Universidade Católica Portuguesa – Porto vs University of Coimbra - UC vs Instituto Superior Miguel Torga - ISMT vs Forward College vs Coimbra Superior School of Education - ESEC

Side-by-side comparison from 207 verified student reviews. Scan one row at a time — winners are highlighted

Quick verdict
Higher overall rating: Forward College (4.90)
Universidade Católica Portuguesa – Porto: wins 1/5 categories
University of Coimbra - UC: wins 0/5 categories
Instituto Superior Miguel Torga - ISMT: wins 0/5 categories
Forward College: wins 2/5 categories
Coimbra Superior School of Education - ESEC: wins 1/5 categories
Coimbra Health School - ESTeSC: wins 1/5 categories
Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra - ISEC: wins 0/5 categories
Comparing
Best programme: Law
Best programme: Physics
Paris, France
4.90
Top
Read more reviews
16 reviews
×
Best programme: Politics and International Relations
Best programme: Cinema
Best programme: Biomedical Sciences
Best programme: Computational Engineering
Category ratings
Facilities
4.31
3.83
3.00
4.47
4.50
4.50
4.00
Location
4.42
4.21
4.00
5.00
4.75
5.00
5.00
Professors
4.54
4.08
4.00
5.00
Win
4.50
4.50
3.67
Internationality
4.41
4.23
3.00
4.75
Win
4.25
4.00
4.00
Student life
4.26
4.61
4.00
4.73
5.00
Win
4.50
4.33
Value
4.65
Win
4.16
3.00
4.63
4.50
4.50
4.00
Accommodation
3.79
3.78
4.00
4.33
4.00
4.50
Win
4.00
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • +Practical, career-focused programs and strong job preparation
  • +Supportive, approachable faculty and welcoming community
  • +Excellent, well-equipped research facilities and modern infrastructure
  • +Vibrant city integration and supportive community
  • +High-quality teaching and excellent facilities
  • +Welcoming atmosphere and strong academic culture

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  • +Engaging learning environment with interactive methods
  • +Diverse and international student community
  • +Unique multi-city European study experience
  • +Engaging curriculum with practical application
  • +Supportive professors and personalized follow-up
  • +Diverse program options and future career preparation
  • +Strong career and international opportunities
  • +Practical, hands-on learning experiences
  • +Practical, broad, and well-selected programs
  • +Helpful professors and engaging people
  • +Good campus facilities and location
Cons
  • -Repetitive and outdated course content with little professional value.
  • -Lack of transparency and clarity in grading and feedback.
  • -Poor job market recognition and career opportunities.
  • -Poor administrative responsiveness and inefficiency.
  • -Outdated facilities and infrastructure.
  • -Misleading or inaccurate information provided by the university.

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  • -Administrative & management issues cause frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and equipment are a concern.
  • -Lack of transparency and communication is prevalent.
  • -Administrative and management issues are a major source of frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and resources hinder the learning experience.
  • -Lack of effective communication and support from staff is common.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause frustration.
  • -Facilities are perceived as outdated and poorly maintained.
  • -The curriculum is frequently criticized for being irrelevant or poorly delivered.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause significant frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and poor maintenance are a recurring problem.
  • -Lack of clear communication and support is a common complaint.
Rating summary
What students say

Overall, this institution receives positive marks across key aspects of the student experience. Its strongest area is **Value**, boasting a score of 4.65. **Professors** also garnered excellent feedback at 4.54. The **Accomodation** rating, however, stands out as the weakest point, with a score of 3.79. Other areas like Facilities, Location, Student Life, and Internationality also received commendations in the mid-4 range.

This institution garners impressive scores across several key areas. Student life stands out as its strongest suit, achieving the highest rating. Professors and internationality also received strong marks, with location and value performing well. Conversely, facilities and accommodation represent the weakest areas, though still scoring above average.

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This university garners excellent reviews, particularly excelling in its **professors and location**, both achieving perfect scores. Student life and internationality also stand out with scores above 4.7. Areas with slightly lower, though still strong, ratings include **facilities and accommodation**. Overall, the university presents a well-rounded positive student experience with high marks across most aspects.

