1. Check for a Bilateral Agreement

Verify that a bilateral agreement exists between your home university and NOVA Medical School (NMS) in the field of Medicine. To confirm, please refer to our List of Partner Universities.

Notes:

• Erasmus+ Traineeships must follow the same application procedures.
• Applications for free-mover mobility (studies and internships) are not accepted.

2. Nominations

Your International Relations Office or Erasmus Office must nominate you by submitting your details through a designated link. If needed, ask your institution to e-mail mobilidade-in@nms.unl.pt for further instructions.

Notes:

• You must have completed at least one year of the respective study cycle at the home institution.
• The selection of incoming students is solely the responsibility of your home institution. NMS does not intervene in this process.

3. Submit your Application

After nomination, you will be contacted by our Mobility Office to submit your application. The following documents will be required to complete this process:

• National ID or Passport
• Photo
• Transcript of Records (validated by your home university)
• Certificate of Proficiency in Portuguese (minimum levels specified in the requirements' section)
• Learning Agreement proposal via an EWP - connected platform (Online Learning Agreement for Erasmus+ students) or by completing the Learning Agreement template available here (for students under Bilateral Agreements or the Almeida Garrett program)

Deadline: For mobilities starting in the 1^st or 2^nd semester: June 15

Notes:

• There is only one application deadline per year.
• Once your Learning Agreement is approved and registration in courses is confirmed, you cannot extend or change your mobility period (e.g., switching from a semester to an annual mobility or changing semesters). Exceptionally, requests to shorten the stay (e.g., from annual to one semester) may be considered.

ECTS and Course Load

• Standard Limit: maximum of 30 ECTS per semester or 60 ECTS per academic year.
• Exceptional Cases: with justification (provided by the home institution), up to 33 ECTS per semester or 66 ECTS per academic year may be allowed.
• Note: Credits for the Portuguese as a Foreign Language course (offered by NOVA FCSH, see below) are not included in the ECTS limit.

IMPORTANT STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

• Adhere to the Learning Agreement

- Follow the approved Learning Agreement.

- Inform the Mobility Office of any proposed changes.

• Update Contact Information

- Keep your local Portuguese contact details (address, phone, email) up to date – especially if any information changes during the semester.

• Manage Schedules and Exams

- Attend classes and manage any scheduling conflicts, including commuting times.

- Attending exams at NMS is mandatory.

- Comply with exam dates and policies as per NMS guidelines.

- No additional exam time or materials (e.g., dictionaries) will be provided.

- Access to the “Special Exam Period” (2^nd semester) is not available.

• Arrival/Departure:

- Late arrivals or early departures cannot be authorized.

• Welcome Session:

A Welcome Session is typically held on the Friday before the semester starts. Attendance is highly encouraged (the day may change due to holidays). Nominated students will be informed.

• Curriculum
• Brief description of the courses (24/25)
• Surgical and Medical Specialties Contents

Semester Details and Course Scheduling:

• Semester duration: the regular academic semester spans 16 weeks (schedules below).
• Clinical Courses:

-       4^th and 5^th-year courses with clinical practices include a 5-week on-site (health facility) component – only three such courses may be scheduled concurrently due to morning sessions.

-        6^th-year internships can last 4 or 8 weeks, depending on the specialty.

• Course Order:

-     Some courses are offered in both semesters (except for “Preparação para a Prática Clínica" in the 6^th year, which is an annual course) - please check the curriculum (below) for further details.

-    The Mobility Office manages course assignments for each student individually; the order of courses cannot be predetermined.

• Pre-Requisites:

-    Students must have the necessary knowledge for the planned activities. The home institution’s Academic Coordinator confirms this by signing the Learning Agreement.

-     Submission of proposed courses does not guarantee approval of enrollment, which is subject to availability and scheduling.

• Modifications:

-   After enrollment confirmation, new courses cannot be added (except for elective courses in the 2^nd semester)

-   Students have up to 5 weeks after the semester starts to drop a course. Annual students have up to 5 weeks after the start of their first semester.

