University of Coimbra

History

The university was founded, or ratified, in 1290 by King Dinis, having begun its existence in Lisbon with the name Studium Generale (Estudo Geral). Scientiae thesaurus mirabilis, the royal charter announcing the institution of the university, was dated 1 March of that year, although efforts had been made at least since 1288 to create this first University in Portugal; it is thus the second oldest of such establishments in the Iberian Peninsula. The papal confirmation was also given in 1290 (on 9 August of that year), during the papacy of Nicholas IV. In accordance with the papal bull, all the "licit" faculties, with the exception of that of Theology, could be established. Thus the Faculties of Arts, Law, Canon Law and Medicine were the first to be created. It was, however, not to remain in Lisbon for long. In 1308, likely due to problems of emancipation from the Church (relations between the latter and the political power being somewhat strained at the time) and conflicts between the inhabitants of the city and the students, the university moved to Coimbra. This town already had old traditions in education, being home to the highly successful school of the Monastery of Santa Cruz. The university was then established on the site known as "Estudos Velhos", which corresponds roughly to the area where the Main Library now stands.

In 1338, during the reign of Afonso IV, it was once again transferred to Lisbon, from whence it returned in 1354, this time to the centre of the town which was then in full expansion. In 1377, during the reign of King Fernando, it was transferred yet again to Lisbon, where it would remain for over a century and a half. The authorization for a Faculty of Theology probably dates from this period – around 1380.

In 1537, during the reign of João III (1521–1557), the university moved definitively to Coimbra, where it was installed in the Alcaçova Palace which was subsequently purchased from the royal family in 1597.

During the same 1521–1557 period, significant reforms were carried out. Both the university as an institution, and all of its library's books were moved from Lisbon to Coimbra. Most of the new faculty, previously affiliated to the Spanish University of Salamanca, was initially not tenured at Coimbra and, subsequently, professors did not generally relocate. Faculties, hitherto scattered in different buildings, were brought together in the "Palacio del Rey", while other new and prestigious Spanish professors were also invited. At the faculty of Theology taught Alfonso de Prado and Antonio de Fonseca, the latter a doctor of Paris; at the faculty of Law, the famous canonist Martin de Azpilcueta (Doctor Navarrus), Manuel de Costa, and Antonio Francisco Suárez, all three from Salamanca. Meanwhile, Francisco Franco (chamber physician to John III) and Rodrigo Reinoso taught at the School of Medicine. Classical languages and literatures were taught by professors such as Cipriano Suárez, the author of a famous treatise on rhetoric (De arte rhetorica libri tres, ex Aristotele, Cicerone et Quintiliano praecipue deprompti), at the Colegio de la Artes, which young students learnt as a preparation for further academic studies; this college, independent at first, was eventually merged with the college of Theology, and entrusted to the Jesuits. One of its first professors was the Scotch Latinist George Buchanan, later a follower of John Knox and a reviler of Mary Stuart. The colleges of Sao Pedro and São Paulo were founded for graduates (doctors) intending to pursue teaching careers; other colleges received students of various religious orders.

Organisation

Its governance is assured by the Rector, the Senate and the University Assembly, the last responsible for the election of the Rector and the Senate. The Rector has the main responsibility for the strategic direction and the overall administration of the university, together with the Senate and assisted by the Administrative Council.

The university is divided into eight different faculties (Letters, Law, Medicine, Sciences & Technology, Pharmacy, Economics, Psychology & Education Sciences and Sports Sciences & Physical Education), comprising about 25,000 students. The Faculty of Sciences and Technology (FCTUC) is the largest by number of professors and students, awards the highest number of academic degrees, and manages more classrooms and research units than any other in the UC. Both the National Legal Medicine Institute, an organization under direct supervision of the Portuguese Ministry of the Justice, which provides forensic science services to the police forces and government agencies of Portugal, and the University of Coimbra's teaching hospital, HUC (Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra), a university hospital known as a centre of research with a broad range of clinical services and medical specialties, are managed by the Faculty of Medicine (FMUC).

