Diploma Supplement
The Diploma Supplement is a complementary document to the diploma which is conferred upon the student when they conclude a program of studies. It describes the higher education system of the diploma’s country of origin, and it characterizes the institution which provided the student’s educational training and conferred the diploma, as well as the activity undertaken by the student and its purpose. It also provides detailed information on the student’s educational activity and their results.
The Diploma Supplement is a bilingual document (Portuguese/English) issued by the competent entity that conferred the diploma.
The Diploma Supplement is merely informative in nature. It does not substitute the diploma, and it does not constitute as proof of the qualification to which it refers. Its issuance is mandatory and free of charge whenever a diploma is conferred.
Statement Templates
IPVC REGULATION FOR THE DIPLOMA SUPPLEMENT
Regulation No. 621/2011, December 2
(pursuant to Decree-law No. 42/2005 of February 22 and Ordinance No. 30/2008 of January 10)
1. Participation in administrative bodies
| Activity | Certification | Text in Portuguese | Files |
| Member of the Administrative Council | School Director | Student representative on the Administrative Council of the School of X between YY/YY and YY/YY | Download |
| Member of the Pedagogical Council | President of the Pedagogical Council | Student representative on the Pedagogical Council of the School of X between YY/YY and YY/YY | Download |
| Member of the Representative Assembly | School Director | Student representative in the Representative Assembly between YY/YY and YY/YY | Download |
| Member of the IPVC General Council | IPVC Administrator | Student representative on the IPVC General Council between YY/YY and YY/YY | Download |
| Member of the Standing Committee of the IPVC General Council | IPVC Administrator | Student representative on the Standing Committee of the IPVC General Council between YY/YY and YY/YY | Download |
| Member of the IPVC Academic Council | IPVC Administrator | Student representative in the IPVC Assembly between YY/YY and YY/YY | Download |
| Member of the Social Action Council | SAS administrator | Student representative on the Social Action Council between YY/YY and YY/YY | Download |
| Member of other Social Action Services Committees | SAS administrator | Student representative/member of the SAS Committee, (name), between YY/YY and YY/YY | Download |
- Student Community Representation
| Activity | Certification | Text in Portuguese | Files |
| Residents’ Committee | SAS administrator | Member of the Residents’ Committee in the Student Residence between YY/YY and YY/YY | Download |
| Student representative in study groups | School Director | Student representative in the study group, (name), between YY/YY and YY/YY | Download |
| Student representative on the program Committee | Program coordinator | Student delegate or representative of the program on the Pedagogical Council | Download |
| Association leader | President of the Student Association or Leadership of the respective SA (in the case of the President) | Member of the Student Association acting as (position) of the School of X between YY/YY and YY/YY | Download |
- Representations
| Activity | Certification | Text in Portuguese | Files |
| Member of Academic Tuna | IPVC Administrator or Director of the respective School | Member of the Academic Tuna, (name), between YY/YY and YY/YY | Download |
| High-performance athlete | SAS administrator | High-performance athlete or IPVC sports athlete in (sports category) during YY/YY | Download |
| IPVC high-performance athlete | SAS administrator | High-performance athlete for IPVC sports in (sports category) during YY/YY | Download |
| Active member of an artistic and cultural group of IPVC or a School | IPVC Administrator or Director of the respective School | Active member of (name), artistic and cultural group of IPVC or School, between YY/YY and YY/YY | Download |
- Language Skills
| Activity | Certification | Text in Portuguese | Files |
| Courses taken at IPVC or School | IPVC Administrator/Director of the respective School | The student participated in and passed X course held in Y, which had a duration of n hours. | Download |
| Courses funded by IPVC or School | IPVC Administrator/Director of the respective School | The student participated in and passed X course held in Y, which had a duration of n hours. | Download |
- Extracurricular Activities
| Activity | Certification | Text in Portuguese | Files |
| Curricular units | School Director | The student completed the following curricular units, which are not factored into their Licentiate Degree plan, and obtained the following ECTS classifications/credits. | Download |
| Non-curricular educational activity, seminars, studies, or internships | Director of the respective School | The student participated in non-curricular educational activity, seminars, studies, or internships, (name), at the national or foreign institution/company, (name), during YY/YY. | Download |
