Scholarships in Brazil

Brazil has high-level study programs and therefore, gaining access to Higher Education in the country is what many want. Do you know about the scholarships offered?

Brazil, the undisputed home of carnival and soccer, is now also a leading power in education. Its Higher Education system is constantly growing and in recent years, some of its universities have ranked among the best in the world, such as the Universidad de São Paulo.

For this reason, Brazilians and now also foreigners, find in the country's university system an interesting source of knowledge that can open great doors for them in the professional world.

And one of the methods offered in Brazil to finance the studies of future professionals is scholarships. Do you want to know in detail what the most important programs in Brazil are?

Types of scholarships in Brazil

The Brazilian state manages projects dedicated to facilitating students' access to Higher Education. One of its best-known programs is ProUni, although there are also others such as Pibid, aimed at those who wish to train as teachers, and PEC-G for young people from abroad.

These programs mostly provide full or partial funding for the higher studies chosen by the student, while allowing for an increase in new entrants at the higher education level and benefiting those who otherwise probably could not afford their university education.

There are also specific scholarships at higher-level institutions, which have different features from one center to another, benefiting exclusively those who pursue their studies there. If you are interested in this type of scholarship, you can visit the website of the institution of your interest and check there for the benefit programs they offer to their students.

ProUni

This is probably the most famous scholarship program in Brazil. ProUni, or the University for All Program, is managed and promoted by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Education, and was created in 2004. Since then it has awarded full and partial scholarships to students who choose to pursue their undergraduate studies at private Higher Education institutions.

As we said before, ProUni beneficiaries will be able to access a full 100% scholarship or a partial 50% scholarship. And this will depend on the candidate's type of family income.

Thus, for the full scholarship, the family's gross monthly income will have to be up to one and a half minimum wages per person. In the case of partial scholarships, the family's gross monthly income may not exceed three minimum wages per person.

To participate in this program, interested parties will have to meet the following requirements:

• Have completed secondary education in a public school.
• Have completed secondary education in a private school through a scholarship.
• Not have a university degree.

The Examen Nacional de Enseñanza Media (ENEM) will be important for obtaining a ProUni scholarship, considering that a minimum score of 450 will be required in the selection process. The ENEM score will have to correspond to the year prior to the selection process.

Registration for ProUni is done online free of charge, and you can participate in the process twice a year, in the first and second semester.

Pibid

Programa Institucional de Becas de Iniciación a la Docencia, this is the name given to Pibid, a scholarship program for students who are pursuing an in-person undergraduate degree linked to teaching.

The objective of this program is to strengthen the training of future teachers, so that they can enter the public education sector under the best conditions.

What is interesting about this proposal is that the beneficiary is not only the university student, but also the public schools and teaching professionals that are part of the program.

Pibid is awarded in five modalities, but if we focus on the university student, they receive the scholarship in the teaching initiation modality. The beneficiary, in this case, will be the student who participates in a program of study linked to teaching. The scholarship for them will be $400 reais per month, for a renewable term of 24 months.

To participate in this program, interested parties will have to meet the following requirements:

• Have Brazilian nationality or permanent residence in the country.
• Be enrolled as a regular student in a degree linked to the teaching profession that is included among those accepted in the program.
• Have completed at least one semester of the program of study before entering Pibid.
• Be willing to dedicate a minimum of 32 hours per month to the internship project in schools.

Registrations for the program are done online and generally during the first months of the year.

PEC-G

Programa de Estudiante-Convenio de Graduación (PEC-G), this is how the scholarship for foreigners awarded by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil is known.

This scholarship program is ideal for those who wish to move to Brazil seeking the opportunity to study at one of its public universities completely free of charge.

There are many benefits to be gained thanks to this scholarship. The main one is gaining access to education without having tuition or university fee expenses. Access to the chosen institution without an admission exam or vestibular is another great advantage. As is the possibility of receiving help with housing or access to medical care.

To participate in this program, interested parties will have to meet the following requirements:

• Be between 18 and 23 years old.
• Be a citizen of one of the developing countries with which Brazil has educational and cultural agreements.
• Have completed secondary education outside Brazil with an average higher than 60%.
• Prove the ability to afford airfare and living expenses.
• Take and pass the Celpe-Bras exam which certifies knowledge of Portuguese.

The PEC-PG is the Postgraduate Student Agreement Program (PEC-PG), with which the student, in addition to accessing education without having to face enrollment and fee payments at the Brazilian university, receives a monthly study scholarship of $1,200 reales, if opting for a master's degree, and $1,800 reales for doctorates.

To participate in this program, interested parties will have to meet the following requirements:

• Not have a permanent visa in the country.
• Obtain an acceptance letter from the higher education institution where the postgraduate studies will be carried out.
• Have mastery of the Portuguese language and prove it through the Celpe-Bras exam.