The Infanta Sofia of Spain has been studying in Portugal since September last year, attending a private university course in Lisbon, the annual cost of which far exceeds the national higher education average. The training chosen by the youngest daughter of the kings of Spain has a cost equivalent to around 20 times the national minimum wage (currently set at 920 euros gross).
According to the ECO news portal, Infanta is enrolled at Forward College, where each course has a minimum cost of 18,500 euros per year, an amount that does not include expenses such as accommodation, insurance or cost of living in the Portuguese capital.
Recent school outside the traditional system
Forward College is a private institution founded in 2021 and part of an international group linked to the London School of Economics. According to the same source, the school positions itself outside the traditional higher education circuit, focusing on an international and highly selective academic model.
In Portugal, the campus operates in a historic building located on Rua das Flores, in Chiado, one of the central areas of Lisbon. The institution’s website, cited by the same publication, writes that the project was born to respond to gaps identified in contemporary higher education.
What distinguishes the teaching model
The institution was created by Boris Walbaum, Céline Boisson and Jeffrey Sampson. According to the same source, the founder identifies three main flaws in traditional higher education: relevance to the job market, pedagogical effectiveness and student aspiration.
To respond to these gaps, Forward College presents an approach that it defines as holistic, integrating cognitive, emotional, social and practical dimensions into the academic path. The publication adds that this model aims to align teaching methods with new forms of learning.
International and highly selective course
Infanta Sofia attends the Political Science and International Relations course, taught in English, with optional subjects in Portuguese, French and German. According to ECO, the academic path includes mandatory periods in Lisbon, Paris and Berlin.
Classes are small, with a maximum of 15 students, and there are even individual classes. The same source states that the students represent around 40 different nationalities.
When studying means living in Lisbon
In addition to the course fee, there are costs associated with the stay. According to , the student residence where Infanta Sofia lives has an annual cost of between 9,880 and 13,520 euros, corresponding to monthly values close to one thousand euros.
The residence is located in Benfica, has permanent surveillance and imposes strict rules of coexistence, including the prohibition of nighttime visits. The publication adds that the location allows quick trips to the city center.
To these values are added annual expenses, such as health insurance, transport, food, leisure and communications, significantly increasing the total cost of training. According to the same source, the fixed costs associated with living in Lisbon alone represent several thousand euros per year.
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