| Event organization | Director of the respective School | The student participated in the organization of (name), (within the scope of the course/program), held in YY/YY | Download |
| Development/participation in scientific, technical, cultural, artistic, sports, or recreational activities | School Director | The student participated/developed activity X, within the scope of initiative Y, between YY/YY and YY/YY. | Download |
| Erasmus Tutor/other programs and protocols | ERASMUS/International Relations Institutional Coordinator | In the YY/YY academic year, the student voluntarily tutored foreign students from (country) and supported their academic, social, and cultural integration. | Download |
- International Mobility
| Activity | Certification | Text in Portuguese | Files |
| Mobility under European Programs | ERASMUS Institutional Coordinator | In the YY/YY academic year, the student attended the (host institution) in (country) during (period) under the (program name). The student took the following courses and obtained the corresponding credits: (course) (duration) (number of credits) (classification). | Download |
| Intensive Programs | ERASMUS Institutional Coordinator | In the YY/YY academic year, the student participated in the Intensive Program, (name), which took place at (name of the host institution) in (country) between YY and YY (date). | Download |
| Mobility under other Collaboration Programs/Protocols | Director of the respective School | In the YY/YY academic year, the student attended the (host institution) in (country) during (period) under the (program name). | Download |
- National Mobility
| Activity | Certification | Text in Portuguese | Files |
| Vasco Da Gama mobility | Director of the respective School | In the YY/YY academic year, the student attended the (host institution) in (country) during (period) under the (program name). The student took the following courses and obtained the corresponding credits: (course) (duration) (number of credits) (classification). | Download |
| Mobility under other Collaboration Programs/Protocols | Director of the respective School | In the YY/YY academic year, the student attended the (host institution) in (country) during (period) under the (program name). Activities | Download |
- Scientific activities
| Activity | Certification | Text in Portuguese | Files |
| Poster presentations/communications in scientific initiatives | Director of the respective School | The student presented the poster/communicated (name) during (name of the event), which took place in (location) in YY/YY. | Download |
| Publication of papers | Director of the respective School | The student published (title of paper) in the (title of journal/book) in YY/YY. | Download |
| Member of a Research team | Director of the respective School | The student was part of the research team that developed the project (name), funded by (name), between YY/YY and YY/YY. | Download |
- Participation in community outreach
| Activity | Certification | Text in Portuguese | Files |
| Volunteer work | Director of the respective School | In the YY/YY academic year, the student voluntarily participated in (name of the action), within the framework of the initiative, (name). | Download |
| Social projects | Director of the respective School | In the YY/YY academic year, the student participated in (project name), within the framework of the initiative, (name). | Download |
| Specific projects (area of educational activity) | Director of the respective School | In the YY/YY academic year, the student participated in (project name), within the framework of the initiative, (name). | Download |
- Awards
| Activity | Certification | Text in Portuguese | Files |
| Academic Merit | IPVC Administrator | The student received the Grant (name of the entity), which is awarded to the best student finalist of the School of X for exceptional academic performance during the | Download |
| Academic Merit | IPVC Administrator | In the YY/YY academic year, the student received the Merit Scholarship granted under (Order No.), for exceptional academic performance during the (curricular year) of the (program name). | Download |
| Academic Merit | IPVC Administrator | The student received the Award granted by IPVC under (Order No.), for the best grade point average in the 1st curricular year of the (program name). | Download |
- Others
| Activity | Certification | Text in Portuguese | Files |
| Statutory Assembly | IPVC Administrator | Student representative in the XX Statutory Assembly between YY/YY and YY/YY. | Download |
Notes:
The acceptance criteria for eligible activities consider the following:
- Attendance – verification by the minutes recorded; minimum of 50% attendance in meetings
- Active and proven participation in activities
- Certificates issued.
FAQ
The Diploma Supplement is a bilingual document that complements the diploma. It is intended to facilitate the graduate’s mobility and to characterize their academic activities and professional skills.
