Scholarships for Brazilian Students in Portugal

The CAPES-FCT Joint Call is a bilateral agreement between Brazil's Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior and Portugal's Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia that co-funds doctoral and postdoctoral research positions. Approximately 80 grants are awarded per cycle. You apply simultaneously to CAPES (in Brazil) and FCT (in Portugal), and both agencies must approve your application. Competition is high — expect to have a strong academic publication record for postdoctoral positions, and a compelling research proposal and a confirmed Portuguese supervisor for doctoral positions. Check both capes.gov.br and fct.pt for the current call dates, as the joint calls open once per year with simultaneous deadlines on both sides.

Dedicated scholarships for Master's level are fewer than for doctoral study, but several options exist: the BBES program covers partial tuition at Portuguese public universities for Brazilian students; Santander Universidades has Master's mobility grants; and many Portuguese universities have their own SAS (Serviços de Ação Social) merit scholarships accessible to enrolled Master's students including Brazilians. Self-funded Master's students should also check whether their specific program has any internal tuition waivers for Brazilian or CPLP applicants.