Details

• Portugal
• MAWiRe-21
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

The application process was pretty easy. The only thing one should keep in mind imo are the deadlines. Also, make sure to really gather as much information as possible about the different universities and countries (in case you have different options in mind). For this purpose, I recommend reading through the exchange reports. After getting accepted by a certain university, check the curriculum as soon as possible and have a look at the "Anerkennungsdatenbank". Further, check if the host university provides for accomodation. Trying to learn the language also helps.

2. Accommodation

At first I had reached out to the university and applied for student accomodation (in March or April). However, I did't get a reply unitl July (due to the scarce student appartments the reply was negative). By then, I had already booked a room in a shared flat via spotahome. I would recommend applying for rooms as early as possible. Common platforms are spotahome and idealista. My room was situated close to "Rato", which is the terminal stop of the yellow line. Generally I would recommend living close to the yellow line, since the uni is close to it ("Cidade da Universitaria"). Therefore, it took me about 20-25 minutes to get to uni. Apart from that, I felt my quarter to be safe. My no 1 tip is to check the windows in the room (as well as possible via the fotos on the platfroms). My windows were very old (surely more than 60 years), single-glassed and far from tight. In November, as soon as it got a bit colder, I really began to miss tight windows, since there is usually no heating in the appartments. Also, mold is quite common.

3. Academic life at host university

I wouldn't consider the campus to be modern. Nevertheless, the wifi is good and one can study in the library or in the studyroom. In general the administrative organisation is pretty chaotic (e.g. the courses started one to two weeks after the initially planned start). However, the GERI (i.e. the international office of the FDUL) tries to help the students where it's possible. One thing I wish I had known before booking my appartment is that most of the courses for the Erasmus Students finish before christmas. In general the courses are comparable to ours, yet there are more papers to write.

5. Every day life in the host country

Lisbon is a pretty vibrant city. Especially there are a lot of options specifically for Erasmus Students (ESN, ELL, etc.). I was quite happy with the metro, however the buses and trams are rather not reliable. People under 24 don't have to pay for public transport (in order to make use of this, one has to have a NIF, which is a real nuisance to get; here I would recommend using one of the online services to get a NIF e.g NIF4erasmus; personally I got my NIF at a loja de cidadao, but I really don't recommend it). One can find all of the information regarding the public transportation on the website of Municipal transport services. I never felt unsafe. The university offers quite a lot of sports options. I would recommend joining a team of the FDUL. I joined the football team and it was one of the best decisions I made during my stay. This really allows for you to get to know local students. Just write the AAFDL.

6. Testimonial

In general, my experience was great. Lisbon is a beautiful city with lots of things to discover. The locals were quite welcoming and the stundent life was more vibrant than in Vienna (as least that's how I felt). Even though the city of Lisbon is not located right at the sea, it doesn't take long for one to get to the beach. Overall, I'm glad that I took the opportunity for studying abroad.