Focus on immigration to Portugal and local education:
The University of Coimbra, as one of the outstanding universities in the country, has cultivated a large number of distinguished talents for Portugal, including the famous poet Camões (1524-1580), the excellent writer Eça de Queirós (1845-1900) from the late 19th century, as well as notable figures such as the writer Andrew and António Nobel, and Afonso Costa. In addition, it has also sent many professors and scholars to Brazil. In 1789, Brazilian intellectuals requested the establishment of a university modeled after the University of Coimbra, but due to opposition from Portugal, the plan to establish a university in the colony ultimately fell through. Nevertheless, the University of Coimbra remains a model for early universities in Brazil.
During the 1990-1991 academic year, the University of Coimbra had a total of 8 faculties: the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Science and Technology, the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Faculty of Economics, the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, and the Faculty of Sports. At that time, there were 16,050 students enrolled, and the number of faculty members exceeded one thousand by the end of the 1980s, with approximately 300 holding doctoral degrees and nearly a hundred researchers.
The University of Coimbra is a university with a glorious history and is also an open university. Currently, the university has diverse collaborations in the field of education with over 300 higher education institutions worldwide. To facilitate international exchanges, the university has improved its network facilities and strengthened external connections through modern means. In addition to the concentration of various faculties, some administrative offices of the University of Coimbra are located in different areas of the city. One uniquely styled building houses the university's International Relations Office, which is divided into five sections: the Finance Department, the Information Department, the President's Representative Office, and others, primarily responsible for various exchanges and collaborations with foreign universities in the field of higher education, mainly focusing on student exchange programs. It also provides various services to foreign students studying at the University of Coimbra, helping them resolve various difficulties encountered in daily life and studies.
To facilitate international students in searching for and querying information, a computer room and a resource room have been established here. The International Relations Office also organizes some Portuguese language training courses to help foreign students adapt more quickly to their studies and life here. For Chinese students wishing to study at the University of Coimbra, Ms. Maria Carvalho, the director of the International Relations Office, offers valuable advice: “If Chinese students want to come to the University of Coimbra as exchange students, the prerequisite is to have a bilateral agreement with their home university, which then sends us the application. Based on the courses you wish to study, the application will be sent to the International Relations Office. Finally, I will forward the application to the relevant faculty based on the courses you intend to major in. Acceptance of the application mainly depends on the chosen courses. It should be noted that we cannot provide scholarships for foreign students.”
