Master's in Law - Specialization in Social Law and Innovation
Being human is not an option
Presentation
The NOVA School of Law is at the forefront of higher education, characterized by its innovation. The importance of Social Law and Innovation are well recognized.
The fundamental goal of the course is to provide an integrated vision of a wide range of fields of study, such as Labour Law, Social Protection Law, Constitutional Justice, Life Sciences, Family and Children’s Law, Migration Law, International Human Rights Protection Systems, Corporate Social Responsibility, Mediation and Conflict Resolution.
The course is valued for its blend of traditional law with developments in the associated areas of Social and Innovation Law.
The course aims to provide law graduates with a balanced education in emerging areas of law, and to equip them with the necessary tools for a specialized career in a range of professional fields. The interdisciplinary course structure facilitates strategies to deal with complex problem resolution inherent in Social and Innovation Law.
This master’s degree is taught in Portuguese and English, according to the course units selected.
Language of instruction:
- Primary: English or Portuguese (only one required)
Attendance in Portuguese, English, or bilingual format.
Why choose this Master’s ?
- An innovative and international perspective on law and society.
- An integrated, multidisciplinary approach to labour, social protection, family law and migration.
- Opportunity for mediator certification, with access to the Ministry of Justice’s official mediators’ list.
Coordination
João Zenha Martins
Helena Bolina
Scientific Commission
President: Francisco Pereira Coutinho | Board Members: Lúcio Tomé Feiteira (taught component) | João Zenha Martins (taught component) | Veronica Corcodel (taught component) | Lucila de Almeida (research phase) | Filipe Brito Bastos (research phase) | Helena Bolina (research phase) | Orlando Scarcello (research phase) | Francisco Costa-Cabral (research phase)
Goals
Consolidate and deepen the knowledge acquired in the bachelor’s degree, especially with regard to Social and Innovation Law; Understand the structure, interconnection and scope of different social laws; Develop skills in scientific research; Identify labour negotiation strategies and conflict resolution with regard to labour, procedure, migration and social security; Knowledge of essential innovatory tools for a professional career in the field.
Target Applicant
The Master in Social and Innovation Law deepens the knowledge and skills acquired at bachelor degree level. Holders of a bachelor’s law degree or equivalent will be given preference in admissions.
Timetable
This course is taught during working hours*.
*Some Optional Curricular Units may have schedules that do not match the timetable of the course.
Certification
| Study Cycle | Degree | A3ES Decision | Number of Years | Publication of the A3ES decision | DGES registration number | Publication in Diário da República |
Law | Master | accredited | 6 | R/A -Ef 3196/2011/AL08 |
Employability
The Master’s in Social Law and Innovation is designed to provide Law graduates with advanced training in emerging and evolving areas of law. The programme provides students with the necessary skills and knowledge to pursue specialised careers in public or private organisations at a national or international level, including in the judiciary, legal practice and academic research. The programme’s comprehensive structure ensures an interdisciplinary approach, equipping future legal professionals with the ability to identify effective strategies and address the increasingly complex challenges that characterise the broad field of social law and innovation.
Research with Impact
The Knowledge Centres at the NOVA School of Law provide Master’s students with the opportunity to conduct scientific research in a variety of legal fields.
Find out more about the Knowledge Centres that complement the Master’s in Law – Specialization in Social Law and Innovation and enrich your research journey:
Testimonials
Curricular Plan
+ 2026/2027
In addition to the mandatory curricular unit, students must complete 32 ECTS in restricted-option courses from the list below and 22 ECTS in free-option courses that they can freely choose from any course taught at NOVA School of Law. Total ECTS for the teaching phase: 60 ECTS
From 2024/25, students will need to approve the curricular component with, at least 13,50 points out of 20 (13,5/20) to be able to enrol in the research phase (2nd year of the course).
Completion of the curricular component (60 ECTS), with any positive grade, grants the award of a Diploma in Postgraduate Studies in Law.
