Porto leads the way in internationalisation

The University of Porto is to welcome around 4,000 international students over the course of this year representing 13% of the total student community and is the most diverse in Portugal, Maria de Fátima Marinho, the Vice Rector, told Lusa on Friday.

With 1,200 students from a total of 91 countries already at the university, the university has seen a steady rise in numbers due to what the vice rector said was its “good international reputation.”

“This year, we are welcoming around 500 more students than in 2013/2014 and are the Portuguese university with the most international students,” said Marinho.

The university leader pointed to its ranking in the top 100 universities and top 300 worldwide as the best returned by any Portuguese higher education institution with the entity ranking third in Europe in terms of the number of international projects under coordination.

“That is very good and prestigious to Portugal and for this motive there are ever more students coming here to study,” Marinho added before identifying the faculties of letters, engineering, medicine, architecture and science as the most popular.

In terms of international student origins, Brazil leads the way with 339 students, followed by Spain with 167, Italy on 120 and Poland, Germany and France with 60 or less while there were also students in from as far afield as Uzbekistan, Myanmar, Guiana, Tanzania or Fiji.

SYF/KAR //KAR.