Exchange Students
studying in portugal
Exchange Students
If you’re travelling to Portugal on a short period mobility programme, then you’re an exchange student (or intern, depending on the kind of programme you’re doing).
Being an exchange student at Politécnico de Leiria will increase your language and interpersonal skills, and therefore make you a more employable person.
By studying or interning abroad, you’ll not only stand out from the crowd and also grow as an individual.
Incoming Students
To do an exchange programme at Politécnico de Leiria, you must be continuing studies at one of our partner institutions under an agreement like Erasmus+ or a cooperation agreement.
You will need to apply at your own higher education institution. The international mobility office of your institution will be able to explain to you the conditions to participate, details of the selection criteria and the documents needed.
You won’t be able to study with us if there isn’t an agreement between your higher education institution and Politécnico de Leiria.
What choices do I have
Erasmus+
This EU programme offers mobility and cooperation opportunities in higher education to students, teachers and non-teaching staff.
It provides also additional opportunities under the previous Erasmus Mundus Programme for master’s programmes through scholarships for Joint Master Degrees.
The programme is available for students from the EU and from some other partner countries or under International Credit Mobility.
Politécnico de Leiria is making the necessary changes in the procedures, so that everyone can be guaranteed maximum security and assure that our students (mobility and others) will continue to have a profitable academic experience, in the best health and safety conditions.
However, the concrete conditions regarding the development of the semesters will depend on the evolution of the pandemic caused by Covid-19. The scenario is therefore very uncertain.
Our Institution monitors the situation concerning COVID-19 in permanent contact with the competent authorities.
Contact us by email at covid-19@ipleiria.pt or gmci@ipleiria.pt.
We must adopt an attitude of social responsibility, maintaining a culture of mutual tolerance and respect for others, so we call for the understanding and collaboration of all, to take into account essentially the official information.
Given the global pandemic situation, we are going through a series of challenges, causing a great impact on internationalization initiatives.
Re-Open EU
The coronavirus is spreading across the European Union, affecting our lives in many ways. Governments have taken various restrictive measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus and to protect lives. The situation is changing fast and so is the response by Member States.
This tool provides an overview of the health situation in European countries, based on data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The information is updated frequently and available in 24 languages. It enables you to follow the evolution of the coronavirus situation in your country and beyond. Re-open EU also provides information on the various restrictions in place, including on quarantine and testing requirements for travelers and mobile coronavirus contact tracing and warning apps. This should help you plan your travel in Europe, while staying safe and healthy. The European Union is making major efforts to overcome this pandemic, to protect citizens and their livelihoods.
Students interested in doing an Erasmus+ mobility period for studies in the Politécnico de Leiria, must apply via their home university and there must be an agreement between the home university and Politécnico de Leiria. For a list of our Erasmus partner universities please take a look at the
Nomination by the sending institution
The nomination it’s a document (can be made by e-mail), always from the home institution, which confirms that the student was selected by your institution to carry out a study period at Politécnico de Leiria. Applications received without the correspondent nomination will not be considered.
- 1st Semester: September – February
- 2nd Semester: February – July
The academic calendar changes every year and it could be different in each School.
Academic Calendar 2021/2022
Academic Calendar 2022/2023
The students who didn’t make their assessment in continuous evaluation have their examination period in February and July.
After we receive your nomination you are able to start your application procedure.
Application dates:
- 1st Semester and one academic year: until May 31th (applications after this date are accepted, but the approval of the Learning Agreement might not be ready before starting classes)
- 2nd Semester: until November 30 th (applications after this date are accepted, but the approval of the Learning Agreement might not be ready before starting classes)
Politécnico de Leiria requires a scanned copy of a language certificate which proves the language level agreed in the Inter-Institutional Agreement signed by partners institutions (according to the Common European Framework for Languages – see http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr.
It’s a form provided by the sending institution, which must be filled in by computer and properly signed and stamped by the home institution. All the courses taught at Politécnico de Leiria are available at https://www.ipleiria.pt/en/study/courses/
Information about the subjects available for Erasmus+ incoming students in the School of Tourism and Maritime Technology (ESTM) in the link https://www.ipleiria.pt/estm/exchange-students/.
Information about degrees and subjects must be given by the corresponding Coordinator in Politécnico de Leiria. All schools/departments have a Departmental Coordinator which is the contact person for exchange students on all academic matters. They are assisted by the International Office in Politécnico de Leiria’s headquarters and by extensions of this office in each School (see Contacts).
The coordinator is the only person that can inform if the subjects are available or not to Erasmus students.
Students should be aware that some changes on the LA’s will have to be done upon their arrival in Leiria depending on the instructions of the coordinators and the schedule of each subject.
Changes to the previous Learning Agreement can be made within one month after arrival, after permission of both institutions: the sending and the receiving.
