Tuition Fee and Fees

As from 2020/2021 a student with an outstanding tuition fee has been enabled to pay this debt in staged payments in the UC by requesting a debt settlement payment plan, which enables the registration for the subsequent academic year and the potential issuance of documents.

In accordance with the Law no. 75/2019, of 2nd September that amended the Law no. 37/2003 concerning the Funding of Higher Education, and the subsequent changes in 2020, the UC is able to provide a Payment Plan for Tuition Fee Debt Settlement to:

• national and international Students registered for cycles of studies (Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD Degree) in the 2018/2019 academic year (after 31st August 2018) and subsequent academic years.

It is an agreement between the UC and the Student which includes the compliance with a set of specific conditions resulting from legislation and UC regulation.

The Students who are entitled to this Plan will be able to request it at InforEstudante, by selecting the request type “Payment plan for tuition fee debt settlement” in the menu “Academic Service » Requests”:

• The amount of the debt is shown in the request (tuition fee and differentiated interests), the minimum amount of each instalment.
• The Student can choose the number of instalments he/she wants, without exceeding the maximum number of 12 and provided that the minimum amount of the instalment is met.
• The Student can also invoke economic deprivation and attach documents (these requests require validation by the Social Services of the UC (SASUC), which is why they are not handled immediately).

1) It can have up to a maximum of 12 instalments.

2) The first instalment begins at the end of the month subsequent to the date of the agreement to the plan.

3) Each instalment’s amount cannot be below the established limit:

• for a National or Equivalent Status Student, the instalment is 10 per cent of the Social Support Index (IAS) amount (in 2020 it was €43,88);
• for the International Student, the instalment is 10 per cent of the annual tuition fee of the cycle of studies (i.e., €700 in a cycle with a tuition fee of €7000).

4) If a Student invokes and proves his/her economic deprivation he/she has a moratorium, that is, an extended deadline to begin the payments:

• for a National or Equivalent Status Student, it is a 9 month moratorium;
• for an International Student, it is a 3 month moratorium.

Yes, if the student meets the conditions necessary to the automatic acceptance of the request (whenever the economic deprivation is not invoked/selected). After sealing the request, the Tuition Fee Payment Plan is reformulated and the restriction to register is lifted.

► If you invoked/selected the situation of economic deprivation, please check the following question.

The situation of economic deprivation implies the validation by the Social Services of the UC (SASUC). Therefore, these requests are not handled immediately, except for the following situations:

• Student whose SASUC Scholarship (DGES) or Support of the UC Social Support Fund (FAS) has the status “Accepted” in the academic year he/she has the debt.

You may check that information at InforEstudante, in the left side menu at “Curricular Data” by means of the option “Status and Benefits”.

The Portuguese legislation concerning the funding of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) applies to National or Equivalent Status Students. However, each institution was given the decision to extend to international students the opportunity to adhere to a payment plan for tuition fee debt settlement, even if it includes restrictions.

The UC opted to extend this chance according to conditions adjusted to these students.

On this date, you can only pay your debt at the UC, or at the Tax and Customs Authority if a proceedings of an enforced recovery of tuition fee has already been instituted.

The debts previous to this academic year were covered, until 30th April 2020, by the extraordinary procedure concerning debt settlement for not having paid the tuition fee, other fees and charges in the public Higher Education Institutions, established in article 3 of Law no. 75/2019, of 2nd September.

The request concerned verifies a set of situations and rules, which means that if you are unable to seal your request, you may be in one of the following situations:

1. You are selecting an enrolment concerning a Non-Degree Course, and this type of course is not covered by the legislation. You cannot adhere to a payment plan for tuition fee debt settlement concerning these courses.
2. You do not have a debt registered in the cycle of studies and academic year you have selected [verify your current account at “Tuition Fees”]; and/or
3. You already have a request for a payment plan that is accepted concerning the same cycle of studies and academic year. You can only have one payment plan in effect (active).

You can pay your tuition fee in a single lump sum or in different instalments according to the UC Regulation. For the most part of Students of cycle of studies, the instalments to be paid from September to June are ten (10).

You have to pay the due instalment plus late payment interests.

They are a percentage that will be added to the outstanding amount of money, per each month, in accordance with the legislation.

As matter of course, you have already received notices from the Academic Services/InforEstudante informing you how to pay that debt, but if you did not receive them, please check that information at InforEstudante by clicking “Tuition Fees”.

• Regarding situations that are more complicated, you must go to the Academic In-Person Assistance of the SGA operating in the Student Hub in order to pay in-person at the Cash Office Counter.
• The payment by means of ATM Reference is immediately updated at InforEstudante.

The amount to be paid is 60 per cent of the tuition fee amount of a registration on a full-time basis.

• Check further information about the types of registration at Tuition Fee | Payments

No, if you are registered only for curricular units of the 1st semester and:

• if it is a Master’s Degree Course, you have defended your dissertation, internship or a similar unit, after its minimum duration, until 28th February.

At InforEstudante check the option “Items to pay” in the menu “Tuition Fees”. For further detailed information, you may also check the option “Payment Plan”.

• Please note that if you owe the registration fee of an academic year, you cannot register for the subsequent academic year.

You have 30 days to pay the tuition fee after the last monthly payment is awarded by the SASUC.

Specific situation only for NACIONAL OR EQUIVALENT STATUS STUDENTS

Yes, you have to pay the tuition fee concerning your registration. The fact that you did not attend the course, does not invalidate the provision of the service you have requested, and consequently the obligation to pay.

In order to regularise the situation, you will have to withdraw your registration within the deadlines established for the 1st and 2nd semesters, which are published and disseminated to the Students at the beginning of each academic year (in August).

Withdrawal within the established deadlines, exempts the Student from paying the subsequent tuition fee instalments.

• Check the webpage referring to these deadlines at Academic Deadlines.

If the admissions took place in the same academic year pursuant to the National Contest of Access and Admission (CNA – DGES), you do not have to do anything to withdraw your registration.

In accordance with the legislation in force, applicants admitted in the first phase of the National Contest of Access and Admission, who applied in the second phase and were admitted, will have their previous enrolment automatically annulled.

The student’s individual file will be sent to the institution to which he/she was admitted in the second phase along with the amount of the tuition fee already paid.

Specific situation only for NACIONAL OR EQUIVALENT STATUS STUDENTS

No. If you have any fees to pay, the academic services will send you by email the ATM References that you must use to carry out the payment.

In order to facilitate and streamline the request treatment, after the payment, inform the academic services you have paid. Your request will not proceed until the payment of that fee has been made.

• Check the webpage referring to the Fees in force in the UC, at Fees and other Charges.

No, you do not. The University of Coimbra sends to the Tax and Customs Authority the information concerning the education expenses of each civil year if the student has inserted his/her Tax ID Number (TIN) at InforEstudante in “personal data”. You do not have to upload any document to the e-Fatura website.

The education expenses become available at the “Itemised Deductions” only in March and, subsequently, they appear pre-filled when the automatic Annual Financial Statement is delivered as from April.

If you opt for filling in the Annual Financial Statement, you must insert the amount of education expenses mentioned in the payment declaration per civil year that you can obtain at InforEstudante.

In February of each civil year you may access InforEstudante and in the menu » Tuition Fees » Documents you may download a purely informative declaration for tax purposes, which mentions the amount of education expenses of the previous civil year that the UC sent to the Tax and Customs Authority.