University of Lisbon is one of the most, if not the most, recognizable universities of Portugal. It is home to colleges with great programs, teachers and location (in the heart of the city!).

I study IT (Informatics Technology) at FCUL (Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa/College of Sciences of the University of Lisbon). I came into this course not knowing much but I love it, eat it and breath it now. I didn’t really know what to expect but I’m so happy with what I ended up with.
Programs are not hard per se, they just require a lot of work and focus, otherwise, you’re going to get caught up. Especially in informatics. But all the hard work is always very rewarding.

I have everything I need at my college to study/work; it’s close to affordable restaurants, cafés, supermarkets; and all my teachers are great and approachable. The facilities could use more funding from the government but it’s still ok.

The university is at the heart of the city and on top of that, Lisbon (like Portugal) is not very big, so you can go anywhere and do anything. I always use public transportation, it’s my way of life. I use the train and metro everyday and the only thing I really avoid is peak hours or buses (they are always late, don’t show up or overall unpleasant rides.)

Being a public university, it is heavily funded by the government and very affordable, whether you’re portuguese or not. For reference, prices of bachelor degrees for portuguese people (per year) do not cross the 871,52€ mark and for foreign students they’re around 3000€-4000€. These prices apply to any public university in the country and, unlike many places, public has better reputation than private in Portugal.

In conclusion, my university is great specially in the Science/Economics/Health/Law fields, which are the ones I’m most familiar with and that also generate more professional opportunities (in general). I have a guaranteed higher-paying job once I’m out and will be well prepared for a multitude of tasks in the professional world. Would definitely recommend this University (maybe even my exact course/similar courses) because, even though they demand effort/work obviously, they are approachable and so is the value of the courses.