According to paragraph 1 of article 1 of Ordinance 30/2008 of January 10, in addition to the subitems of article 38 of Decree-law No. 42/2005 of February 22, the Diploma Supplement is required to include the following information:
- A description of the Portuguese higher education system and its framework in the educational system at the time the student obtained the diploma
- A characterization of the institution that provided the educational training and conferred the diploma
- A characterization of the student’s educational training (degree, area, admission requirements, normal duration, level) and its purpose
- Detailed information on the student’s educational training and their results
The following information may also be included in the Diploma Supplement:
- The student’s passing grades in extracurricular units that do not factor into their degree plan
- The curricular units that the transfer student to IPVC (Institution/Program Transfer) had passed at the educational institution of origin but were not credited to the new degree plan
- The curricular units that the program transfer student had passed in the previous program they had attended but were not credited to the new degree plan
- The curricular units that the student had passed outside IPVC under a mobility program, such as Erasmus or any other program, but were not credited to their degree plan
- Attendance and organization of conferences, congresses, lectures, seminars, and other similar events
- Attendance and approval in short, intensive, specialization, and other similar programs at IPVC, provided that they are non-degree programs that the graduate has attended during the corresponding cycle of studies they have concluded
- Performance in administrative duties in an association, such as an Academic Federation, a Student Association, or another student group, provided that they operate within IPVC
- Organization of any other initiatives that demonstrates or helps demonstrate the graduate’s skills or development that may be necessary or useful to their academic or professional initiation or progress
- Athletic or sports activities within the scope of events or bodies related to IPVC
You should consult the drafts provided by IPVC regarding the activities eligible for the Diploma Supplement, which are provided in IPVC Regulation no. 621/2011.
The Diploma Supplement is issued by the higher education institution conferring the degree (in this case, IPVC).
The Diploma Supplement is merely informative. It does not substitute the diploma or substantiate the student’s qualification conferred by the diploma (article 4 of Ordinance 30/2008).
Thus, the student will have to provide evidence of their degree or other information included in the Diploma Supplement using other documents:
- The respective certificate of qualifications and/or diploma to provide evidence of their degree
- The respective certificate or diploma to provide evidence of the other information, such as participation in conferences, approval in specialization programs, etc.
No, issuance of the Diploma Supplement is mandatory and unofficial, even if the graduate does not have additional information to include in it (article 2, paragraph 1 of Ordinance No. 30/2008). You should refer to IPVC Regulation No. 621/2011.
Issuance of the Diploma Supplement is mandatory and free of charge whenever a diploma is conferred.
In Portugal, following the commitments made within the framework of the Bologna Process, Decree-law No. 42/2005 of February 22 was published. It approved the regulatory principles for the instruments used to develop European Higher Education, particularly with regard to the Diploma Supplement, essentially applying as of 2006-2007.
On January 10, 2008, Ordinance No. 30/2008 was published, which regulates article 39 of Decree-law No. 42/2005.
Anyone who has completed a cycle of studies within the Bologna framework receives the Diploma Supplement. Therefore, someone who concludes the Professional and Technical Program – CTeSP receives a Diploma Supplement. Someone who concludes the 1st Cycle of Studies – Licentiate Degree Program receives a Diploma Supplement. Someone who concludes the 2nd Cycle of Ctudies – Master’s Degree Program receives a Diploma Supplement
The Diploma Supplement is available as soon as the graduate receives the diploma or within the period defined in IPVC Regulation No. 621/2011.
Yes, those who want to incorporate optional information in the Diploma Supplement should inform the academic services.
Any eligible information for this purpose must be duly substantiated, as provided by IPVC Regulation No. 621/2011 of December 2.
You should consult the drafts provided by IPVC regarding the activities eligible for the Diploma Supplement.
The first copy of the Diploma Supplement is always free.
No, the Diploma Supplement does not substitute the Curriculum Vitae. The purpose of the Diploma Supplement is to account for the student’s activity in a certain cycle of studies. Therefore, in addition to the required courses, it contains a record of the activities that the graduate attended or developed within the institution that conferred the degree and issued the diploma. Consequently, there may be facts that the graduate would like to evidence that do not fall within the scope of the Diploma Supplement. In these cases, these facts may be included in the Curriculum Vitae.