Address: Praça Gomes Teixeira, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
Engineering, Sciences, Medicine, Architecture, Economics, Law, Arts and Humanities
The University of Porto was founded by decree on 22 March 1911 by the Provisional Government of the First Portuguese Republic and was inaugurated on 16 July 1911, with the mathematician Gomes Teixeira as its first rector. It is based mainly on the Polytechnic Academy and the Medical-Surgical Academy of Porto, which existed from 1836 to 1911. Earlier predecessors include the Nautical Academy, founded in 1762, and the Drawing and Sketching Academy, founded in 1779.
The university works on three main sites. Pole 1 is in the city centre, Pole 2, called Asprela, lies in the north of Porto, and Pole 3, called Campo Alegre, lies in the west. The rector’s office stands at Praça Gomes Teixeira, named after the first rector.
The size of the university is given in two ways: about 30,640 students, including 22,405 undergraduates, 8,235 postgraduates and 742 postdoctoral researchers, or about 28,000 students, including 11,000 postgraduates. It has about 1,920 teaching staff and about 1,693 technical and administrative staff.
Thirteen faculties teach there: Architecture, Dental Medicine, Economics, Engineering, Fine Arts, Law, Arts and Humanities, Medicine, Nutrition and Food Science, Pharmacy, Psychology and Educational Sciences, Sciences and Sport. The Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar and Porto Business School complete the structure.
Alumni include the writers Camilo Castelo Branco, Júlio Dinis and Jorge de Sena, the doctor and painter Abel Salazar, the civil engineer Edgar Cardoso and the architects Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto Moura, both holders of the Pritzker Prize. The businessman Belmiro de Azevedo, the founder of Farfetch José Neves and the politicians Elisa Ferreira and Rui Rio also studied there. Leopoldina Ferreira Paulo was the first woman to hold a doctorate from the university. Fees for Portuguese students are set by the state. Check the current tariff. Teaching is mainly in Portuguese.
The Nautical Academy of 1762 is one of its oldest roots, which makes the university heir to a tradition of technical teaching that predates the republic by almost a century and a half.
Domains taught:
Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Data Analytics, Engineering, Finance, Food Science, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Porto Business School, the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, and fourteen faculties and schools in three poles.
Research:
Engineering, sciences, medicine, dental medicine, pharmacy, economics, law, psychology, architecture, fine arts and sport.
Largest research university in the north of Portugal, three poles in Porto, strong engineering and architecture, well-known alumni in architecture.
Cons
Campuses spread across the city, courses mainly in Portuguese, hilly terrain.
Best For
Students interested in engineering, architecture, sciences and medicine at the main university of northern Portugal.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Where this university leans on finance, civil engineering and chemistry, University of Lisbon does the same, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
University of Aveiro works in much the same fields, chiefly chemistry, life sciences and engineering, and it is also a public institution and does not run the mba programmes found here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Seen from abroad, University of Cape Town (South Africa) is a close relative on subject matter, since finance, civil engineering and chemistry are central to both, and it covers astroscience as well, and has almost the same size, at about 28,233 students.
University of the Witwatersrand, based in South Africa, is built around finance, civil engineering and chemistry much like this university, and it covers astroscience as well, and is slightly larger, at about 40,259 students against roughly 30,640 here.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on finance, chemistry and physics is Autonomous University of Madrid in Spain, and it is also a public institution and does not run the mba programmes found here.
In Spain, Complutense University of Madrid teaches much the same core subjects, finance, chemistry and physics, and it is larger, enrolling about 86,159 students against roughly 30,640 here, and is also a public institution.
For food science, chemistry and physics outside the home country, University of Adelaide in Australia is a natural reference; it is also a public institution and also offers graduate certificate programmes.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the University of Porto?
In Porto, Portugal, on three main sites: the city centre, Asprela and Campo Alegre.
When was it founded?
By decree on 22 March 1911, and it was inaugurated on 16 July 1911.
Who was the first rector?
The mathematician Gomes Teixeira.
Which academies are its roots?
The Polytechnic Academy and the Medical-Surgical Academy of Porto.
How many faculties does it have?
Thirteen, plus the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar and Porto Business School.
How many students does it have?
About 30,640 according to its infobox, or about 28,000 according to its text.
Which architects studied there?
Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto Moura.
Who founded Farfetch?
José Neves, an alumnus of the university.
Who was the first woman doctorate?
Leopoldina Ferreira Paulo.
What does it cost?
Fees for Portuguese students are set by the state. Check the current tariff.
Architecture, Biology, Engineering, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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