Students rally in Lisbon against proposed tuition-fee increases

University students gathered in Lisbon on 21 October to oppose the government’s proposal to end the tuition-fee freeze. Student associations organised the protest outside Culturgest, near the government headquarters at Campus XXI.

The draft 2027 budget would set the maximum fee for undergraduate and higher technical professional courses in 2027/28 at the current €697 ceiling plus average consumer-price inflation excluding housing in 2026.

This remains a proposal rather than a newly enacted charge already being collected. Notícias ao Minuto notes that the ceiling has remained at its current level since 2020/21.

Observador reported demands concerning the wider cost of studying, grants and university funding. Some participants called for tuition fees to be abolished altogether.

Demonstrators agreed to another protest on 18 November, walking from Largo do Carmo to parliament. Any definitive change in what families pay will depend on the legislative outcome, rather than on the announcement of the proposal alone.

Observador reports Education Minister Fernando Alexandre defending indexation on grounds including social fairness, stronger grant funding and institutions’ financial sustainability. Student representatives point instead to the combined burden of accommodation, food and course materials.

The scope of the proposal and the ceilings applying to different courses therefore matter. The inflation formula for undergraduate fees does not mean all master’s programmes share the same tariff. Protesters’ concerns extend beyond a first-year increase to the longer-term affordability of attending university.