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Organization responsible for coordinating and implementing public policies in the field of higher education.

Scholarships for Students with Disabilities

The Government defined the initiative as its objective. “"Inclusion for Knowledge"” In order to promote access to higher education and knowledge for citizens with special needs, considering that in this way the conditions are created for the exercise of the rights conferred on any member of a democratic and inclusive society.

In this regard, regulations for the allocation of scholarships for higher education attendance for students with a disability equal to or greater than 60% were approved, according to which eligible students may apply for a scholarship corresponding to the tuition fees actually paid. By application of the State Budget Law for 2020, this scholarship now corresponds to the tuition fees actually paid, up to the limit of the maximum tuition fee subsidy granted by FCT, IP, for obtaining a doctoral degree in Portugal, currently set at €2750.

In the eligible regions – North, Center and Alentejo – these scholarships are co-financed by the ESF – European Social Fund, within the framework of PEOPLE 2030 – Thematic Programme Demography, Qualifications and Inclusion.

In the Algarve region, these scholarships are co-financed by the ESF – European Social Fund, within the framework of the Algarve Regional Programme – Algarve 2030.

Information

Eligibility requirements

Students who meet the following criteria may apply for this scholarship:

  • are enrolled and registered in a higher education institution;
  • They must prove the degree of disability through a multi-purpose medical certificate of disability;
  • have their tax and social security contributions regularized.

Deadlines

Applications for this scholarship can be submitted starting June 25th, considering the following school year, with the deadline for submission approaching until May 31st of the school year to which they relate.

Online Application

The application process is carried out via an online form, after accreditation, available from the Application Platform.

Statistical Information

Academic Year 2025/2026

Requirements – Information by Higher Education Institution

UpdateJune 1, 2026

Documents

Co-financing operations for scholarships for students with disabilities

PEOPLE 2030 – Academic year 2025/2026
ALGARVE 2030 – Academic year 2024/2025
PEOPLE 2030 – Academic year 2024/2025
ALGARVE 2030 – Academic year 2023/2024
PEOPLE 2030 – Academic year 2023/2024

Legislation

Order No. 8584/2017, of September 29, approves the Regulation for the Awarding of Scholarships for Higher Education Attendance for Students with a disability equal to or greater than 60%.

Status: Active

Law No. 2/2020, of March 31, approves the State Budget for 2020.

Article 237 – Establishes a limit on the value of the scholarship for students with a disability equal to or greater than 60%.
Status: Active

FAQs: Scholarships for students with disabilities equal to or greater than 60%

Applications can only be submitted through your reserved student area, available on the website of the Institute for Higher Education – IES, IP, which you can access at [link to website]. RESERVED AREA scholarship applicant for students with disabilities

Accessing RESERVED AREA, and in the phrase “If you have never applied for a SEN scholarship, you must complete the Pre-Registration”, click on “Pre-registration”.

When you do so, a window will open with several fields for personal information that you will need to fill in.

After filling in all the fields, you should click the button “Continue Next step”...and wait for an email with your credentials (password and username) which you will receive at the email address you provided.

To be eligible for a scholarship for students with a disability rating of 60% or higher, the following conditions must be met:
1. To have submitted an application by completing the online form on the website of the Directorate-General for Higher Education; and
2. To be enrolled and registered in a higher education institution;
3. Submit certificates proving the absence of tax debts (obtained from a tax office) and social security contributions (obtained from a social security office);
4. Submit a valid Multipurpose Disability Medical Certificate, issued in accordance with the terms established by Decree-Law No. 202/96, of October 23, as republished in the annex to Decree-Law No. 291/2009, of October 12.

No. Eligibility conditions will be assessed. Students with a disability rating of 60% or higher will only be eligible for the scholarship if they meet all of the following conditions:
(a) Be enrolled and registered in a higher education institution, confirmed with the Higher Education Institution indicated in the application;
(b) Prove to have a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60%;
(c) To have a regularized tax and social security situation.

Applications for this scholarship can be submitted starting from June 25th, with a view to the following academic year, the deadline for submission is until May 31 of the school year to which they relate.

The following are covered for the awarding of the scholarship for attending... students with a disability equal to or greater than 60%CTeSP (higher professional technical courses), bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and doctorates.

After submitting your application for the scholarship for students with a disability equal to or greater than 60%, you will be notified of the decision electronically.

You will receive an email, at the email address you provided in your application, informing you of a notification to read in your reserved candidate area (where you submitted your application).

The notification will be displayed in the “Notifications” tab in your reserved application area.

The scholarship amount for students with a disability rating of 60% or higher will be equal to the tuition fees paid by the student.
Due to the application of the State Budget Law for 2020, this scholarship now corresponds to the value of the tuition fees actually paid, up to the limit of the maximum tuition fee subsidy granted by FCT, IP, for obtaining a doctoral degree in Portugal, currently set at €2750.

Payment is made in a single installment via bank transfer to the IBAN indicated in the application.

No. If you meet all the eligibility requirements, you will be awarded a scholarship for students with disabilities.

No. The scholarship for students with a disability equal to or greater than 60% is independent of their economic situation, so they do not need to be financially disadvantaged to benefit from this support.

Yes. The scholarship for students with a disability equal to or greater than 60% and the social action scholarship are cumulative, meaning students can apply for and benefit from both, provided they meet the eligibility requirements for each.
Since the mechanisms have different purposes and aim to cover distinct risks, applications are analyzed according to the terms and criteria stipulated in each of the applicable regulations, particularly regarding eligibility conditions, calculation of the grant amount, and any possible allocation of supplementary funds.

Yes. The scholarship for students with a disability equal to or greater than 60% will be cancelled:
1. When, for any reason, the status of student of the educational institution and the course is lost;
2. If fraudulent information is identified in the application process;
3. When the disability status equal to or greater than 60% is lost or the Multipurpose Disability Medical Certificate expires.

If a student is entitled to a scholarship for students with a disability equal to or greater than 60% and has already paid the tuition fees set by the educational institution in which they were enrolled, they are entitled to the portion demonstrably owed to the institution under applicable legal and regulatory terms. Any funds unduly received must be reimbursed.

Atualizado em June 18, 2026