The university harbours a huge central library (University of Coimbra General Library), botanical gardens (Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra), stadiums and other sports facilities (Estádio Universitário de Coimbra sports complex and Campo de Santa Cruz stadium), an astronomical observatory, a publishing house, a private chapel (São Miguel Chapel), a theatre (Teatro Académico de Gil Vicente), and many support facilities such as dining halls and studying rooms. In addition, the university manages several museums and other cultural organizations, including a science museum (Science Museum of the University of Coimbra), a museum of sacred art (Sacred Art Museum of the University of Coimbra), and an academic museum (Academic Museum of the University of Coimbra).

The university has five main campuses or other sites:

Pólo I (the monumental ancient university core centre, with the main library and administration services, as well as faculties of law, medicine, letters, psychology, and natural sciences – active since the early university times before the 16th century, with major expansions in the 18th century and from the 1940s to the 1960s, during Estado Novo)

Faculties

The university is organized into 8 faculties and each faculty into departments:

Faculty of Law (Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Coimbra) offers all levels of academic degrees in Law and Public Administration.

Faculty of Medicine (Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Coimbra) offers all levels of academic degrees in Medicine and Dental Medicine.

Faculty of Humanities (Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra) offers all levels of academic degrees in Cinema, Music, Theatre, Classical Languages, Literature and Portuguese, Modern Languages and Literature, History, History of Art, Archaeology, Geography, Philosophy, Journalism and Tourism, Leisure and Heritage.

Faculty of Sciences & Technology (Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra) offers all levels of academic degrees in Anthropology, Architecture, Biology, Biochemistry, Design and Multimedia, Conservation and Restoration, Environmental Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrotechnical and Computer Engineering, Physical Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Management, Informatic Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Geology, Mathematics, Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry.

Faculty of Pharmacy (Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Coimbra) offers all levels of academic degrees in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Faculty of Economics (Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra) offers all levels of academic degrees in Economics, Business Organisation and Management, International Relations and Sociology.

Faculty of Psychology & Education Sciences (Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação da Universidade de Coimbra), which offers all levels of academic degrees in Psychology, Social Service and Education Sciences.

Faculty of Sports Sciences & Physical Education (Faculdade de Ciências do Desporto e Educação Física da Universidade de Coimbra) offers all levels of academic degrees in Sports Science and Physical Education.

Students

Students are represented by the students' union Associação Académica de Coimbra (AAC). Formed on 3 November 1887, it is the oldest university students' union in Portugal, with a long history of struggle against unpopular state policies, forming notable politicians and intellectuals along the way. It also harbours a very dynamic associative life, with its numerous sports and cultural sections, as well as a number of other autonomous organizations. It is an important structure of extracurricular formation of the University of Coimbra's students and a major institution of the city itself. The AAC develops activities such as theatre, cinema, radio and television broadcast, music, choral singing, journalism or philately, as well as rowing, athletics and many other sports. Every student, and occasionally some non-students, are entitled to belong to these sections.

Culture, sports and traditions

The university's academic traditions and institutions color the life of the city. The old "Republics" (autonomous students' residences) remain, as well as some traditional festivities, most notably the "Queima das Fitas" (a celebration of graduation's end, symbolized by the burning of the ribbons with the colors of each of the eight faculties), the "Festa das Latas" (a homecoming), the frequent use of traditional attire, the "Fado de Coimbra" (Coimbra's fado, now sung in organized shows rather than the traditional street serenades), and the academic ceremonies (namely the conferring of doctorate degrees).

The official colors of the Faculties of the University of Coimbra are:

Faculty of Law: Red

Faculty of Medicine: Yellow

Faculty of Humanities: Dark Blue

Faculty of Sciences & Technology: Light Blue

Faculty of Pharmacy: Purple

Faculty of Economics: Red and White

Faculty of Psychology & Education Sciences: Orange

Faculty of Sports Sciences & Physical Education: Brown

These colors are used in the institutional seal and other symbols of each faculty, in the university ceremonies conferring doctorate degrees, and are also used by the students in their ribbons related with the academic traditions (see Queima das Fitas (The Burning of the Ribbons)). The color of the university seal and of the Rector's office, representing the entire institution as a whole, is dark green. The flag of the University of Coimbra (white flag with the dark green seal in the middle) is always erected, over the top of the old university tower, on 1 March, which is the day of the university, being an occasion for a week of debates, conferences, workshops, and special events related with multiple aspects of the institution.