• Elective Courses:

-      One elective course (3 ECTS) may be taken in the second semester (only one course, as they take place simultaneously). The course list will be provided once available (usually by the end of the 1^st semester).

• Course Completion:

-        For courses covering different specialties/sub-areas (e.g., “Especialidades Médicas 1”, “Aparelho Motor”, “Coração e Pulmão”, etc.), the entire curricular unit must be completed to receive the credits/grades (even if you have already completed part of it at your home university).

• Clinical Practice Placements:

-     Allocations may be in various affiliated health units within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Specific placements cannot be predetermined.

• 6^th-year Internships: available only for final-year students.
• Courses from other Schools: Apart from the NOVA FCSH language course, courses from other Universidade NOVA de Lisboa Schools cannot be requested.

• Program Specific Schedules

-            1^st year schedule / calendar

-            2^nd year schedule / calendar

-            3^rd year schedule / calendar

-            4^th year schedule / calendar

-            5^th year schedule/ calendar

-            6^th year schedule / calendar

• Remarks:

Enrollment in courses and traineeships is subject to seat availability in each academic year.

-            2^nd year:

“Anatomia Patológica 1 and 2” are not available for incoming students.

-            4^th year:

“Introdução à Pediatria e Saúde na Adolescência” is not available for incoming Students.

“Aparelho Motor”, “Especialidades Médicas 1”, “Coração e Pulmão”, and “Especialidades Cirúrgicas” must be completed in full (practical and theoretical components + final exam).

"Ginecologia e Obstetrícia" has been severely impacted by seat limitations and is unlikey to be available for the 2026-2027 academic year.

-            5^th year:

“Especialidades Médicas 2 and 3” must be completed in full (practical and theoretical components + final exam).

-            6^th year:

Internships are only for final-year students.

“Preparação para a Prática Clínica” is available only for annual students (also in their final year).

Traineeship placements are available only for 6th-year students in the areas listed below, but must follow our regular academic schedule (from September to mid-May). Traineeships do not take place during summer.

Internal Medicine (8 weeks)
Surgery (8 weeks)
Pediatrics (4 weeks)
Gynecology and Obstetrics (4 weeks)
Mental Health (4 weeks)
General and Family Medicine (4 weeks)

Please note that the duration of the traineeships cannot be shortened or extended, as they must adhere to the pre-defined start and end dates in the schedule. An agreement between institutions is mandatory in order to be registered for coursework at NMS, including 6th-year traineeships.

• Independent Traineeships

  For internships undertaken independently at local hospitals, candidates must contact the hospitals of interest directly. The Mobility Department is only responsible for traineeships that are formally associated with NMS curricular courses through previously established bilateral agreements. 

• Course Scheduling:

-      Avoid mixing non-clinical (1^st to 3^rd years) and clinical (4^th to 6^th years) subjects, as this may cause significant scheduling conflicts.

TRANSCRIPT OF RECORDS AND CLINICAL TRAINING FORMS

• Transcript of Records: The Transcript of Records is sent by e-mail at the end of the academic semester (or academic year for annual mobilities). The document is issued exclusively in English. The end of the academic semester is defined as the last exam date (including Special Seasons) in the academic period.
• Clinical Training Forms: a Clinical Training Form may be issued to indicate the number of clinical practice hours completed in a course, and is sent at the end of the semester or academic year (for annual mobilities). The Clinical Training Form does not replace the Transcript of Records, and is only sent if requested by the student.

• Curriculum
• Brief description of the courses (24/25)

• Program Specific Schedules 

1^st year schedule S1 – schedule S2 / calendar

2^nd year schedule S1 – schedule S2 / calendar

3^rd year schedule S1 – schedule S2 / calendar

4^th year schedule S1 / calendar

Erasmus+ for Traineeships in Nutrition:

The Erasmus+ for Traineeships program is not linked to any specific course at NMS and does not require an inter-institutional agreement. Although an agreement between institutions is not mandatory under this program, spots are typically assigned to students form institutions with which we have established partnerships. 

