Thousands march in Lisbon on National Student's Day demanding free higher education

Students march for free tuition and affordable housing

Hundreds of higher education students marched through central Lisbon on March 24, 2026, Portugal's National Student's Day. The march ran from Rossio Square to the Assembleia da República, the seat of the Portuguese parliament, a route that put the crowd directly outside the building where fee policy gets decided.

The Movimento Associativo Estudantil (MAE), Portugal's national student association movement, organized the protest with support from over 50 student associations, academic groups, and residents' committees. Marchers carried banners calling for the end of tuition fees and more government spending on ação social, Portugal's student welfare and grant system that covers meals, housing support, and emergency aid for low-income students.

The Lisbon march is part of a wider pattern of student and university-staff mobilization across Europe in 2026, with separate strikes and protests over education funding also disrupting universities in Germany and Romania this year. Organizers in Portugal say tying protests to a symbolic date like National Student's Day draws student associations from campuses across the country rather than a single city.

Housing costs are as urgent as fees

Housing formed a second major demand alongside free tuition. Rents near Portuguese university cities have risen faster than student budgets, pushing many students into long commutes or overcrowded shared rooms because they cannot find a room near campus they can afford. MAE frames the two issues together: even if fees dropped to zero, students without affordable housing still could not afford to study away from home.

The March 2026 march built directly on an earlier protest. In October 2025, hundreds of students demonstrated against a government proposal to raise tuition fees. Opposition parties, including PCP, Chega, PS, PAN, Livre, and BE, voted that fee increase down in parliament, handing the student movement an early win and encouraging organizers to push further toward abolishing fees entirely rather than just blocking increases.

The government's response

Education Minister Fernando Alexandre rejected the demand to eliminate tuition fees. He argued that cutting fees would be "regressive" and would shift the full cost of higher education onto society rather than keep it tied to the students who benefit directly from their degree. He said fees should instead track inflation, with the final decision pending the State Budget discussion.

On housing, the minister promised over 14,000 additional student residence beds for the next academic year, aimed at easing the shortage that pushes rents up near major campuses in Lisbon, Porto, and Coimbra.

What happens next

MAE organizers say the housing pledge and inflation-linked fee approach fall short of their core demand: free public higher education. With the State Budget debate still ahead, fee policy for the 2026-27 academic year remains unsettled, and further student mobilization is likely if the budget does not include the concessions MAE is asking for.

If you are considering a public university in Portugal, follow the State Budget process before you commit to a course, since it directly sets tuition levels and the residence bed count for the year you would arrive.

Sources

• Euronews: Students protest for better conditions and against tuition fees