Gaya Polytechnic (Vila Nova de Gaia/Portugal) - Merit Award of the Directorate General for Higher Education (DGES)

What the Merit Award gives you

You will receive one-time payment of five times the Portuguese minimum monthly wage. The amount is based on the minimum wage in force at the start of the academic year in which the grant is awarded. With a minimum wage of 2025 of 1,020 EUR per month, this amounts to approximately 5,100 EUR for the 2025/2026 academic year. Payment is made once per academic year, not monthly, and is independent of your income or that of your family. The award is granted by the Gaya Polytechnic Institute (Instituto Superior Politécnico de Gaya, ISPGAYA) in Vila Nova de Gaia, in accordance with the national regulations of the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES). It recognises students with the highest grades.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are enrolled at ISPGAYA on a career-oriented short course (CTeSP), a bachelor’s degree programme (Licenciatura) or a master’s degree programme (Mestrado).
• Progress: You have moved up from one school year to the next. You are not repeating a school year.
• Results: Last year, you passed all the modules in your degree programme. Your weighted average mark was at least 17 out of 20 (the grade ‘Very Good’).
• Income: Any income. As this is purely a performance-related bonus, it does not matter how much you or your family earn.
• Field of study: Every subject taught at ISPGAYA.
• Nationality: Any nationality.

How to apply

ISPGAYA awards the scholarship in accordance with national regulations governing merit-based scholarships, so you do not need to submit a separate application for a means test. Students are ranked on the basis of their average marks from the previous year, and the top-performing students are awarded the scholarship. The DGES determines the number of places available each year. Please refer to the current ISPGAYA regulations for details of the procedures applicable to your academic year.