New academic degree regime replaces 2006 decree-law and creates micro-credentials

Decree-Law no. 214/2026, published on November 6 in the Diário da República, establishes the new legal regime for academic degrees and higher education diplomas and repeals Decree-Law no. 74/2006, of March 24. The diploma was approved by the Council of Ministers on September 9, 2026, promulgated on October 30 by António José Martins Seguro, and countersigned on November 2 by the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, entering into force 60 days after publication.

The text from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers is articulated with Law no. 32/2026, of July 20, which amended Law no. 62/2007, of September 10, removing academic and pedagogical requirements from the institutional regime, which are now detailed in the regime of degrees. The Government justifies the revision based on the evolution of the Bologna Process and the 2011 revision of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), which organized higher education into levels 5, 6, 7, and 8 — short-cycle courses, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctorates —, all of which may have an academic or professional orientation.

The National Council of Education, the Higher Education Coordinating Council, the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities, the Coordinating Council of Higher Polytechnic Institutes, the Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education (A3ES), the National Council for Pedagogical Innovation in Higher Education, and the Portuguese Association of Private Higher Education were consulted, in addition to academic associations and federations.

Degrees, partial certifications, and micro-credentials

Article 6 maintains the degrees of bachelor, master, and doctor, as well as the short-cycle higher education course diploma, but generalizes partial certifications and modular pathways:

• Non-degree diplomas for the completion of part of a bachelor’s degree of no less than 120 ECTS, part of a master’s degree of no less than 60 ECTS, or part of a doctorate of no less than 30 ECTS.
• Micro-credentials for the completion of courses up to 30 ECTS.
• Autonomous enrollment in curricular units, with certification, accreditation, and registration in the diploma supplement.

Micro-credentials, regulated in articles 42 to 46, follow the Council Recommendation of June 16, 2022, and adhere to ten principles, including quality assurance, transparency, portability, and mutual recognition within the European Union. The accumulation of micro-credentials does not automatically grant the right to an academic degree.

The end of the student/faculty ratio

Article 7 abandons the requirement based on the number of students per faculty member and adopts a maximum limit of 1,800 annual ECTS per ETI academic holding a doctoral degree or specialist title, a value that corresponds, for indicative purposes, to the annual training load of 30 full-time students. It also sets a reference proportion of 60% full-time academics in each education and training area considered at two digits.

The same article requires a full-time doctoral course coordinator assigned to a fundamental area, adequate supervision capacity, and pedagogical innovation mechanisms, which now become a requirement for the awarding of degrees and are monitored during evaluation and accreditation. In doctoral programs, all primary supervisors must be integrated into research entities with a minimum rating of “Very Good” assigned by the Agency for Research and Innovation, E. P. E. (AI2, E. P. E.).

Hybrid teaching and cycle architecture

Article 60 allows for in-person, distance, or hybrid teaching, with the modality to be stated in the accreditation and course registration; distance learning courses require a minimum of 75% of ECTS in that modality. The dimensions of the cycles are thus fixed as follows:

• Bachelor’s degree: 180 to 240 ECTS, six to eight curricular semesters.
• Master’s degree: 90 to 120 ECTS, three to four semesters, exceptionally allowing 60 ECTS in professional-oriented master’s degrees.
• Integrated Master’s: 300 to 360 ECTS, 10 to 12 semesters, in architecture, veterinary sciences, dental sciences, medicine, and pharmaceutical sciences.
• Doctorate: 180 to 240 ECTS, six to eight semesters.

Transition calendar

• Entry into force: January 5, 2027, 60 days after publication; the regulation norm takes effect on the day following publication.
• Adaptation of institutions to the new regime: until September 1, 2028.
• Prior accreditation requests for new courses submitted to A3ES by September 30, 2027, follow the 2006 regime; from October 1, 2027, the new regime applies.
• Self-assessment reports to be submitted by December 31, 2027, are governed by the old decree; from January 1, 2028, by the new one.

The new regime also amends Decree-Law no. 296-A/98, Decree-Law no. 42/2005, and Decree-Law no. 113/2014, introducing grade distribution tables for national and international comparability, mandatory digital deposit in open access repositories within 60 days, and the maintenance of student rights, without tuition fees, for graduates in professional internships in the 24 months following the attainment of the degree. For students and institutions, the impact is immediate in how the offering is dimensioned, certified, and accredited, with practical effects starting from the beginning of 2027.

Source: Diário da República, 1st series, no. 216, of November 6, 2026, pág. 1-39 (official reference: Decree-Law no. 214/2026).