1st year – Taught Component
| 1st Semester | ECTS |
|---|---|
| Restricted Optionals | |
| Introdução à Mediação | 8 |
| Direito da Proteção Social | 6 |
| Direito do Trabalho em Funções Públicas | 6 |
| Environmental Law | 6 |
| EU Asylum and Migration Law | 6 |
| Fundamental Rights in EU Law | 6 |
| International Human Rights Protection Systems | 6 |
| International Humanitarian Law | 6 |
| Justiça Constitucional | 6 |
| Business, Human Rights and Sustainability | 4 |
| Insolvência | 4 |
| Free Option | |
| Comparative Equality Law | 6 |
| Life Sciences Law | 6 |
| Fundamentos Constitucionais da Atividade Administrativa | 4 |
| Introduction to Law for Non-Lawyers | 4 |
| Regulação e Riscos de Saúde Pública | 4 |
| Introdução ao Direito da União Europeia | 2 |
| 2nd Semester | ECTS |
|---|---|
| Mandatory | |
| Metodologia da Investigação Jurídica | 6 |
| Restricted Option | |
| Mediação – Técnicas e Processo | 8 |
| Consumer Law and Sustainable Innovation | 6 |
| Direito das Organizações Internacionais | 6 |
| Direito Penal Económico | 6 |
| Direito Processual do Trabalho | 6 |
| EU Data Protection Law: From Theory to Practice | 6 |
| Processo Penal Especial – Teoria da Prova | 6 |
| Direito da Família e da Criança | 4 |
| Direito do Desporto e Arbitragem Desportiva | 4 |
| Energy, Climate and the Just Transition | 4 |
| Ethics and Regulation of Artificial Intelligence | 4 |
| Free Option | |
| Direito das Contraordenações | 6 |
| E-Governance | 6 |
| Direito e Cinema | 4 |
| Human Rights Advocacy | 4 |
| Sustainability for All 2 | 3 |
*Students may choose to complete this subject in the Portuguese or the English class. They should enrol accordingly.
**The successful completion of both curricular units, fulfilling the minimum requirement of class attendance, represents certified training, giving access to the list of certified mediators of the Ministry of Justice.
***Data Protection and Management Law is a course offered by NOVA School of Law’s Jean Monnet Module on European Union Data Protection Law in Portugal (DataporEU).
****Limited to 10 students, with preference given to those enrolled in the EU Migration and Asylum Law curricular unit.
(The curricular units presented as free options are suggestions and may be changed. In free-option curricular units that are compulsory for other master’s programmes, enrolment and attendance depends on logistical and pedagogical possibilities).
2nd year – Research Phase
| Research Phase | ECTS |
|---|---|
| Mandatory | |
| Dissertation, internship at national or international institution or project work. | 60 |
+ 2025/2026
In addition to the mandatory curricular unit, students must complete 32 ECTS in restricted-option courses from the list below and 22 ECTS in free-option courses that they can freely choose from any course taught at NOVA School of Law. Total ECTS for the teaching phase: 60 ECTS
From 2024/25, students will need to approve the curricular component with, at least 13,50 points out of 20 (13,5/20) to be able to enrol in the research phase (2nd year of the course).
Completion of the curricular component (60 ECTS), with any positive grade, grants the award of a Diploma in Postgraduate Studies in Law.
1st year – Taught Component
| 1st Semester | ECTS |
|---|---|
| Restricted Optionals | |
| Introdução à Mediação** | 8 |
| Corporate Governance | 6 |
| Direito do Trabalho em Funções Públicas | 6 |
| Direito das Organizações Internacionais | 6 |
| Environmental Law | 6 |
| International Humanitarian Law | 6 |
| International Human Rights Protection Systems | 6 |
| Human Rights Moot Court | 4 |
| Direito do Desporto | 4 |
| Emerging Technologies: Governance and Regulation | 4 |
| Business, Human Rights and Sustainability | 4 |
| Energy Law | 4 |
| Insolvência | 4 |
| Estudos Interdisciplinares (Direito e Cinema)***** | 4 |
| Free Option | |
| Contratação Pública | 6 |
| Regulação e Riscos de Saúde Pública | 4 |
| Fundamentos Constitucionais da Atividade Administrativa | 4 |
| Introdução ao Direito da União Europeia | 2 |
| 2nd Semester | ECTS |
|---|---|
| Mandatory | |
| Metodologia da Investigação Jurídica*** | 6 |
| Restricted Option | |
| Mediação – Técnicas e Processo** | 8 |
| Direitos Fundamentais Sociais | 6 |
| Fundamental Rights in EU Law | 6 |
| Processo Penal Especial | 6 |
| Direito Processual do Trabalho | 6 |
| EU Asylum and Migration Law**** | 6 |
| Direito Penal Económico | 6 |
| EU Data Protection Law: From Theory to Practice | 6 |
| Direito da Família e da Criança | 4 |
| Energy, Climate and the Just Transition | 4 |
| Ethics and Regulation of Artificial Intelligence | 4 |
| Free Option | |
| E-Governance | 6 |
| Direito das Contraordenações | 6 |
| Resolução de Litígos Administrativos | 6 |
| Clinical Course in Cross-Border Child Protection Services* | 4 |
*Data Protection and Management Law is a course offered by NOVA School of Law’s Jean Monnet Module on European Union Data Protection Law in Portugal (DataporEU).
