“Coimbra is life”: UC welcomes over 1,400 exchange students
Anderson Moreno Barbosa, a professor at the University of Santiago (Cape Verde), was inaugurated as a new UC Alumni Ambassador at the event.
The University of Coimbra (UC) has resumed welcome sessions for over 1,400 exchange students arriving in the first semester, a figure expected to set a new record.
The session, held at the Faculty of Science and Technology’s Central Unit Auditorium at Campus II, brought together students from diverse nationalities and included the inauguration of Anderson Moreno Barbosa, a professor at the University of Santiago (Cape Verde), as a new UC Alumni Ambassador. “It is a great honour to receive this recognition as an official UC Alumni Ambassador,” he said, adding, “Much of who I am today I owe to my time in Coimbra. For me, Coimbra is life.”
João Nuno Calvão da Silva, Vice-Rector for External Relations and Alumni, anticipates that this year could set a new record for the number of incoming exchange students at UC. He noted that in 2024/25 the university welcomed 2,014 incoming mobility students, and that figures for this academic year have already surpassed those for the same period last year.
“It is extremely gratifying, and I am optimistic that this trend will continue,” he added, while also acknowledging challenges such as the limited availability of mobility grants and calling for increased investment from the European Commission.
Welcome sessions will continue at the same venue on 15 September, marking the final session for incoming mobility students, who represent a 7% increase on last year.
