WELCOME!
Thank you for your interest in NOVA Medical School (NMS)!
Whether you are applying through the Erasmus+ program (Studies and Traineeships), a non-Erasmus cooperation agreement, or the Almeida Garrett Program (national mobility), please read the information below carefully.
You can also learn more about the international cooperation initiatives of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa here.
APPLICATION PROCESS FOR INCOMING EXCHANGE STUDENTS
1. Check for a Bilateral Agreement
Verify that a bilateral agreement exists between your home university and NOVA Medical School (NMS) in the field of Medicine. To confirm, please refer to our List of Partner Universities.
Notes:
- Erasmus+ Traineeships do not require a bilateral agreement, but must follow the same application procedures and deadlines indicated below.
- Applications for free-mover mobility (studies and internships) are not accepted.
2. Nominations
Your International Relations Office or Erasmus Office must nominate you by submitting your details through a designated link. If needed, ask your institution to e-mail mobilidade-in@nms.unl.pt for further instructions.
Notes:
- You must have completed at least one year of the respective study cycle at the home institution.
- The selection of incoming students is solely the responsibility of your home institution. NMS does not intervene in this process.
3. Submit your Application
After nomination, you will be contacted by our Mobility Office to submit your application. The following documents will be required to complete this process:
- National ID or Passport
- Photo
- Transcript of Records (validated by your home university)
- Certificate of Proficiency in Portuguese (minimum levels specified below)
- Learning Agreement proposal via an EWP - connected platform (Online Learning Agreement for Erasmus+ students) or by completing the Learning Agreement template available here (for students under Bilateral Agreements or the Almeida Garrett program)
Deadline: For mobilities starting in the 1st or 2nd semester: June 15, 2025
Notes:
- There is only one application deadline per year.
- Once your Learning Agreement is approved and registration in courses is confirmed, you cannot extend or change your mobility period (e.g., switching from a semester to an annual mobility or changing semesters). Exceptionally, requests to shorten the stay (e.g., from annual to one semester) may be considered.
COURSES AND ACADEMIC STRUCTURE
Most common programs:
If you wish to apply for mobility to a different program (Master’s Degrees or PhDs), please e-mail to mobilidade-in@nms.unl.pt).
ECTS and Course Load:
- Standard Limit: maximum of 30 ECTS per semester or 60 ECTS per academic year.
- Exceptional Cases: with justification (provided by the home institution), up to 33 ECTS per semester or 66 ECTS per academic year may be allowed.
- Note: Credits for the Portuguese as a Foreign Language course (offered by NOVA FCSH, see below) are not included in the ECTS limit.
Semester Details and Course Scheduling:
- Semester duration: the regular academic semester spans 16 weeks (schedules below).
- Clinical Courses:
- 4th and 5th-year courses with clinical practices include a 5-week on-site (health facility) component – only three such courses may be scheduled concurrently due to morning sessions.
- 6th-year internships can last 4 or 8 weeks, depending on the specialty.
- Some courses are offered in both semesters (except for “Preparação para a Prática Clínica in the 6th year, which is an annual course) - please check the curriculum (below) for further details.
- The Mobility Office manages course assignments for each student individually; the order of courses cannot be predetermined.
- Students must have the necessary knowledge for the planned activities. The home institution’s Academic Coordinator confirms this by signing the Learning Agreement.
- Submission of proposed courses does not guarantee approval of enrollment, which is subject to availability and scheduling.
- After enrollment confirmation, new courses cannot be added (except for elective courses in the 2nd semester)
- Students have up to 5 weeks after the semester starts to drop a course.
- One elective course (3 ECTS) may be taken in the second semester (only one course, as they take place simultaneously). The course list will be provided once available (usually by the end of the 1st semester).
- For courses covering different specialties/sub-areas (e.g., “Especialidades Médicas 1”, “Aparelho Motor”, “Coração e Pulmão”, etc.), the entire curricular unit must be completed to receive the credits/grades (even if you have already completed part of it at your home university).
- Clinical Practice Placements:
- Allocations may be in various affiliated health units within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Specific placements cannot be predetermined.
- 6th-year Internships: available only for final-year students.
- Courses from other Schools: Apart from the NOVA FCSH language course, courses from other Universidade NOVA de Lisboa Schools cannot be requested.
PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
- Medicine: 1st to 5th curricular years: B1-level of Portuguese. 6th-year traineeships: B2-level of Portuguese.
- Nutritional Sciences: B1-level of Portuguese for all courses.
- The certificate must state that your Portuguese proficiency is equivalent to the required level (B1 or B2).
- It can be issued by a language school, a private tutor (must include instructor’s full name, email, and phone), or your home university’s language department. Official certificates, such as CAPLE or CELPE-Bras are also accepted.
- Oral Proficiency: due to the nature of healthcare activities and students’ close interaction with the local community, oral proficiency must be assessed. Online tests or OLS placement tests are not accepted.
- Late Submission and Exceptions: If you do not have the proficiency certificate, you may submit a proof of enrollment in a Portuguese language course by June 15, 2025. The certificate must then be submitted by: September 1, 2025, for 1st semester and annual students; or February 1, 2026, for 2nd semester students.
- For Countries with Portuguese as an Official Language:
- Provide an official document confirming your nationality, which will be accepted in good faith as proof of language proficiency.