*Limited to 10 participants, only for students who are also enrolled in the EU Migration and Asylum Law curricular unit.
**The successful completion of both curricular units, fulfilling the minimum requirement of class attendance, represents certified training, giving access to the list of certified mediators of the Ministry of Justice. The number of places on the Mediation – Techniques and Process course is 50, with preference being given to students who have attended the Introduction to Mediation course and are in a position to obtain certification.
***Students may choose to complete this subject in the Portuguese or the English class.
****Enrolment in this curricular unit requires enrolment in the course Human Rights International Protection Systems
******Limited to 20 participants
(The curricular units presented as free options are suggestions and may be changed. In free-option curricular units that are compulsory for other master’s programmes, enrolment and attendance depends on logistical and pedagogical possibilities).
2nd year – Research Phase
| Research Phase | ECTS |
|---|---|
| Mandatory | |
| Dissertation, internship at national or international institution or project work. | 60 |
Objectives and Structure of the Curricular Units
Tuition Fees
In master’s degrees and doctorates, the tuition fee for part-time students corresponds to 65% of the tuition fee owed by full-time students.
*Tuition fees as deliberated by the General Council on 16 December 2025
** Applicable only if the course is not terminated inside the established deadline.
Reading of this information does not exempt consultation of the Regulation for Tuition Fees, and full documentation regarding fees, emoluments and taxes for the academic year in question.
Tuition fees are annual and due in full upon enrolment in the course. Payment in instalments is allowed for students’ mere convenience.
In the case of withdrawal from the course, the amounts already paid are not refundable. The remaining tuition fee payments due for the academic year of the application must also be paid.
For admission to master’s courses (2nd cycle), and only in situations where the student does not complete the course necessary for admission (in these cases, the student must prove the situation by means of a 2026/27 enrolment statement from the institution of origin), the amounts paid for tuition fees may be subject to a refund request, in accordance with the provisions of Article 20 of Regulation No. 452/2024 (fees, school insurance and administrative costs are not refundable).
Payments must be made via Visa, PayPal, MBWay or Multibanco payments, through NetPA. The system validates payments in a few minutes, maximum. Failure to pay tuition fees within the time limits indicated results in an increase in the amount to be settled and/or the suspension of enrolment and registration, as well as the invalidity of all curricular acts practised in the academic year in which the payment dates are not respected.
Payment by instalments
Annual tuition fees for the taught component
The annual tuition fees for the taught component can be paid in 10 instalments
- 10 instalments: 1st instalment of 20% of the total amount paid at the time of enrolment, and the remaining amount in 9 instalments paid between the 1st and 10th of the months of September to May.
Tuition fees of the Research Phase
Tuition fees for the Research phase can be paid in 10 instalments.
- 10 instalments: 1st instalment of 20% of the total amount paid upon enrolment and the remaining amount in 9 instalments paid between the 1st and 10th of the months of October through June.
Tuition fee for an additional Research Phase semester
Additional semester tuition fees for the Research Phase can be paid in 4 instalments.
- 4 instalments: 25% of the total amount paid at registration, remaining instalments:
- 1st semester: between the 1st and 10th (October, November, January);
- 2nd semester: between the 1st and 10th (March, April, May).
Fee for the extension of Deadline of delivery of the Research Phase:
Fees are paid in full at the time of registration.
Merit Awards
The number of awards is established annually by the NOVA School of Law Board. Merit awards for admission to a Master’s degree are awarded as follows:
- Each selection panel for admission to a 2nd cycle of studies at NOVA School of Law submits a reasoned proposal with the candidates it proposes to award a merit award, taking into account the admission classification for the respective Master’s programme.
