Scholarships and Student Funding in Sao Tome and Principe

How students in Sao Tome and Principe pay for higher education

Funding for higher education in Sao Tome and Principe comes from three directions: scholarships from the university itself, support from the national government for students who stay in the country, and bilateral scholarship programs run by partner countries, mainly Portugal and Cabo Verde. Combine these where you qualify. Nothing stops you from applying for a USTP merit scholarship and a government bursary in the same year.

USTP merit scholarships

Universidade de São Tomé e Príncipe runs its own Bolsas de Mérito. A qualifying scholarship covers 100% of a year's tuition (propinas) at USTP for students enrolled in licenciatura, bacharelato, or mestrado programs, according to the university's scholarships page . Selection runs on academic performance, so keep your grades up through your first year if you plan to apply once you enroll.

Government support for study inside the country

The national government pays out internal scholarships (bolsas internas) as social support of variable value to higher education students who meet criteria set in a ministerial order each year. Portugal separately funds a track of internal scholarships for Sao Tome and Principe nationals who study at institutions inside the country, with preference given to public education, plus support for vocational training and the final years of secondary school, according to Plataforma 9 . Apply for both routes through your institution's student affairs office or the Ministry of Education, and confirm the current year's criteria and deadlines directly with them, since eligibility rules get updated annually.

Scholarships to study in Portugal

Two established programs send Sao Tome and Principe students to Portugal for higher education.

• The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation awards scholarships for higher education in Portugal, including a 12th-grade year first if you need it. Applications and selection run through Sao Tome and Principe's Ministry of Education. A scholarship runs 12 months from October 1 and renews for as long as your finances stay tight and your grades hold up, per Plataforma 9 .

• Portugal's Camões Institute funds licenciatura study in Portugal for Sao Tome and Principe students. Nine new scholarship holders started their courses for the 2025/2026 academic year, welcomed by Portugal's ambassador in October 2025, according to Camões, I.P.

Both programs run through the Ministry of Education rather than direct application to the Portuguese institutions, so start there if you want to apply.

Scholarships to study in Cabo Verde

Cabo Verde raised its scholarship offer to Sao Tome and Principe students to 150 a year in 2023: 100 for higher education and 50 for vocational training, reported by Téla Nón . Cabo Verde's universities teach in Portuguese and sit closer than Portugal, which makes this route attractive if you want an international degree without the distance and cost of studying in Europe.

What to prepare before you apply

Gather your secondary school transcripts, identification documents, and proof of your family's financial situation early, since most of these programs ask for the same core paperwork. Ask your school or, once you finish secondary school, the Ministry of Education for the current year's application window, because most of this funding runs its selection through government channels rather than direct applications to the funding country. Apply to more than one program if you qualify for several, since scholarship numbers for a small country stay limited each year, and a rejection from one program does not rule out the others.

Keep your funding once you have it

Merit-based awards such as USTP's Bolsas de Mérito depend on your grades staying at the level that won you the scholarship, so treat renewal as an ongoing requirement rather than a one-time approval. Need-based awards, including the government's internal scholarships, tend to ask for proof that your family's financial situation has not improved enough to disqualify you, so keep documentation such as income statements up to date each renewal cycle. Scholarships that fund study abroad, including the Gulbenkian and Camões programs, expect you to maintain your academic standing at the host institution in Portugal, since a poor semester can end your funding before you finish the degree.

If you do not win a scholarship

Family support remains the most common way students in Sao Tome and Principe cover the gap when a scholarship does not come through, given the limited number of awards available in a small country each year. Ask your institution's student affairs office about payment plans for tuition, since spreading propinas across a semester rather than paying upfront eases the pressure on a household budget. Reapply the following cycle if you miss out. Selection criteria and available funding change year to year, and a student who narrowly missed a merit cutoff one year can qualify the next.