The house is offered in addition to a cafeteria, medical care as well as a cultural and sports program.
The union came about around 1944/45 and resulted from the merger of the Casa dos Estudantes de Angola (est.
Although the facility has been maintained by the Portuguese government, the Casa dos Estudantes do Império turned out to eventually be the cradle of the nationalist movement in the colonies.
Since 1948, the monthly magazine 'Mensagem' was issued, in which numerous writers from the colonies published their works.
In addition, students such as Orlando de Albuquerque and Vítor Evaristo authored numerous books.