Recepção ao Caloiro

In Portugal, the homecoming is known as Recepção ao Caloiro (The Freshman's Reception). It includes numerous events and traditions born in the 19th century in the University of Coimbra. It is defined as a welcome to the new students, the freshmen (caloiros), and takes place at the beginning of the academic year in Portuguese university towns. In every classic public university of Portugal the homecoming is celebrated yearly. The events are followed in varying degrees by other less traditional or smaller institutions. A street parade of students, concerts, and sports events are always organized for the freshmen's reception. The street parade organized in several major Portuguese universities is known as Latada, and its name comes from the tradition of tying tin cans to the freshmen's legs (the word lata is tin can in Portuguese).

"The Freshman's Reception" (Recepção ao Caloiro, the Portuguese name for university homecoming) goes back to the 19th century when the law students of the University of Coimbra felt the need to express their joy at finishing the school year in as loud a way as possible, using everything at their disposal that would make noise, namely tin cans, which is the original root of "The Tin Can Parade".

In Coimbra, where the oldest Portuguese university was founded in the Middle Ages, the Recepção ao Caloiro (The Freshman's Reception) week, includes the Festa das Latas (The Tin Can Festival). The Tin Can Festival's name comes from the tradition of tying tin cans to the freshmen's legs for the parade (The Tin Can Parade) which is known as Latada. The events are organized by the students' union of the University of Coimbra, the Associação Académica de Coimbra, and takes place during the fall. It is an important part of the praxe académica (student praxis) in Coimbra, followed by the city population as an ancient cultural manifestation and local tradition, and has become a tourist attraction for a number of visitors every year.

The highlight of this homecoming, which now takes place at the beginning of the academic year (October/November) is the special parade known as the Latada. After marching through the streets of the city the new students are baptized in the Mondego River thus entering into the Coimbra academic fraternity. The second-year students are awarded their Grelos (a small ribbon). The Grelo is a small, woollen ribbon with the color(s) of the student's faculty, that is attached to a student's briefcase. Before this, the students must have visited the Dom Pedro V market during the morning, where they must get a turnip to sustain the Caloiros during the day's festivities. Besides the tin cans they have tied to their legs, the new students wear all kinds of costumes made up according to the creativity and imagination of their godmothers or godfathers, who are older students. They also carry placards with ironic criticisms alluding to certain teachers, the educational system, national events and leaders. The homecoming includes the "Tin Can Festival" week, with concerts and several other cultural events and sports activities beyond the parade, which always happens on a Tuesday. These include the historical night-time student fado serenade which happens in the stairs of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra to a crowd of thousands of students and other spectators, every year during the celebrations.

Queima das Fitas

Coimbra's Queima das Fitas (Burning of the Ribbons), the oldest and most famous in the country, is organized by a students' commission formed by members of the students' union of the University of Coimbra, the Associação Académica de Coimbra. Celebrating the end of graduation courses, symbolized by the ritual burning of the ribbons representing each faculty, it takes place at the second semester (first weekend of May), being among the biggest student festivities in Europe. It lasts for 8 days, one for each Faculty: Letters, Law, Medicine, Sciences & Technology, Pharmacy, Economics, Psychology & Education Sciences and Sports Sciences & Physical Education. During this period, a series of concerts and performances are held, turning Coimbra in a lively and vibrant city.

Students Lore

Stories passed along over generations of students, the university folklore is plentiful. One student usually asked his father for money, stating "Rent 20, Food 30". One day he asked "Rent 20, Food 30, Hammering 20, Fixing of the hammer and medication 40." Another student had oral examinations at Law School. Unresponsive to the simplest of questions, the professor already impatient, turned to the bailiff and asked "Bring in a stack of hay" to which the student very quickly added "And I'll have a glass of water please."

