Applying for a higher education study grant

• Documents

  To apply, you will need to know the following details of all the persons in your household:

  • tax identification number (NIF);
  • Social Security Identification Number (NISS);
  • the bank account (current and savings accounts) balances on 31st December of the calendar year preceding the start of the academic year for which you want the grant, plus the value of other movable property (savings certificates, shares, bonds, pension savings plans, etc.).

  The persons in your household do not need to have a Portuguese TIN. If someone in the household has a foreign TIN, when you fill in the form you should indicate the country of that foreign TIN. You will need to use a two-letter code for the country (e.g. France = FR, Spain = ES). You can consult the list of codes on the Online Browsing Platform at iso.org.

  You will also need your IRS tax return for the calendar year preceding the start of the academic year for which you want the study grant (if you submitted a return in that year).

  If your household has its own permanent home (HPP)

  • your municipal property tax (IMI) return or the legal description of the property used as your household’s own permanent home (if the household owns an HPP).

  If the members of your household live in a rented property (with or without a rent subsidy) or social housing

  • the rental agreement and, if applicable, proof of the rent subsidy or social housing

  You must also have proof of the IBAN, identifying the holder of the account into which you wish the grant to be paid, should you be awarded one. If the student is a minor, the IBAN indicated could be, for example, that of his or her parents.

• Requirements

  To be eligible for a higher education grant, you must fulfil the following requirements:
  ?    comply with the conditions relating to nationality or legalised residency status in Portugal;
  ?    be enrolled in a higher vocational technical course (CTESP), a bachelor’s degree, integrated master’s or master’s degree, equivalent to at least 30 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credits;
  ?    not hold a diploma or degree equal to or at a higher level than that for which you are applying for a grant;
  ?    after the first year, continue to comply with the conditions for use and the maximum number of enrolments;
  ?    the total annual income of the household must be less than EUR 11.049,89;
  ?    the value of the household’s movable property must be less than EUR 115.303,20;
  ?    be up to date with all your tax and social security obligations.

  Special conditions for students who work
  For students who work and students with an occasional income earned during holiday periods, the total income limit is EUR 12.569,89.
  Special conditions for a humanitarian emergency situation
  Certain students are not subject to the annual minimum income levels:
  ?    students in a humanitarian emergency situation coming from Syria,
  ?    Afghan refugees,
  ?    students under temporary protection coming from Ukraine.
  In such cases, students may be entitled to the maximum grant, which is EUR 5.981,73.

It is free of charge.

The study grant application must be submitted by the following deadlines:
●    between 25 June and 30 September;
●    within 20 working days after enrolment, when the student enrols after 30 September;
●    within 20 working days following the issue of proof of commencement of a traineeship, for those undertaking a professional traineeship.

If you apply for a grant at the same time as you apply for a place in a higher education establishment (up to the date of placement) and receive family allowance in brackets 1, 2 or 3, you will find out whether you have been awarded a grant when you are given a place on a course. At the same time, you will also be informed of the provisional amount that has been allocated. You will only receive the grant if you enrol on the course and once your situation has been verified.

You can also apply for a grant during the academic year, between 1 October and 31 May. In this case, the amount of the grant is calculated pro rata to the amount for 1 year, taking into account the period between when you applied and the end of the academic period or traineeship.

If you are finishing your bachelor’s degree this academic year and starting your master’s degree the following academic year, you must apply for a grant by the following deadlines:
●    between 25 June and 30 September;
●    within 20 working days after enrolment, when enrolling after 30 September.
 

Grant applications can only be made online. During the application process, you will need to upload some documents.
Go to the student’s restricted area on the DGES website, enter your login details (user code and password) and submit the application.

If you have any queries, consult the applicant’s guide and frequently asked questions. You can also see the results of your applications in the restricted area of the website.

If you applied for a study grant in a previous year
Use the same login details you used in previous years. If you cannot remember your login details, you can retrieve the user code and/or password from the DGES website.

If you have applied for higher education this year
?    If you stated that you wanted to apply for a grant in your higher education application, use the link included in the email notifying you of the receipt of your application.
?    If the link does not work or you have not received any login details to apply for the grant, you can obtain the login details by entering your personal information on the DGES website.
?    If you are unable to obtain your login details in any of these ways, contact the Social Action Services (SAS) or Social Action Office of the higher education institution you are attending and ask for the user code and password. You will need to produce your Citizen Card.

Before submitting your application, you can use the DGES Simulator to find out how much you may get if awarded a grant.