Student feedback indicates a particularly strong student life experience, earning a perfect score. The university also excels in its location and the quality of its facilities and professors. Areas for potential improvement include accommodation, which received the lowest rating, though it still remains a positive score. Internationality also scores well, reflecting a good global outlook.

Consistently strong across most metrics, this institution boasts near-perfect scores for its exceptional location and impressive facilities. Professors and student life also receive very high marks. While student accommodation and overall value are highly rated, internationality stands out as the area with the most room for improvement, though still a solid rating.

This institution demonstrates considerable strengths, with an exceptional rating for its location. Student life is also highly regarded, alongside solid scores for facilities, accommodation, and internationality. However, the assessment reveals that professors represent the weakest area, receiving a comparatively lower score. Overall, the university presents a positive picture, particularly in its environment and student engagement.

Reviews summary
Highlights

Approximately 92% of reviews are positive, highlighting good career preparation, practice-oriented courses, supportive professors, and modern facilities. Two negative reviews expressed disappointment with course content value and exam transparency.

Overwhelmingly positive feedback (approximately 86%) highlights a vibrant city campus integration, excellent professors, and strong community spirit. A small amount of negative feedback (around 1.4%) mentions administrative issues.

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Students highly praise the interactive learning, international community, and opportunities for academic and personal growth. There are no negative reviews.

With 100% positive feedback from four reviews, students highlight strong programs, engaging curricula, and dedicated professors. The university is recommended for its professional and practical approach, with special mention of sports and internship opportunities.

With a 4.5/5 average rating from 2 reviews, feedback is overwhelmingly positive (~100%). Students highlight excellent job opportunities and useful programs, including international connections. Some modules were noted as less professionally relevant.

With a 4.67/5 average rating from 3 reviews, ~100% of feedback is positive. Students highlight practical learning, helpful professors, and good facilities.

Rating distribution
5★
67%
28%
0%
94%
50%
50%
67%
4★
26%
58%
0%
6%
50%
50%
33%
3★
3%
13%
100%
0%
0%
0%
0%
2★
3%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1★
3%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Most useful review
Most liked
Sounds an Image - pomising yet incomplete course

Sound an Image is one of the 3 programmes from the School of the Arts. It is also, in my experience, the most neglected. This came in the form of less equipment available (priority given to the Cinema course), abysmal workshop conditions (very little space, missing or broken equipment) and not even a designated space where the Year 3 students could storage their Final Project material (I had to constantly fix or rebuild some of my materials). The curriculum itself is very good. Sound an Image is not a full on technical course, and the theoretical classes do help in developing an artistic sensibility and vision - the professors are also, for the most part, engaged and helpful. Lastly, we may have the poorest Student Association in Porto - low budget and little freedom. It's important to note that the programme has changed a lot along the years, recently going through changes on a yearly basis. Allegedly, upcoming students will have better conditions and equipment, as well as more practical projects. Closing remarks: in all honesty, I wouldn't go here without at least a half scholarship. I do not feel the full tuition matches the value of the course. However, Católica is more than a single programme. There's a lot of talks with speakers from different areas, from artists to cientists and other professional backgrounds. There's a psychology service with different workshops. There's a weekly cinema session organized by the Cinema students. There's all these extracurricular things that do bring their value to the school.

The best student life

For me the university of Coimbra is the best university in my country, Portugal. There there are plenty of traditions and cultural activities you can experience to make your student time the best years of your life. That is a beautiful city with a lot of interesting history and academic life experience. If you chose to study in Coimbra you will have the best personal learnings.

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Great modern university approach

I am currently a 3rd year student at Forward College and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to other students. The interactive approach of Forward where questions, debate, and discussion were encouraged enhanced my learning so much and I feel like I genuinely enjoyed every class. Having the experience of living in 3 different cultures, surrounded by people from all over the world made this experience even more special and helped me develop and grow in so many ways. Another aspect I have loved are the professors. Speaking with friends at other university I am so grateful to have teachers that actually know us, are excited to teach and interact with us, and will always take the time to help you.

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