FAQ

WHEN DOES THE SCHOOL TAKE PLACE?
This year is July 21th to July 29th. It is recommended to arrive one day before and make use of the Early Bird registration (evening of the 20th). This is also a good opportunity to meet the other students and kick-start joint activities.

WHAT ARE THE APPLICATION/REGISTRATION PERIODS?
See the Application section for latest updates.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
COVID-19 UPDATE: The early and late (between parenthesis) fees are the following

  • Free for students
  • Free for university professors or researchers at a public institute
  • 50 EUR for everyone else

CAN I GET ECTS CREDITS FOR THE SCHOOL?
All attendees will receive a certificate of attendance during the event, but there is no equivalences in terms of the ECTS grading system.

OOPS! I SUBMITTED MY APPLICATION TWICE. WILL THAT BE A PROBLEM?
It should be fine. If we find repeated entries we consider the most recent application.

WHAT DOES APPLICATION COVER?
It covers:

  • Full participation in lectures and practical sessions

IS IT EASY TO FIND ACCOMMODATION?
Some of the best reasonably-priced hostels in the World can be found in Lisbon, right in the middle of the historic and night life district. However, Lisbon has been gaining strength recently as a tourist attraction, be sure to prepare your lodging in advance. You can consult Booking.com, TripAdvisor or Airbnb.

IS FOOD AFFORDABLE?
Very affordable, even by south European standards. Be sure to use the opportunity to taste local dishes such as Francesinha or Alheira and of course Codfish. The school provides lunch tickets for the University canteen in any case.

HOW IS THE WEATHER? DO I NEED A RAINCOAT OR SOMETHING?
In July the weather is usually very pleasant, with sunny days and warm temperatures (30ºC – 86ºF). There are several beaches a few minutes away from the center. The public transportation system is far-reaching and reliable, and has the Metro (subway) as its main backbone.

I DON’T SPEAK PORTUGUESE, WILL THAT BE A PROBLEM?
That should not be a problem provided that you speak English. Many people in Lisbon speak fluent English and Portugal is ranked as having a “High Proficiency” level on the English Proficiency Index. Furthermore, since Lisbon attracts a lot of tourists you can also find fluent speakers in other languages like Spanish, French or German.

IS LISBON SAFE?
Yes, Portugal is a very safe place, ranking third on the Global Peace Index in 2017, and Lisbon is no exception to this. Having said that, since it is a touristic attraction it also attracts pickpockets and non-violent theft. Take the usual precautions in touristic places.

ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT LISBON?
Lisbon is situated in the west coast of Portugal, where the Tagus river meets the Atlantic Ocean and it is the westernmost capital in mainland Europe. The light, the atmosphere, and the climate offer marvelous walks all over the city. Lisbon is also extremely lively, with a wealth of cultural events happening every day, and a vibrant nightlife. A huge selection of restaurants is available, featuring Portuguese and international cuisine.

This video also provides some background on what to expect.

DO YOU THINK I CAN GET A VISA?
We are in no position to offer advice regarding visa issues. You’ll have to reach your embassy for this. Do this in advance as there is normally big delays regarding visa processing.

CAN YOU PROVIDE ME WITH AN INVITATION LETTER?
Yes, but invitation letters will be issued only to students after they have been accepted. Students that will need a visa are however advised to prepare the documents in advance to speed up the process.

WHICH INFORMATION IS NEEDED FOR THE INVITATION LETTER?
The following information is needed for the invitation letter.

  • full name.
  • passport information: number, issue date and place, and expiration date.
  • the address to which you would like the Invitation Letter to be sent to.

IS IT EASY TO GET ACCEPTED?
We get a lot of applications each year and the number has been increasing steadily. The number of students is usually slightly above 30% of the number of applications.

CAN BEING REJECTED IN PREVIOUS YEARS INCREASE CHANCES OF ACCEPTANCE?
Yes, there should be a specific field in the form for this. Be sure to remind us that you did not get in the last time. We check, please don’t try this if you did not apply before.

ARE THERE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE?
Yes, in partnership with our sponsoring companies, we provide a limited number of scholarships.

HOW DO I ASK FOR ONE?
There will be various fields related to scholarship application on the application form.

CAN I ASK FOR THE SCHOLARSHIPS EVEN IF MY INSTITUTION CAN PAY MY EXPENSES?
We can not prevent you from doing this, but we would prefer that you do not do it. We use travel grants to fund students worldwide that show high potential but would normally not have the means to get to the school. The money comes from our generous sponsors but the number of grants is limited.

CAN ASKING FOR A SCHOLARSHIP REDUCE THE CHANCES OF ACCEPTANCE?
In principle, this should not be the case. However, during the selection process there is always a number of doubtful cases. If you asked for a grant and you were not selected for it, with no further information, we may assume that you would not come to the school if being accepted and this may affect your chances.

I GOT A SCHOLARSHIP, HOW DOES THIS WORK?
We will reimburse your registration, travel and lodging expenses up to the quantity specified in the grant. The granted amount has to do with a budget that you must specify in advance. You have to send us copies of the receipts with following information

  • Full name.
  • Address.
  • Nationality.
  • Passport number.

I GOT A SCHOLARSHIP, DO I STILL HAVE TO PAY THE REGISTRATION?
Yes, you may use as well grant money to pay for the registration.

I WOULD LOVE TO SHARE MY RECENT WORK WITH OTHER STUDENTS AND SPEAKERS. WILL THERE BE A PLACE FOR THAT?
You will have plenty of occasions during the summer school for networking. Besides that, we will have poster sessions during coffee breaks, where some students will be able to present their work to the other attendees of the LxMLS (see more details in the next FAQ)

I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS!
You can contact us at lxmls-2020@lx.it.pt.