- The decision on the awarding of merit awards is made by the Merit Awards Jury. This Jury will set the criteria and evaluate the applications in order to rank them according to merit, with a view to selecting candidates with a previous track record indicative of talent.
- The merit award is granted subject to enrolment in the relevant study cycle and consists of a cash amount corresponding to 30% or 50% of the tuition fees that candidates will pay in the academic year of entry to the course, this amount being set by the Merit Award Jury taking into account the candidates’ graduation.
- For each Master’s degree or, in the case of the Master’s in Law, for each specialisation, at least one merit award of 50% and one merit award of 30% will be awarded.
In the research phase of the Master’s degree, three academic merit awards are awarded each academic year in each cycle of studies, or in each area of specialisation in the case of the Master’s degree in Law:
- The best student in the teaching phase of each cycle of studies or area of specialisation of a cycle of studies who continues and attends the research phase will be awarded a cash prize corresponding to 100% of the tuition fees payable for the research phase of the Master’s degree, if their average grade is equal to or higher than 18.00 (on a scale of 0/20).
- The second best student in the teaching phase of each study cycle or area of specialisation of a study cycle who continues and attends the research phase, or the two best students, if the first does not achieve an average equal to or higher than 18.00 points, a cash prize corresponding to 60% of the tuition fees payable for the research phase of the Master’s degree is awarded.
- The third best student in the teaching phase of each study cycle or area of specialisation of a study cycle who continues and attends the research phase is awarded a cash prize corresponding to 40% of the tuition fees payable for the research phase of the Master’s degree.
To assess the best grades in the teaching phase, only grades obtained at NOVA School of Law are taken into account.
Only students who complete the teaching phase on time and attend full-time are eligible for academic merit awards.
The merit award for the research phase only covers the time specified in the Regulations for the respective study cycle for the completion of this phase, not including additional semesters.
Scholarships for Access to Study Cycles at NOVA University Lisbon
The Scholarships for Access to Study Cycles are available to students of the three study cycles, being students of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, nationals or stateless persons, foreigners with tax residence in Portugal or with refugee status, who are in a situation of financial need and who do not benefit from the scholarships awarded by the Directorate-General for Higher Education, or whose value proves to be insufficient.
Full scholarship details here.
José Neves Foundation Grant
This course is eligible for the José Neves Foundation ISA scholarship programme. Find out more information here.
Emoluments/Charges and Taxes Fees
- Application fee: 51.00€
- Administrative costs per registration/enrolment (each year): 35.00€
- Institution insurance (each year): 3.00€
- Registration Certificate: 6.00 €
- Improvement grade exam: 15.00 €/enrolement
- Conclusion Certificate: 50€
Payment by instalments
Annual tuition fees for the taught component The annual tuition fees for the taught component can be paid in 10 instalments- 10 instalments: 1st instalment of 20% of the total amount paid at the time of enrolment, and the remaining amount in 9 instalments paid between the 1st and 10th of the months of September to May.
- 10 instalments: 1st instalment of 20% of the total amount paid upon enrolment and the remaining amount in 9 instalments paid between the 1st and 10th of the months of October through June.
- 4 instalments: 25% of the total amount paid at registration, remaining instalments:
-
- 1st semester: between the 1st and 10th (October, November, January);
- 2nd semester: between the 1st and 10th (March, April, May).
-
Merit Awards
The number of awards is established annually by the Board of NOVA School of Law. Merit Awards are awarded to:- Candidates whose final average admission to a 2nd study cycle at NOVA School of Law, according to assessment and ranking by the appropriate jury, is equal to or higher than 17,00 points (on a scale of 0/20) and who enrol and attend the same course, benefit from amonetary award corresponding to 50% of the due tuition fee for the taught component of the Master’s degree.
- Candidates whose final average admission to a 2nd study cycle at NOVA School of Law, according to assessment and ranking by the appropriate jury, is equal to or higher than 16,00 points and lower than 17 (on a scale of 0/20) and who enrol and attend the same course, benefit from a monetary award corresponding to 30% of the due tuition fee for the taught component of the Master’s degree.