- Research Traineeships Exception:
- A proficiency certificate in another language (e.g., English or Spanish) may be accepted with direct supervisor approval (not applicable for regular mobilities for the Integrated Master’s Degree in Medicine and Nutrition Sciences).
INSURANCE
- Mandatory: all incoming students must obtain the school insurance regardless of existing coverage.
- Fee: 14€ (to be paid before the start of academic activities).
- Note: Students may be prohibited from starting the activities if the insurance fee is not paid by the deadline. The fee can be paid by credit card.
PORTUGUESE AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE COURSE
The School of Social Sciences and Humanities (NOVA FCSH) at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa offers a Portuguese as a Foreign Language course.
We may approve its inclusion in the Learning Agreement if the level is at least B1.
Please note that grades and ECTS earned if successfully completing the course will not appear in the Transcript of Records issued by NOVA Medical School. Instead, a separate certificate will be provided by NOVA FCSH.
TRANSCRIPT OF RECORDS AND CLINICAL TRAINING FORMS
- Transcript of Records: The Transcript of Records is sent by e-mail at the end of the academic semester (or academic year for annual mobilities). The document is issued exclusively in English. The end of the academic semester is defined as the last exam date (including Special Seasons) in the academic period.
- Clinical Training Forms: a Clinical Training Form may be issued to indicate the number of clinical practice hours completed in a course, and is sent at the end of the semester or academic year (for annual mobilities). The Clinical Training Form does not replace the Transcript of Records, and is only sent if requested by the student.
IMPORTANT STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
- Adhere to the Learning Agreement:
- Follow the approved Learning Agreement.
- Inform the Mobility Office of any proposed changes.
- Update Contact Information:
- Keep your local Portuguese contact details (address, phone, email) up to date – especially if any information changes during the semester.
- Manage Schedules and Exams:
- Attend classes and manage any scheduling conflicts, including commuting times.
- Attending exams at NMS is mandatory.
- Comply with exam dates and policies as per NMS guidelines.
- No additional exam time or materials (e.g., dictionaries) will be provided.
- Access to the “Special Exam Period” (2nd semester) is not available.
- Avoid mixing non-clinical (1st to 3rd years) and clinical (4th to 6th years) subjects, as this may cause significant scheduling conflicts.
- Late arrivals or early departures cannot be authorized.
USEFUL DOCUMENTS AND ACADEMIC SCHEDULES
The 2024/2025 schedules are available below. The 2025/2026 schedules will be published here once they are available.
A Welcome Session is typically held on the Friday before the semester starts. Attendance is highly encouraged (the day may change due to holidays; nominated students will be informed).
- Program Specific Schedules – Integrated Master’s Degree in Medicine
- 1st year schedule / calendar
- 2nd year schedule / calendar
- 3rd year schedule / calendar
- 4th year schedule S1/ schedule/ calendar
- 5th year schedule/ calendar
- 6th year schedule / calendar
Remarks:
- 2nd year:
“Anatomia Patológica 1 and 2” are not available for incoming students.
- 4th year:
“Introdução à Pediatria e Saúde na Adolescência” is not available for incoming Students.
“Ginecologia e Obstetrícia” has 30 places; allocation by the Mobility Office.
“Aparelho Motor”, “Especialidades Médicas 1”, “Coração e Pulmão”, and “Especialidades Cirúrgicas” must be completed in full.
- 5th year:
“Especialidades Médicas 2 and 3” must be completed in full.
- 6th year:
Internships are only for final-year students.
“Preparação para a Prática Clínica” is available only for annual students (also in their final year).
Traineeship placements are available only for 6th-year internships in the areas listed below, but must follow our regular academic schedule (from September to mid-May). Traineeships do not take place during summer.
Internal Medicine (8 weeks)
Surgery (8 weeks)
Pediatrics (4 weeks)
Gynecology and Obstetrics (4 weeks)
Mental Health (4 weeks)
General and Family Medicine (4 weeks)
Please note that enrollment is subject to seat availability, and that the duration of the traineeships cannot be shortened or extended, as they must adhere to the pre-defined start end end dates in the schedule. Although an agreement between institution is not mandatory under the specific scope of the Erasmus+ for Traineeships program, spots are typically assigned to students from institutions with which we have established partnerships.
- Program Specific Schedules – Bachelor's Degree in Nutritional Sciences
- 1st year schedule S1 – schedule S2 / calendar
- 2nd year schedule S1 – schedule S2 / calendar
- 3rd year schedule S1 – schedule S2 / calendar
- 4th year schedule S1/ calendar
RESEARCH EXCHANGE / LABORATORY ROTATIONS
If you are interested in a research exchange or laboratory rotation, please contact the Mobility Office (at mobilidade-in@nms.unl.pt) for specific information.
VISA INFORMATION
Students are responsible for confirming whether a visa is required for entry and stay in Portugal, and for ensuring they have all necessary legal documents for the full duration of their stay.
If you need a Letter of Acceptance for visa purposes, please request it by e-mail when submitting your application documents.
Please note that tourist visas cannot be extended.
For more information, we recommend visiting the website of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
CONTACTS AND OFFICE HOURS
- Alggeri Rodrigues
International Relations Officer
mobilidade-in@nms.unl.pt
- Paulo Paixão, MD, PhD
Mobility Programs Coordinator
Office Hours:
Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 1pm and 2pm – 4pm
Address:
NOVA Medical School
Academic Service - Mobility Office
Campo Mártires da Pátria, 130
1169-056 Lisboa, Portugal