Cascais Raises Its University Grants by Half: 1,250 or 1,750 Euros a Year, and Permanent Residents May Apply Until 16 October

Cascais City Council has put 1.8 million euros into university grants for the 2026/2027 academic year, enough for about 1,200 students, and applications are open now. The budget is 50 percent higher than last year's 1.2 million euros, the mayor, Nuno Piteira Lopes (PSD), told the Lusa news agency on Friday.

"Investing in education is investing in people and in the future of Cascais," he said, adding that the aim is for more young people to be able to go on to higher education "regardless of their economic situation".

How much, and for whom

The grant is paid once a year, by bank transfer, directly to the student (or to the parent or guardian if the student is under 18). According to the council's own programme page, it is worth:

• 1,250 euros for students at an institution inside the Lisbon Metropolitan Area;
• 1,750 euros for students studying outside it.

The programme is aimed at students with fewer financial resources, and household income is part of the assessment. To apply, a student must have their tax address (domicílio fiscal) in Cascais and be enrolled in a course leading to a licenciatura (with or without an integrated master's) or a Curso Técnico Superior Profissional, at a public, private or cooperative institution recognised by the Directorate-General for Higher Education. They must be enrolled in at least 60 percent of the credits for the year, save for exceptions set out in the council's regulation.

For immigrant families, one line on the council's page matters. Besides Portuguese citizens resident in Cascais, the programme is open to holders of a permanent residence permit, and a residence permit issued by the competent authority is among the required documents.

Dates and documents

Applications run from 09:00 on 15 September to 18:00 on 16 October 2026, only through the council's MyCascais platform, and must be submitted by the students themselves. The council says applications made in someone else's name will be excluded. Late documents can be sent until 2 November. After the provisional list of approved and excluded applicants is published, there are ten working days to lodge a complaint.

The council's checklist includes proof of enrolment for 2026/2027 with the course units listed; a certificate of credits already completed (not needed for first-year students); the course's study plan; proof of a Cascais tax address issued by the tax authority this year; the tax authority's household composition statement for 2025; the household's 2025 IRS return and assessment note, or a certificate of no declared income; any Social Security benefits received in 2025; a bank statement of mortgage interest paid in 2025; and a signed declaration on honour.

The MyCascais account is the only channel the council will use during the process, so it needs working contact details. The council's free helpline is 800 203 186, from 09:00 to 18:00.

Part of a larger school budget

The grants sit inside a wider municipal education budget. The council says it is spending 83.6 million euros on school buildings between 2025 and 2028, including work at the Fernando Lopes-Graça secondary school in Parede (11 million euros), Ibn Mucana in Alcabideche (13.9 million euros) and São João do Estoril (14.2 million euros). It also plans 570,000 euros for school transport, with two new bus routes, the M45 and M46, and free travel for the municipality's students.