- The best student of the taught component of each study cycle or specialization area of a study cycle who continues and attends the Research Phase benefits from a monetary award corresponding to 100% of the tuition fee due for the Research Phase phase of the Master’s degree;
- The second-best student of the taught component of each study cycle or specialization area of a study cycle who continues and attends the Research Phase benefits from a monetary award corresponding to 60% of the tuition fee due for the Research Phase phase of the Master’s degree;
- The third-best student of the taught component of each study cycle or specialization area of a study cycle who continues and attends the Research Phase of the Master’s degree benefits from a monetary award corresponding to 40% of the tuition fee due for the Research Phase phase of the Master’s degree.
Scholarships for Access to Study Cycles at NOVA University Lisbon
The Scholarships for Access to Study Cycles are available to students of the three study cycles, being students of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, nationals or stateless persons, foreigners with tax residence in Portugal or with refugee status, who are in a situation of financial need and who do not benefit from the scholarships awarded by the Directorate-General for Higher Education, or whose value proves to be insufficient. Full scholarship details here.José Neves Foundation Grant
This course is eligible for the José Neves Foundation ISA scholarship programme. Find out more information here.Emoluments/Charges and Taxes Fees
- Application fee: 51.00€
- Administrative costs per registration/enrolment (each year): 35.00€
- Institution insurance (each year): 3.00€
- Registration Certificate: 6.00 €
- Improvement grade exam: 15.00 €/enrolement
- Conclusion Certificate: 50€
Applications
Important Notice to All Prospective Students
NOVA School of Law wishes to inform all prospective students that we do not employ or authorize any representatives, agents, or intermediaries for admissions, application processing, or fee payments.
Our only partner is Keystone, but exclusively as a provider of information to prospective students. All applications, registrations, and payments must be handled directly by the candidate with the School’s Applications and Academic Services.
Please be aware of potential scams, especially those targeting international students, where third parties claim to facilitate the admissions and VISA process for a fee. These claims are false and unauthorized.
All applications are received through our official portal, and assessed according to their merit, taking into account the selection criteria defined by the scientific committees.
For your safety and to ensure a legitimate application process, always communicate directly with the School’s Applications and Academic Services through our official contact channels, by e-mail or telephone (+351 21 384 74 00).
We do not accept any liability for losses incurred due to interactions with unauthorized third parties.
Thank you for your attention and cooperation
2026/2027
General course information
- Duration: 4 semesters
- Number of ECTS: 120
- Number of places: 120 in the Master’s in Law – The places will be distributed by the jury between the various areas of specialisation (International and European Law, Public Regulation Law and Social and Innovation Law), according to the number of applications submitted for each of them.
- Teaching language: Portuguese and English, according to the subjects selected.
1st Phase of Applications:
- Submission of applications: From 2 to 27 February 2026
- Publication of the list of allocated places: By 1 April 2026
- Appeals regarding placements: From 1 to 8 April 2026
- Enrolment: From 20 to 27 April 2026
- Enrolment in subjects: From 14 to 24 July 2026
2nd Phase of Applications:
- Submission of applications: From 29 April to 8 May 2026
- Publication of the list of allocated places: By 22 May 2026
- Appeals regarding placements: From 22 to 29 May 2026
- Enrolment: From 3 to 9 June 2026
- Enrolment in subjects: From 14 to 24 July 2026
Admission requirements
Applications will be accepted from:
- Holders of a bachelor’s degree certificate from a higher education institution in countries that subscribe to the Bologna Declaration and others considered to be similar, taking into account the respective curricular structure, with mention of the final average.*
- Holders of a foreign higher academic degree that is recognised as satisfying the objectives of the degree of licenciado by the competent scientific body of NOVA School of Law, with a mention of the final average.*
For bachelor degree finalists:
- Conditional applications are accepted from students who can demonstrate that they are in their final year of their course. If accepted in the programme, they must submit a certificate of completion by 15 October 2026
Applicants who are required to complete their degree must present:
- A formal statement from the educational institution where they are enrolled, showing all subjects they have completed, their final grade and their current average grade. This document must also state the expected date for the completion of the program. Without this official document from the institution of origin, signed and stamped, the final grade awarded will be of 10/20 points. Print screens from academic portals are not accepted.
