Universidade Politécnica de Setúbal - PAAS-UNIPS social support

PAAS-UNIPS social support

You get a reduced tuition fee or a one-off emergency payment if money problems put your studies at risk. The amounts are not fixed. They are worked out from your situation. This is an internal support scheme of the Universidade Politécnica de Setúbal, paid entirely from the university's own funds. It is aimed at students who cannot get the regular state study grant but still cannot cover the cost of higher education.

The reduced fee is for students whose state-grant application was turned down only because their family income was just over the limit. It also covers students who could not get a state grant at all (for example because of grades or nationality) but are genuinely in financial need. The emergency payment is a one-off grant to get you through a serious difficulty that could otherwise force you to drop out. You can receive it only once in your whole degree.

In return, you agree to do some work in the university's services or the students' union that fits your skills and availability. This is paid at 1% of the national minimum wage per hour (50% more between 22:00 and 08:00), capped at the value of the support you received.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are enrolled at the Universidade Politécnica de Setúbal, from your first year up to the end of your course.
• Level: You study on a CTeSP (short professional higher-education course), a bachelor's (licenciatura) or a master's.
• Financial need: You cannot fully cover the cost of your studies. You either missed the state grant only because your family income was slightly over the limit, or you cannot get it for another reason such as grades or nationality.

How to apply

If your state-grant application was rejected only for being just over the income limit, you get the reduced fee automatically, with no separate application. Everyone else fills in the application form and sends it by email to the SAS/UNIPS scholarships office, or hands it in there. There is no fixed deadline: you can apply at any point during the academic year, from September to July, as long as you use the support within that year.