The Vasco da Gama Program is an internal mobility program between higher education polytechnic schools launched by CCISP (Portuguese Polytechnics Coordinating Council). It is thus a national (Portuguese) – not a community – program.

Student mobility encompasses studies, traineeships, end-of-course work, or final projects, provided that these activities are part of the home institution’s course curriculum.

Eligibility

The program is intended for Portuguese national students, refugee students whose status is officially recognized by Portugal, stateless students, or students with permanent residency who are enrolled in a program at an IPVC School.

Applications

Applications always refer to the subsequent academic year and should be submitted to the Office of International Mobility and Cooperation (GMCI) by May 30.

Students can formally apply by filling out and signing the Application Form, which should also be signed by the IPVC Institutional Coordinator for International Relations and must include:

• The applicant’s name, year, and program
• Intended Program and School for attendance
• Intended study period (1 semester or 1 academic year).

A Learning Agreement for Studies must also be prepared and must contain:

• The courses to be taken at the host institution (in compliance with the learning agreement)
• The exchange period
• A course equivalence plan that has been agreed upon

The Learning Agreement will be approved and ratified by both institutions.

Duration

The duration of the study period at the host institution may last one semester or one academic year, depending on the agreement established between the applicant’s home and host institutions. The curricular organization of the program at the two schools and the nature of the work to be developed is taken into consideration.

Conditions

According to the learning agreement established between the institutions, the home institution recognizes the course credits obtained by the student at the host school by automatically granting credit equivalence.

Social Action Services maintains the housing that has been allocated to students at the home institution’s housing units when the periods of study do not cover the entire academic year.

Students also maintain all the benefits provided by the home institution’s Social Action Services.

At the host institution, visiting students are given equal access to the services provided by Social Action Services, with the exception of scholarships or grants.

At the end of the study period, the host institution certifies course credits at no charge to the students.

Students must regularly comply with the approved learning agreement and fully observe the assessment rules in effect at the host institution.

Once the mobility period ends, the student must prepare a report of the activities they had developed at the host institution. This report should detail both positive and negative points and must be submitted to the GMCI.

Failure to submit this report and non-compliance with the abovementioned assessment rules shall result in exclusion from all exchange programs.

Tuition Fees

Mobile students in the Vasco da Gama Program are exempt from paying the host institution’s tuition fees or other registration fees ^[1]. They shall, however, continue to pay the home institution’s tuition fees, i.e., IPVC’s tuition fees.

^{[1] However, some fees may be charged, such as school insurance, student association dues, photocopier use, laboratory products, etc., on an equal basis with local students.}