For the purposes of evaluation by the jury, students from NOVA School of Law must attach the free of charge document ‘Mapa de Notas e Média’ taken from their NetPA. The grade point average indicated in the document will be used for the calculation in the application
Current finalist averages will be granted to the closest whole number to their current grade.
*Failure to prove the final classification of the Academic Degree in the terms mentioned above will result in the final classification of 10 points being awarded for the purposes of the application process
Selection and Ranking Criteria
Applications are ranked according to the score obtained in the selection process, based on individual merit. The following criteria are taken into account:
- Final grade in the degree course you are applying for (50%);
- Relevance and suitability of previous experience for the master’s course (50%) – the jury will give each candidate a score on a scale of 0 to 20, based on an analysis of the letter of motivation and curriculum vitae, and the members of the jury may decide to hold interviews with all or some of the candidates. These interviews can be held online, and each candidate who is selected for interview will receive notification to this effect via the email address used for the application.
Candidates assessed with a mark lower than 9.5 will be automatically excluded.
Application process
Submission of applications:
The application must be accompanied by the following elements:
- Motivation letter;
- Curriculum vitae (European model);
- Copy of the certificate of completion of the course(s); candidates with foreign qualifications must send transcripts showing the coefficient of performance or a statement with the final average of the degree, as well as the grading scale used in the country of origin of the course. Diplomas that are not presented in Portuguese, English, French or Spanish must be accompanied by a translation certified by the relevant authorities (the grade will be converted to the Portuguese scale in accordance with DGES criteria, rounded up to the nearest whole number);
- Proof of Tax ID Number, where applicable;
- Proof of ID;
- In the case of an International Student **, a declaration, sworn on honour, in which the candidate declares that he/she does not have Portuguese nationality, nor is covered by any of the exceptions in Article 2(2) of Regulation no. 687/2020, of 20 August, which, under the terms of Decree-Law no. 36/2014, of 10 March, excludes him/her from the status of International Student – model Declaration of honour | International Student;
- For applications for the national student scheme whose applicants present an identification document with a nationality other than Portuguese or EU, a declaration on honour that the applicant has Portuguese nationality or is covered by one of the exceptions in Article 2(2) of Regulation no. 687/2020 of 20 August, which, under the terms of Decree-Law no. 36/2014 of 10 March, excludes him/her from International Student status – model Declaration of Honour;
- Applicants who are required to complete their degree must send a statement from the educational institution where they are currently enrolled, showing all subjects they have completed, their final grade and their current average grade. This document must also state the expected date of completion of the program. Without this official document from the institution of origin, signed and stamped, the degree mark awarded will be 10/20 points. Print screens from academic portals are not accepted.
For the purposes of evaluation by the jury, students from NOVA School of Law must attach the free of charge document ‘Mapa de Notas e Média’ taken from their NetPA. The grade point average indicated in the document will be used for the calculation in the application. - After submitting the application, candidates must pay the fee according to the designated references (€51, which can be paid via Multibanco, MB way, Paypal or Visa). The application will only be sent for assessment once payment has been made.
Applications that are not accompanied by all the documents, or for which the application fee has not been paid, will be rejected outright.
** For the purposes of the provisions of Decree-Law no. 36/2014, of 10 March, amended by Decree-Law no. 113/2014, of 16 July and republished under the terms of Decree-Law no. 62/2018, of 6 August, an international student will be those who meet the conditions described at https://novalaw.unl.pt/candidatos-internacionais.
Optional documents
Candidates may submit a request for accreditation of academic training and professional experience obtained prior to entering the study cycle. Accreditation processes take into account the level of credits corresponding to previous training, and under no circumstances will accreditation be allowed for further studies in a study cycle for training undertaken as part of a study cycle at a lower level of qualification. For the purposes of accreditation, the candidate must fill in a specific form and attach all the relevant documentation. When the request for accreditation is made at the time of application, accreditation is not a sufficient condition for admission to the study cycle and only takes effect after admission and only in that same study cycle.
Important information about documentation
Whenever the above-mentioned documents are issued in a language other than Spanish, French, English or Portuguese, you must provide a translation of them, accordingly. The translations must be duly certified by relevant authorities. Otherwise, the applications will be rejected.
