cycle professional course (TESP), a bachelor's (licenciatura) or a master's (mestrado).
• Field of study: Any subject.
• Nationality: Any nationality.
• Financial need: It doesn’t matter. Your family income doesn’t matter.
• Grades: You have passed all the modules in your degree programme for this academic year, and your weighted average mark is at least 16 out of 20 (‘Very Good’). Courses that you have completed through the recognition of prior learning are not counted towards the pass requirement.

How to apply

You do not need to apply. A selection panel at IPSantarém selects eligible students from the institution’s own enrolment records and draws up a ranking list. Following the annual selection process, the list of selected students is published on the institution’s website.

How realistic are your chances?

The number of scholarships is limited: approximately one per 500 student enrolled in the previous year. For Master’s and short courses, a single scholarship is awarded to the student with the highest grade point average across all departments at the university. In the event of a tie, the deciding factors are, first, the higher grade point average in previous academic years; second, the number of years with a grade point average of 16 or higher; and finally, the student’s younger age.

Our guide Scholarships in Portugal lists further funding options you can pursue alongside this merit grant at IPSantarém.