The years of dictatorship were gruesome. Apart from the students that got 7 years in prison for toasting to freedom which led directly to the foundation of Amnesty International in 1961, in 1968 students would spend the whole night greasing streets and sidewalks with soap so the mounted police would have a hard time chasing them down to break a demonstration. It is said that a student dared a policeman to get his shoes and feet wet chasing after a cigarette lighter, thrown in the duck pond, while he had the license for it in his pocket. In those days one needed a permit to own a cigarette lighter, as imposed by Salazar to protect the matches industry.

Other items are plain local knowledge:

"Black it is, Chicken made it" (a pun on a children's charade, "White it is, chicken hatched it", to which the answer is "the egg")—it happens that the gates of the Botanical Garden are black, and were made by a person named Chicken (Galinha).

Bet you can't climb the Monumental Stairs, two steps at a time, as there are 125 steps in 5 installments of 25 steps each.

Business incubator and science park

The Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN), founded by the University of Coimbra, is a business incubator and an innovation and technology transfer center of the university, working for the business and applied research communities. The Coimbra iParque is a science park which has among its several founders and associates the University of Coimbra. Notable startup companies born from the University of Coimbra include ISA, Critical Software, Crioestaminal, Ciberbit and Feedzai.

Academics

Reputation

University of Coimbra's reputation in teaching and research is testified by independent external rankings and reports. According to The Times Higher Education Supplement (2007 QS World University Rankings, by QS – Quacquarelli Symonds), the University of Coimbra was ranked number 3 among the universities in the Portuguese-speaking countries (behind the University of São Paulo and

the University of Campinas), and ranked 318 in the overall world rank. It was ranked number one among the universities of the Portuguese-speaking countries in 2006. It tends to be ranked number one (consistently one of the top) in Portugal, number 3 among the universities in the Portuguese-speaking countries, and number 394 in the world (234 in Natural Sciences, 260 in Engineering & IT, 282 in Social Sciences, 290 in Arts & Humanities, 325 in Life Sciences). In addition, it has students from 70 different nationalities; almost 20% of its students are foreigners, being among Portugal's most international universities.

The University of Coimbra is among the major science and technology hubs for applied and fundamental research in Portugal. One of the most powerful supercomputers in Portugal belongs to the University of Coimbra and is managed by the Laboratory for Advanced Computing of the Department of Physics at the University of Coimbra. Built in the mid-2000s, the supercomputer was called Milipeia, using 528 processors and 1000 GB of memory. Its capacity has been expanded since then. The main tasks of the university's supercomputer include modeling and calculus in molecular biology, genetics, particle physics, astrophysics, mathematics, engineering, geophysics, condensed matter physics, etc. Besides University of Coimbra's researchers, other Portuguese scientific community members are allowed to work with Milipeia.

The university is also notorious in Portugal for being the national university with the highest rate of academic inbreeding, with 80% of its hired faculty having obtained their doctoral degrees at the University of Coimbra, this factor is most pronounced at the Faculty of Law (100%) and the Faculty of Medicine (97%).

In 2023–2026, in the wake of the Gaza war, the university was criticized for discrimination, antisemitism and hosting pro-Hamas propaganda. Pro-Israeli NGO Combat Antisemitism Movement accused university faculty members of hanging signs praising Yahya Sinwar and others calling to kick out all Israelis. On 11 November 2025, testimonies of hatred and discrimination together with leaked documents were given at the European Parliament under the European Whistleblower Protection Directive. In additional cases, students were found sharing pro-Nazi material within student Whatsapp groups. A landmark ruling made on 27 March 2026 by the Ombudsman of Portugal concluded that the university has broken the principle of material truth, article 115 of the Portuguese administrative law, by failing to investigate reports of antisemitic harassment within its establishment. Furthermore, according to the ruling, the university has violated the Constitution of Portugal by threatening a student from exposing harassment within the establishment with legal means. The ruling forced the university to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism and offer individual reparations to the student involved. News Now further accused professors of promoting terror organizations, violating national anti-terror laws. In August 2026, News Now reported that some of the faculties' outer walls contained posters and stickers promoting Yahya Sinwar and further discriminatory material against "Zionists". The university was also criticized for partnering as a research institution in the OppAttune project for reducing political extremism, while extremism was shown on its walls, and for having medical students spreading hate speech. In August 13, 2026, it was published that the Secretary of Higher Education ordered to start a criminal investigation over allegations of "discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence, public glorification or advocacy of a terrorist organization or offense, threats and simple assault" that occurred at and around the university between at least July 2024 to May 2026. The request was sent to the Attorney General after a letter that was signed by multiple civilians was forwarded from the Prime Minister office.