If there are any inquiries about the documents presented, particularly in the case of documents obtained abroad, recognition may be requested by the local Portuguese consular agent and/or legalised by the Apostille system under the terms of the Convention on the Abolition of the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Acts (better known as the Hague Convention), signed in The Hague on 5 October 1961, with the exception of documents issued by Higher Education Institutions in European Union countries.
Deadline for the submission of the course completion certificate, according to the point “Copy of the course completion certificate(s)” for successful candidates: 15 October 2026.
Deadlines 1st phase
- Applications: From 2 to 27 February 2026
Deadlines 2nd phase
- Applications: From 23 April to 7 May 2025
- Publication of results: By 21 May 2025
- Registration: From 30 May to 6 June 2025
Deadlines 3rd phase
- Applications: From 18 to 25 June 2025
- Publication of results: By 9 July 2025
- Registration: From 18 to 25 July 2025
Application fees
The application fee is €51 (fifty-one euros) and will not be refunded if the application is rejected or not selected. This information does not dispense with consulting the 2026/27 tuition fees notice, available on the NOVA School of Law website, as well as the NOVA fees table applicable for the current academic year.
For more information on tuition fees candidates should consult the NOVA School of Law’s Regulations on Tuition Fees, Fees and Emoluments.
Applications through the NOVA School of Law applications portal.
Readmissions
Readmission is the act by which a student, after interruption of studies in an institution/course of higher education, enrols in the same institution and in the same course or in the updated version of the course.
Requirements:
Students who can apply for readmission to any cycle of studies:
- Must have already been enrolled at NOVA School of Law, in the same course in which they are already registered, without having completed it;
- Must not have been enrolled in that course in the previous academic year to the one in which they intend to be readmitted to;
- Those students whose registration has lapsed due to the requirements in force may apply for readmission once two school semesters have elapsed since the date of the lapsing.
Pursuant to Regulation No. 27/2024, students may only re-enroll in the research phase of a master’s degree program if they have completed the research phase with an average grade of 13.50 or above (Article 2(1)).
The Faculty reserves the right to refuse readmission to applications from students whose curricular record indicates serious difficulties in adapting to the study plan in force and to the type of lecturing provided at NOVA School of Law. Requests from students who are in debt to the School for tuition fees or any other amounts will be rejected, subject to the provisions of Law Nº. 75/2019, of September 2.
Deadlines for submission of applications | School Year 2025/26:
2nd Semester
Submission of the application | From 12 to 16 January 2026 |
Enrolment and Registration for Curricular Units | From 02 to 6 February 2026 |
Deadlines for submission of applications | School Year 2026/27:
1st Semester
Submission of the application | From 29 June to 3 July 2026 |
Enrolment and Registration for Curricular Units | From 31 August to 4 September 2026 |
2nd Semester
Submission of the application | From 12 to 16 January 2027 |
Enrolment and Registration for Curricular Units | From 2 to 5 February 2027 |
Instructions for submitting the application (online):
The application is submitted online through NetPA by filling in a form and uploading the necessary documents, namely:
- Online submission of a simple digital copy of the citizen card or passport (international applicants)
- Payment of the application fee through the PayPal, Visa, MBway or Multibanco references on the system: 70.00€ (non-refundable), validated by the system in few minutes.
- For candidates who present identification documents with a nationality other than Portuguese or EU, a declaration, under oath, stating that the candidate has Portuguese nationality or is covered by one of the exceptions in Article 2(2) of Regulation No. 687/2020 of 20 August, which, under the terms of Decree-Law No. 36/2014 of 10 March, excludes them from International Student status – model Declaration of Honour.
Incomplete and/or unpaid applications will be automatically rejected.
Fees and Emoluments
Application Fee: 70,00€
Note: All due tuition and other fees should be checked in the course’s webpage, as well as in the tuitions annual order and NOVA fee’s table.
Tuition fees are fixed annually by the General Council of the NOVA University Lisbon.
Regulations Applicable: Decree-Law Nº. 36/2014, of March 10th, altered by Decree-Law Nº. 62/2018, of August 6th, and Regulation Nº. 436/2020, of April 28th, of NOVA School of Law.
Applications through the NOVA School of Law applications portal
Clear all your doubts
We are at your disposal to answer any questions you may have about studying at NOVA School of Law.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by email: apoio.candidato@novalaw.unl.pt.