A combination of comparatively accessible living and tuition costs makes Portugal a desirable destination for studying nursing within the European Union. A Portuguese nursing qualification can support professional recognition within the EU/EEA under EU professional-qualification rules, although graduates must still meet the applicable registration requirements in the country where they want to work. Portugal also offers students a country known for its history, culture, and mild climate.
Portugal has several public and private higher education institutions that train nurses for general care and specialist practice. Here is a guide to nursing schools in Portugal.
Top Schools Offering Nursing Programs in Portugal
1. Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Lisboa
- Study Program
- Degrees Offered: Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D. in partnership
The Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Lisboa, or Lisbon School of Nursing, is one of Portugal’s major public nursing schools. Its mission is to create, develop, transmit, and disseminate nursing culture and science, with a focus on excellence and innovation. The school resulted from the merger of four public nursing schools in Lisbon, a process completed in 2007.
The undergraduate nursing degree is designed for students entering higher education after secondary school and prepares graduates for general nursing care for individuals, families, groups, and communities across healthcare settings.
ESEL’s undergraduate nursing degree takes four years to complete and carries 240 ECTS credits.
2. Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Porto
Porto’s nursing school, Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto, is known as ESEP. The school was formed in 2007 through the merger of Porto nursing schools and traces its origins to 1896, when the Course for Nurses of Hospital Geral de Santo António was created.
At ESEP, the Nursing Degree Course takes four years to complete and carries 240 ECTS credits. The school also offers master’s and postgraduate options for nurses and other professionals who want to deepen specific areas of nursing practice.
The study plan is structured in two main blocks: the first four semesters focus on foundational and theoretical learning, while the later part of the program is largely clinical teaching. After completing the degree, graduates may apply for the professional title awarded by the Ordem dos Enfermeiros, subject to its rules.
3. Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra
The Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra (ESEnfC) School of Nursing is the result of the merger of two nursing schools and is heir to one of the oldest nursing training traditions in Portugal, dating back to 1881. It is committed to humanistic, scientific, technical, and cultural training.
ESEnfC operates across campuses and buildings in Coimbra, including Campus A, Campus B, and Campus C, giving students access to different academic and clinical-learning contexts.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing is four years long, carries 240 ECTS credits, and combines theoretical, theoretical-practical, practical, and clinical teaching.
ESEnfC has a dedicated mobility program, with partnerships that include many institutions in Europe and beyond, allowing students to study abroad for a semester or a full academic year.
4. Portuguese Red Cross Higher School of Nursing
The institution now operates as Escola Superior de Saúde Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa – Alto Tâmega, in Chaves. It has existed as a nursing school since 1993 and, after its transition to the Portuguese Red Cross and the 2021 change of designation, has developed into a private polytechnic institution in the health sciences.
Its mission is to develop health-sciences teaching, research, lifelong learning, and services to the community, aligned with the principles of the Portuguese Red Cross.
The Nursing bachelor’s degree is a four-year, 240-ECTS program. The school also participates in Erasmus+ mobility and offers second-cycle master’s options in nursing in association with partner schools.
5. Escola Superior de Enfermagem
Escola Superior de Enfermagem São Francisco das Misericórdias is a private nursing school in Lisbon. It offers an active first-cycle degree in Nursing and second-cycle master’s programs in nursing, including programs offered in association with partner schools.
The Bachelor of Nursing degree provides scientific, technical, human, and cultural preparation for students who want to provide general nursing care after graduation. The course is normally completed in four years and carries 240 ECTS credits.
The school’s teaching model emphasizes alternation between theoretical learning and clinical practice, helping students connect classroom learning with care-delivery settings.
We hope that this article on nursing schools in Portugal was helpful. If you are interested in knowing more information like this, check out the Available Programs in Europe for International Students!
