What's Included

We invite you to study abroad with API in beautiful Lisbon, Portugal. The Universitario de Lisboa (ISCTE) offers AACSB-accredited business classes, as well as courses focused on international relations, Portuguese history and culture, social sciences and more, all conducted in English. You can also opt to enroll in Portuguese language classes Universidade Nova de Lisboa, offered at all levels.

Study alongside students from around the world, earn valuable academic credit, enhance your resume, experience life in this charming European capital city, and see why Lisbon is on the top of so many "must visit" travel lists!

What's Included?

Highlights

Pre Departure Services

Advising

APIConnect Platform

Orientation Materials and Resources

Access to International Phone Plans

API Alumni Network

Social Networking

Scholarships

On Site Services

Airport Reception

On-Site Orientation

Resident Director

Tuition

Medical and Life Insurance

Excursions

Social and Cultural Activities

Welcome and Farewell Group Meals

Volunteer Opportunities

Monthly Transit Pass

Housing

Re-Entry Services

Re-Entry Materials and Support

Post-Program Evaluation

Transcript

Alumni Network and API Ambassador Program

View all opportunities and amenities

Application Requirements

Minimum 2.5 G.P.A.
Open to first years, sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Open to all levels of Portuguese speakers
Completed API application
Official transcript
Statement of purpose
Supplemental application requirements
Entry requirements: valid passport with student visa
University Approval Form

Dates & Fees

Session	Program Dates	Program Cost	Application Deadline	Extended Application Deadline	Payment Deadline
Fall	Sep 8, 2023 - Dec 17, 2023	$16,900	May 15, 2023	No Extension	Jun 15, 2023
Academic Year	Sep, 2023 - Jun, 2024	$31,900	May 15, 2023	No Extension	Jun 15, 2023
Spring	Jan, 2024 - Jun, 2024	$16,900	Oct 15, 2023	No Extension	Nov 14, 2023

The fall examination period continues past December break into January. Many professors will allow students to take their exams early and depart in December; however, some will require students to take their exam with a proctor in January after returning to the U.S. Please contact the API office if you have any questions.

Excursions

API students participate in excursions designed to help familiarize them with the culture and surrounding areas of their host city and country. The following is a listing of potential excursions for API Lisbon programs. API may need to modify the excursions offered in a given term due to travel restrictions or health and safety concerns.

Belém

Belém is widely considered Lisbon’s most monumental and historical area. It was from here that many of the great Portuguese navigators embarked on their voyages of discovery, including Prince Henry the Navigator (bound for Cueta, Morocco), Bartholomeu Dias (who rounded the Cape of Good Hope), and Vasco da Gama (who discovered the route to India). Christopher Columbus also stopped here on his way back to Europe after “discovering” the New World. Lisbon and Portugal prospered during this period of discovery, with gold coming from the recent conquered New World. Belém Tower and Jeronimos Monastery were built as many as other great constructions during this time period. In addition to seeing these sites, students will be treated to the very famous custard tarts (Pastéis de Belém) at the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, which has been serving these delicious pastries since 1841.
Lagos

Set on one of the largest bays in the Algarve region in the south of Portugal, Lagos is an eye-catching and bustling town conquered by the Arabs on the 8th century leaving behind fortifications that we still can see nowadays. The Portuguese discoveries of the 15th century initiated by Henry the Navigator turned Lagos into an important Naval center. At the same time, a most deplorable period of history began, with the first slaves brought back from the Sahara in 1441 by Henry’s explorer Nuno Tristão. The city was the capital of the Algarve from 1576 to 1756.
Mafra and Ericeira

King Jõao V paid for the enormous baroque and neoclassical palace and monastery at Mafra with colonial Brazilian gold in the eighteenth-century; construction took more than thirty years and, at its peak, the project employed up to 45,000 workers. The palace (which inspired Portuguese Nobel laureate José Saramago to write his novel, Baltasar, and Blimunda) includes a magnificent library, which encapsulated all knowledge of the age, and a sumptuous basilica. A visit to the nearby historic fishing port of country in 1910, completes the trip.
Porto

Porto is Portugal’s second largest city, and a very busy industrial and commercial center. The city was built along the hills overlooking the Douro river estuary, and its historical center was awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1996. Porto’s geography is hard on the feet, but pleasant to the eye. The city is extremely hilly, with many buildings built into a cliff face that overlooks the river. Students will enjoy getting to know this lovely Portuguese city.
Sintra

Following a short train ride from Rossio Station in Lisbon, students will tour the magnificent National Palace of Sintra, the best preserved medieval Royal Palace in Portugal. Following a tour of the manor house and gardens of the romantic nineteenth-century Quinta da Regaleira estate, the group will enjoy lunch in the unique ambiance of Sintra’s restaurants (with traditional regional pastries). An afternoon walk around the Castle of the Moors, on the heights above town with excellent views of the coast, completes this trip.

