A growing interest in studying abroad, ease of obtaining a visa and the absence of a language barrier have led to a boom of Brazilian students in Portuguese universities – with educators recording a 540% rise in Brazilian students over the last decade.

The Portuguese government has simplified the process for prospective international students to apply for visas to study in the country.

Nobel International School Algarve, a private school in Portugal offering British and Portuguese curriculum, has been acquired by Singapore-based education-investment company ChangedEDU.

The Portuguese government has begun a project to accredit private portuguese langauge schools through Instituto Camões. It will give accredited Portuguese as a foreign language (PLE) permission to use its logo on promotional material, promote them on its website and provide best practices guides for teachers.

A huge study of 22,000 university students and professors carried out by Universia, the largest global network of Spanish and Portuguese speaking universities, has revealed that only 15% of students in Spain, Portugal and Latin America have studied in a foreign country.

Colombia has signed two mutual degree recognition agreements in as many weeks following Memorandums of Understanding reached with Portugal and Chile. The agreements are part of a campaign to increase internationalisation in Colombia's higher education sector and recognition of its graduates in the global workforce.