- Nomination by the sending institution
- Learning Agreement (LA)
- 1 photo (jpeg format);
- Scanned Passport or ID document;
- Scanned of valid European health insurance card
Documents that prove the acceptance of the students in Politécnico de Leiria:
- Acceptance letter – issued by Politécnico de Leiria proving that the student was accepted and which will be used for visa’s purposes only (the only formal acceptance letters that we issue are the ones for visa purposes of the students outside the European Union. For the rest of Erasmus students, the signature of the Learning Agreement is a sufficient proof of our acceptance);
- Learning Agreement approved by Politécnico de Leiria – After signed and stamped by the Departmental Coordinator, Learning Agreement is sent to the sending institution. The signature of the Learning Agreement is a sufficient proof of our acceptance.
The acceptance letter for visa procedures will be sent only after the approval of the LA by the corresponding coordinator in Politécnico de Leiria and the reception of the language certificate.
As sooner as we receive the LA – to get it approved and signed by our coordinator – and the required certificate of language (by e-mail; original documents are not needed), early we’ll send the acceptance letter for visa procedures.
We have seven student residences in the cities of Leiria, Caldas da Rainha and Peniche. It also has a school hotel and Pousadinha José Saramago, with a total of 740 beds. Any student can be lodged in the residences, although they are destined, preferably, to the students who were awarded a scholarship by the Social Services.
For further information about our accommodation, send an email to sas@ipleiria.pt.
Accommodation in the city of Leiria:
Leiria also offers a variety of other residential options for students.
For more information:
- Leiria Mobility Students Network
- Hotel Leiria Classic
- Casullo
- Atlas Hostel
- Bquarto:
- Airbnb
- Housinganywhere
Coming for the Autumn/Winter semester you should arrive by the beginning of September (at least one week before the starting of classes).
Coming for the Spring/Summer semester you should arrive by the beginning of February (at least one week before the starting of classes).
At your arrival, you should meet the international responsible person for incoming students in the corresponding School.
In order to schedule the time to receive you, as soon as possible, you must inform the international responsible colleague about the date and the time of your arrival in Politécnico de Leiria.
Opening hours: 10h00 – 12h30
We will host a welcome day after the arrival of every student and you will be informed about the welcome day after your arrival to Politécnico de Leiria.
Please see the following link: https://www.ipleiria.pt/en/international/studying-in-portugal/about-portugal/
After your arrival, please ask the international responsible person for incoming students in the School which you are going to study (please see the Contacts) to book a meeting with the corresponding Erasmus Coordinator. Together you will analyze your subjects and complete the Learning Agreement. After that, you can go to the Academic Services and enrol there.
Before returning home you need to have the following documents:
- Confirmation letter – issued by Politécnico de Leiria with the respective mobility dates proving that the student completed the mobility program. It’s given to the student the day before leaving from Leiria;
- Transcript of records / Grade Certificate – issued by Politécnico de Leiria with the marks obtained which will formalize the academic recognition at the home institution. Every student is entitled to an official Transcript of Records – TOR after having completed the studies in Politécnico de Leiria (the TOR doesn’t include the Portuguese Language Course). The TOR will be send directly to the International Office of the sending institution.
Politécnico de Leiria organizes a Portuguese Language Course for Erasmus Students each semester. This course, of 120 hours, will be held on a b-learning modality (listening, speaking, reading, writing and interacting) to all students who are doing international mobility at Politécnico de Leiria.
This course isn’t a subject of any degree. It doesn’t have any code and it can’t be included in the final Transcript of Records – TOR.
When students approved the Portuguese Language Course, they receive a specific certificate with the number of hours and number of ECTS.
All the interested students will be informed about the registration procedure and specific information about this course at the beginning of each semester (after arrival).
It is strongly recommended that participants in transnational projects are in possession of a European Health Insurance Card. This is a free card that give access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, under the same conditions and of the same costs (free in some countries, like the UK) as people insured in their country.
More information on the card and on how to obtain it is available at the European Commission.
Students from outside the EU should have a certificate showing that they are covered by health insurance in their home country.
Students that need special assistance, please contact the Politécnico de Leiria’s International Office and the international responsible person for incoming students in the School which students are going to study (please see the Contacts). It is important that the student or the sending institution contact the Politécnico de Leiria before the arrival and in time in order to do the necessary arrangements.
International student Guide: Making life easy!
A blog made by Tuomas Haapala (Finland trainee)
ESN – Erasmus Student Network Student Guidebook: Studying and Training Abroad
Contacts
International Mobility and Cooperation Office
Politécnico de Leiria Headquarters
Rua General Norton de Matos
Apartado 4133 | 2411-901 Leiria
PORTUGAL
Email: naide.martins@ipleiria.pt | gmci@ipleiria.pt
Tel: (+351) 244 860 448 | (+351) 244 830 010
International offices of our schools
School of Education and Social Sciences (ESECS), Leiria
Margarida Cerejo
internacional.esecs@ipleiria.pt
School of Technology and Management (ESTG), Leiria
Gustavo Duque
internacional.estg@ipleiria.pt
School of Health Sciences (ESSLei), Leiria
Tânia Mota
internacional.esslei@ipleiria.pt
School of Arts and Design (ESAD.CR), Caldas da Rainha
Sandra Ferreira
gamci.esad@ipleiria.pt
School of Tourism and Maritime Technology (ESTM), Peniche
Helena Santos
internationaloffice.estm@ipleiria.pt