Belém

Belém is widely considered Lisbon’s most monumental and historical area. It was from here that many of the great Portuguese navigators embarked on their voyages of discovery, including Prince Henry the Navigator (bound for Cueta, Morocco), Bartholomeu Dias (who rounded the Cape of Good Hope), and Vasco da Gama (who discovered the route to India). Christopher Columbus also stopped here on his way back to Europe after “discovering” the New World. Lisbon and Portugal prospered during this period of discovery, with gold coming from the recent conquered New World. Belém Tower and Jeronimos Monastery were built as many as other great constructions during this time period. In addition to seeing these sites, students will be treated to the very famous custard tarts (Pastéis de Belém) at the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, which has been serving these delicious pastries since 1841.
Lagos

Set on one of the largest bays in the Algarve region in the south of Portugal, Lagos is an eye-catching and bustling town conquered by the Arabs on the 8th century leaving behind fortifications that we still can see nowadays. The Portuguese discoveries of the 15th century initiated by Henry the Navigator turned Lagos into an important Naval center. At the same time, a most deplorable period of history began, with the first slaves brought back from the Sahara in 1441 by Henry’s explorer Nuno Tristão. The city was the capital of the Algarve from 1576 to 1756.
Mafra and Ericeira

King Jõao V paid for the enormous baroque and neoclassical palace and monastery at Mafra with colonial Brazilian gold in the eighteenth-century; construction took more than thirty years and, at its peak, the project employed up to 45,000 workers. The palace (which inspired Portuguese Nobel laureate José Saramago to write his novel, Baltasar, and Blimunda) includes a magnificent library, which encapsulated all knowledge of the age, and a sumptuous basilica. A visit to the nearby historic fishing port of country in 1910, completes the trip.
Porto

Porto is Portugal’s second largest city, and a very busy industrial and commercial center. The city was built along the hills overlooking the Douro river estuary, and its historical center was awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1996. Porto’s geography is hard on the feet, but pleasant to the eye. The city is extremely hilly, with many buildings built into a cliff face that overlooks the river. Students will enjoy getting to know this lovely Portuguese city.
Sintra

Following a short train ride from Rossio Station in Lisbon, students will tour the magnificent National Palace of Sintra, the best preserved medieval Royal Palace in Portugal. Following a tour of the manor house and gardens of the romantic nineteenth-century Quinta da Regaleira estate, the group will enjoy lunch in the unique ambiance of Sintra’s restaurants (with traditional regional pastries). An afternoon walk around the Castle of the Moors, on the heights above town with excellent views of the coast, completes this trip.

Belém

Belém is widely considered Lisbon’s most monumental and historical area. It was from here that many of the great Portuguese navigators embarked on their voyages of discovery, including Prince Henry the Navigator (bound for Cueta, Morocco), Bartholomeu Dias (who rounded the Cape of Good Hope), and Vasco da Gama (who discovered the route to India). Christopher Columbus also stopped here on his way back to Europe after “discovering” the New World. Lisbon and Portugal prospered during this period of discovery, with gold coming from the recent conquered New World. Belém Tower and Jeronimos Monastery were built as many as other great constructions during this time period. In addition to seeing these sites, students will be treated to the very famous custard tarts (Pastéis de Belém) at the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, which has been serving these delicious pastries since 1841.
Évora

The preserved UNESCO World Heritage City of Évora dates from Roman times and has a rich and vast history. Évora, located in the south central part of Portugal in the Alentejo region, is known for its whitewashed buildings that line its narrow streets, along with delicious outdoor places and remarkable historic sites. Walking through the streets of Évora is like flipping through a history book where you can see remnants of its past everywhere you look, including a Roman temple dating back to the 1st century BC, a 13th century cathedral and the 16th century Chapel of Bones.
Mafra and Ericeira

King Jõao V paid for the enormous baroque and neoclassical palace and monastery at Mafra with colonial Brazilian gold in the eighteenth-century; construction took more than thirty years and, at its peak, the project employed up to 45,000 workers. The palace (which inspired Portuguese Nobel laureate José Saramago to write his novel, Baltasar, and Blimunda) includes a magnificent library, which encapsulated all knowledge of the age, and a sumptuous basilica. A visit to the nearby historic fishing port of country in 1910, completes the trip.
Sintra

Following a short train ride from Rossio Station in Lisbon, students will tour the magnificent National Palace of Sintra, the best preserved medieval Royal Palace in Portugal. Following a tour of the manor house and gardens of the romantic nineteenth-century Quinta da Regaleira estate, the group will enjoy lunch in the unique ambiance of Sintra’s restaurants (with traditional regional pastries). An afternoon walk around the Castle of the Moors, on the heights above town with excellent views of the coast, completes this trip.

Program Details

What You’ll Study

TOTAL CREDITS - 12-15 credits per semester

Students who choose to study abroad in Lisbon with API complete courses offered in English in international business, international relations, and Portuguese history and culture at the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE). Portuguese language courses are also available through Universdade Nova de Lisboa (NOVA).

TRANSCRIPTS

API students will receive a transcript from the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE) upon successful completion of their program. Students who enroll in Portuguese language courses will receive an additional transcript from Universdade Nova de Lisboa (NOVA).

Kelly Kennedy

Kelly Kennedy will be your Program Coordinator and will help prepare you for your API program!
(she/her/hers)
Carlos Loureiro

Carlos Loureiro will be your Resident Director and a resource for you on-site.

(he/him/his)

Courses

Click Here to Find Classes

COURSE OFFERINGS

Name: Zaengle
Price range: $

When choosing from the available courses, please be aware that there may be time conflicts. API advises that students have alternate course selections approved in the case of a course conflict. Additional information will be provided post-acceptance.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COURSES

When choosing from the international business courses on offer, please be aware that there may be time conflicts each semester.

ADDITIONAL COURSES

In addition to business offerings, there are courses offered in English at ISCTE each semester in a variety of subjects, including communications, history, and international relations.

PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE COURSES

The Portuguese language courses are offered through the New University of Lisbon (NOVA), and are conducted at the beginning through advanced levels. No previous study of Portuguese is necessary for the beginner level course and students looking to take above the A1 level course will take a placement exam upon arrival.

CREDIT INFORMATION

Our Portuguese partner universities operate on the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). It is generally accepted that in order to convert from ECTS to U.S. semester credits, one should divide the ECTS total by 2, whereby most courses are worth 3 U.S. semester credits.