Studying in Macau
Located in the heart of Pearl River Delta, just a step away from Hong Kong, Macau is an exciting destination for young people to explore. A fascinating mix of Portuguese and Asian culture with a rapidly developing economy, it attracts travellers, professionals, people in business and, increasingly so, students. Read to find out about studying in Macau, the higher education system and enrolment procedures.
Student Visa
There is no special student visa in Macau and, if you want to stay in the country longer for your studies, what you will need to do is to apply for 'Special Authorisation to Stay". As the residents of most countries can travel to Macau visa-free (for a period ranging from 14 to 180 days), you are usually recommended to apply for this authorisation upon your arrival in Macau.
To apply for the Special Authorisation to Stay, you will need to present the following documents:
- Original of your travel document
- Acceptance letter from your university
- Testimonial by the Registry of the University of Macau
- One passport-sized photo
- Copy of the 'Authorisation of Stay' you've received upon arrival
These documents will need to be submitted to Macau's Immigration Department (Edf. do Serviço de Migração Travessa Um do Cais de Pac On, Taipa).
With that said, most universities in Macau would help you handle all the formalities and guide you through the process of getting authorization for a longer stay, once you have been officially accepted.
Higher education in Macau
Macau's higher education system is not unified, and the schools and universities can follow the British, Portuguese or Chinese curriculum.
There are currently ten higher educational establishments in Macau, four public and six private. Public institutions are the University of Macau, Macau Polytechnic Institute, Macau Security Forces Training College and the Institute for Tourism Studies. Private establishments include Macau University of Science and Technology, City University of Macau, University of Saint Joseph, Macau Institute of Management, Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau and the Institute of European Studies of Macau.
There are a lot of educational programmes to choose from, with most courses being taught in English. You can study law, business, healthcare, management, social sciences, languages and more. Master and doctoral programmes are also available.
How to enrol
If you wish to enrol in any of these universities, you will first need to get in touch with the school directly. Each university has its enrolment policy, application requirements and process and so on.
Most institutions will require you to present recent testing scores, location and information of the previous educational establishment, course study and the number of hours covered in each subject. Tuition amounts range greatly depending on whether your chosen institution is private or public. Some universities, like the University of Macau, also offer scholarship opportunities for exceptional applicants.
Useful links:
University of Macau
Information on Special Authorisation to Stay
Macau Polytechnic Institute
Institute of Tourism Studies