Organisation and length of courses

School year calendar starts in October and finishes in July. In 2004, it was among the first universities in Portugal limiting the time for degree completion. The degree programmes have a specified minimum and maximum time for completion. The time limit is 6 years from the date of first enrolment for the 4 years degrees, and 8 years from the date of first enrolment for 6 years degrees (i.e. Medicine). After that, students have to pay the entire costs of their courses. The tuition fee for undergraduate degrees was €356/year in 2002/2003. It was increased to €880/year in 2004/2005 and to €901,23/year in 2005/2006, the maximum fee allowed to state universities by law. Even with the time limit and the increased tuition fees, the university has had a high number of applicants every year. Like other universities in Portugal, and unlike the polytechnical institutes and many private universities, the university does not have special classes for workers or night classes. Overcrowded classrooms have been frequent in some disciplines at the Faculties of Science and Technology, Law, and Economics. In those occasions, students may stand during the classes or even stay outside the classroom. These faculties have the highest abandon rate and the biggest average time for degree completion. New buildings, campus expansion and modernized infrastructures since the late 1990s and the 2000s, have solved almost all these problems.

Admission

Admission is strictly merit-based, and the university has several departments which are known for higher-than-average selectiveness. Numerus clausus is applied to select among competing applicants. To programmes such as medicine, pharmacy, biomedical engineering, and architecture, admission is an extraordinarily difficult process, and demand a minimum grade point average from high school plus the entrance exams, that usually ranges from 170 to 200 (out of 200). Acceptance rates may vary significantly from faculty to faculty or from department to department. Foreign applicants usually make up more than 10 percent of the applicant pool, and are considered individually by the merits achieved in their respective state of origin or through bilateral protocols between the governments of Portugal and foreign governments. There are also a number of other extraordinary admission processes for older people (admission for candidates older than 23 years old), sportsmen, degree owners from other institutions, students from other institutions (academic transfer), former students (readmission), etc., which are subject to specific standards and regulations set by each department or faculty.

Notable alumni and students

Many Portuguese historical figures and renowned personalities noted for their activity in fields ranging from politics to culture to the sciences, attended the University of Coimbra as students or lecturers. The long list of personalities includes:

Luís Vaz de Camões, Portugal’s poet;

Egas Moniz, Portuguese neurologist and Nobel Prize winner;

António de Oliveira Salazar, former Prime Minister of Portugal;

Aristides de Sousa Mendes, Portuguese diplomat who saved thousands of refugees during World War II;

Pedro Nunes, Portuguese mathematician;

Christopher Clavius, German mathematician and a key figure in the creation of the Gregorian calendar;

Sam Hou Fai, Chief Executive of Macao.

In popular culture

In chapter 6 of Voltaire's novella Candide, first published in 1759, the narrator remarks that the University of Coimbra had decided that "the burning of a few people alive by a slow fire, and with great ceremony, is an infallible secret to hinder the earth from quaking."

In the comics series Tintin, Senhor Pedro João Dos Santos is a Portuguese physicist of the University of Coimbra. He was a member of Decimus Phostle's expedition team to recover samples from a fallen meteorite in the Arctic Ocean, the Aurora Expedition. He is seen only in The Shooting Star, the tenth volume of The Adventures of Tintin. The story was serialised daily in Le Soir, Belgium's leading francophone newspaper, from October 1941 to May 1942.