*All the IAGE/Law Exchange programs are only open to Law JD students
For current budget information on this program please contact your study abroad advisor.
The Universidad Catolica Portuguesa is located in central Lisbon, which is a vibrant, dynamic, and surprisingly affordable European capital city. The law school was established after the Portuguese revolution of April 1974, a time of deep crisis for university education in Portugal. From the beginning, the Catolica has been a highly ranked, progressive and innovative law school. Over the past few years, it has established exchange programs with universities in Europe and in the United States and routinely brings to the Lisbon campus a number of international experts in public and private law. In the most recent ranking of Der Spiegel, a prestigious European newspaper, the Catolica was ranked in the top 15 of all European law schools.
The Catolica curriculum offers a number of courses in English, and the exchange students can choose from courses in English and Portuguese. The curriculum has an important European and international focus and includes courses on several areas of European Union Law, Comparative Law, Business Law and Criminal Law. The Catolica's academic year is divided into two semesters. The fall semester runs from mid September through mid December, while the spring semester begins in February and ends in late May. Special arrangements will be made to ensure that U.S. exchange students can complete their examinations in time to return to their home campus to continue their legal education. Our exchange agreement with the Catolica provides for two student exchanges per year, for one semester each.
Pre-departure Orientation
All students are required to participate in a pre-departure orientation organized by the Study Abroad Office. This orientation will offer important information on academic and administrative matters, as well as on health and safety abroad. For exact dates, time and location for the pre-departure orientation meetings, please refer to your study abroad application.
Application Information
All materials must be submitted to the Study Abroad Office by the Study Abroad Office deadlines. Preference will be given to students applying by the priority deadline:
- June 15 - Spring Semester Programs
- January 15 - Summer/Fall/Academic Year Programs
Application Process
Students are required to apply through the Study Abroad Office in order to get University of Illinois financial aid and scholarship as well as credits and grades for course work completed. All participants are expected to adhere to the policies and procedures of the University of Illinois Study Abroad Office.
All students are required to attend a First Steps meeting before the application deadline. We encourage attendance as soon as possible to help make decisions regarding student's chosen program. Please see the Study Abroad Home Page for information about First Steps time and location for this semester.
All applications include, at the minimum: an official transcript, 1 or 2 letters of recommendation (on-line recommended), an essay, and some on-line questionnaires. Other programs will require more materials. Please click Apply Now above to apply. Note that you will be charged a non-refundable $100 application fee by clicking Apply Now.
For more information, please contact Illinois Abroad and Global Exchange (IAGE):
910 South Fifth Street
115 International Studies Building
Champaign, IL 61820
217-333-6322
iage@illinois.edu