To apply under this framework, students must be supervised by an NMS Principal Investigator or Supervisor, who will be responsible for overseeing the trainee’s activities. The student’s home university should contact the Mobility Department directly to nominate the student and proceed with next steps in the application process.

If you are interested in a mobility in the context of a 2nd-cycle Master's Degree, please check the relevant information about our MSc offer here and contact mobilidade-in@nms.unl.pt.

Please note that not all master's are offered in one given year.

If you wish to join us for a mobility for studies, a bilateral agreement must be previously established before your university and NOVA Medical School for the specific area of your master's degree.

Please note that the nomination and application deadlines for regular mobilities do not apply for Research / Laboratory incoming students. 

Requests are processed on an ongoing basis, following approval by an NMS Supervisor.

You may find here more information about NMS Research Groups.

Erasmus+ for Traineeships Research Exchanges:

The Erasmus+ for Traineeships program is not linked to any specific course at NMS and does not require an inter-institutional agreement. Students must be supervised by an NMS Principal Investigator or Supervisor, who will be responsible for overseeing the trainee’s activities. 

To apply under this framework, it is necessary for the student researcher to establish direct contact with the research group of their interest and receive a positive answer from the NMS Supervisor. Thereafter, the NMS Supervisor who will oversee the trainee's activities should contact the Mobility Department at mobilidade-in@nms.unl.pt for next steps.

• Required Levels:

- Medicine: 1^st to 5^th curricular years: B1-level of Portuguese. 6^th-year traineeships: B2-level of Portuguese.

- Nutritional Sciences: B1-level of Portuguese for all courses.

• Accepted Certificates:

- The certificate must state that your Portuguese proficiency is equivalent to the required level (B1 or B2).

- It can be issued by a language school, a private tutor (must include instructor’s full name, email, and phone), or your home university’s language department. Official certificates, such as CAPLE or CELPE-Bras are also accepted.

- Oral Proficiency: due to the nature of healthcare activities and students’ close interaction with the local community, oral proficiency must be assessed. Online tests or OLS placement tests are not accepted.

- Late Submission and Exceptions: If you do not have the proficiency certificate, you may submit a proof of enrollment in a Portuguese language course by June 15. The certificate must then be submitted by: September 1, for 1^st semester and annual students; or February 1, for 2^nd semester students.

• For Countries with Portuguese as an Official Language:

- Provide an official document confirming your nationality, which will be accepted in good faith as proof of language proficiency.

• Research Traineeships Exception:

A proficiency certificate in another language (e.g., English or Spanish) may be accepted with direct supervisor approval (not applicable for regular mobilities for the Integrated Master’s Degree in Medicine and Nutrition Sciences).

PORTUGUESE AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE COURSE

The School of Social Sciences and Humanities (NOVA FCSH) at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa offers a Portuguese as a Foreign Language course.

We may approve its inclusion in the Learning Agreement if the level is at least B1.

Please note that grades and ECTS earned if successfully completing the course will not appear in the Transcript of Records issued by NOVA Medical School. Instead, a separate certificate will be provided by NOVA FCSH.

INSURANCE

• Mandatory: all incoming students must obtain the school insurance regardless of existing coverage *.
• Fee: 14€ (to be paid before the start of academic activities).
• Note: Students may be prevented from starting the activities if the insurance fee is not paid by the deadline. The fee can be paid by credit card.

  * This condition does not apply to research internships, if the student/researcher presents proof of another insurance with equivalent coverage for personal accidents and civil liability.

Students are responsible for confirming whether a visa is required for entry and stay in Portugal, and for ensuring they have all necessary legal documents for the full duration of their stay.

If you need a Letter of Acceptance for visa purposes, please request it by e-mail when submitting your application documents.

Please note that tourist visas cannot be extended.

For more information, we recommend visiting the website of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.