Key takeaways

  • NOVA Medical School wants to attract more Brazilian students to its programmes
  • Courses at the private medical school cost up to €18,000 per year
  • School leadership calls for more efficient student visa processing
  • Move reflects wider competition among Portuguese universities for international students

NOVA Medical School in Lisbon is stepping up efforts to recruit Brazilian students, with the president of its Pedagogical Council, Pedro Carreiro Martins, calling for Portugal to speed up its student visa system to support the push. The institution’s courses cost as much as €18,000 a year, positioning it as a private alternative within Portugal’s medical education landscape.

Pedro Carreiro Martins outlines NOVA’s Brazil strategy

Carreiro Martins says the school sees strong potential in the Brazilian market, where demand for medical training abroad has grown alongside limited spots and high competition for public medical courses at home. Portugal’s shared language, cultural ties and existing migration links with Brazil make it a natural destination for students seeking an alternative path into medicine.

NOVA Medical School, part of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, already draws international students, but the explicit focus on Brazil signals an intent to grow this pipeline further. The tuition fees, which can reach €18,000 annually, place the programme well above the cost of public universities, reflecting the private and specialised nature of its medical training track.

Why visa delays matter for prospective students

A recurring complaint from universities and prospective international students in Portugal has been the slow processing of study visas through Portuguese consulates and immigration services (AIMA, formerly SEF). Delays can mean students miss enrollment deadlines, lose scholarship windows, or arrive mid-semester, undermining a university’s ability to plan and recruit reliably.

For foreign residents and prospective students already navigating Portugal’s residency and visa bureaucracy, this story is a reminder that administrative bottlenecks affect not just workers and digital nomads but students too. Universities like NOVA are effectively lobbying for the same kind of efficiency improvements that expats have long sought in areas like residence permit renewals and family reunification visas.

If Portugal responds by streamlining student visa procedures, it could make the country more attractive not only for Brazilians but for a broader pool of international students considering Portuguese universities. For families already living in Portugal with children approaching university age, or for adult learners eyeing a career change into medicine, faster and more predictable visa processing would ease one of the more frustrating parts of settling into academic life here.