Study and find schools in Brazil

Studying in Brazil

Brazil is the largest country in South America, with an estimated population of 214,211,951 on 1 July 2026, according to the national statistics institute IBGE. Portuguese is the language of instruction at almost all universities, which makes Brazil the main Portuguese-speaking study destination in the Americas and an obvious choice for students who want to add Portuguese to Spanish or English.

The higher-education sector is large: Brazil has 2,595 higher-education institutions, 312 public and 2,283 private, according to the 2022 higher-education census of the education research institute INEP, as cited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty). Public institutions do not charge tuition fees.

The education system in Brazil

Brazilian higher-education institutions (IES) are public or private. Public IES are run by the federal government, the states or municipalities: the Universidade de Brasília is a federal example, and the Universidade Estadual de Maringá a state one. Private IES charge fees and may be non-profit (for example the Catholic PUC universities) or for-profit. By academic organisation, the main types are:

• universidades: multidisciplinary institutions that teach, research and run extension programmes, with autonomy to create courses and issue diplomas
• centros universitários: similar to universities but without the obligation to carry out institutional research
• institutos federais: focused on technical and technological training
• faculdades: usually specialised in one area, without the autonomy to issue their own diplomas

There are three kinds of undergraduate degree (graduação): the graduação tecnológica (two to three years, title of Tecnólogo), the licenciatura (about four years, for school teachers) and the bacharelado (four to five years, sometimes six, for professions such as architecture, nursing or psychology). Postgraduate study is either lato sensu (specialisation courses of at least 360 hours, including MBAs, which lead to a certificate) or stricto sensu: the mestrado (about two years) and the doutorado (about four years), which lead to a diploma. A master's degree is not required to start a doctorate.

The academic year starts in February or March and ends in November or December, and courses are usually divided into semesters or years.

Admission and recognition

An undergraduate degree requires completed secondary education. Foreign students can enter Brazilian universities in two main ways described by Itamaraty:

• the Programa de Estudantes-Convênio (PEC), which offers free places for a full undergraduate degree (PEC-G), free places plus a scholarship for a full postgraduate degree (PEC-PG) and free Portuguese courses (PEC-PLE) for students who need the Celpe-Bras certificate to enter PEC-G; only students from participating countries can apply
• the national secondary-school exam Enem, with four multiple-choice tests (180 questions in total) and an essay in Portuguese

Spanish-speaking students from Latin America also have a specific option: the federal Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (Unila) in Foz do Iguaçu, created in 2010, admits non-Brazilians from 32 Latin American and Caribbean countries through its own international selection process, and its courses are free.

Proficiency in Portuguese is certified by the Celpe-Bras, Brazil's official exam for foreigners, held twice a year in Brazil and abroad by INEP with the Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs.

For recognition, Brazil has no automatic revalidation agreement. A foreign undergraduate diploma can only be revalidated by a Brazilian public university with the same or a similar course, and applications are made through the Plataforma Carolina Bori. Foreign doctors also need the Revalida exam to practise in Brazil.

Student visa and residence

According to Itamaraty, foreigners who come to Brazil for a regular course, internship, study exchange or research must, as a rule, apply for the temporary visa VITEM IV. The documents required depend on the applicant's country and on the course, and each consulate decides individually, so the ministry recommends contacting the competent consulate well in advance. Brazilian visas are never issued inside Brazil, at airports or at borders.

For short courses, the visit visa can cover study without paid work, for stays of up to 90 days. Brazil grants visa waivers on a reciprocal basis and has agreements with about 90 countries. Citizens of the countries in the Mercosur Residence Agreement (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay) can instead obtain temporary residence through the Mercosur residence visa (VITEM XIII), or directly from the Ministry of Justice if they are already in Brazil.

Costs

Public universities, federal, state and municipal, do not charge students tuition fees. Private institutions charge fees, which vary by institution and course. PEC-G gives free undergraduate places and PEC-PG adds a scholarship for postgraduate study. No official figures on student living costs were found on the government pages we checked; ask the international office of the university you are applying to.

Where to study

• São Paulo: the Universidade de São Paulo (USP), created in 1934, is a public university of the state of São Paulo with 324 undergraduate courses and more than 60,000 students, and around 30,000 enrolled in 266 postgraduate programmes. The city also has FAAP and language schools.
• Rio de Janeiro: PUC-Rio, in Gávea, runs exchange programmes and partners with a student housing provider for foreign exchange students.
• Brasília: the Universidade de Brasília (UnB) was authorised by Law 3.998 of 15 December 1961 and inaugurated on 21 April 1962, when the capital was only two years old.
• Salvador: Portuguese schools such as the Instituto Cultural Idioma, which offers immersion courses, Celpe-Bras preparation and cultural activities such as samba and capoeira, with courses starting every Monday.
• Other cities: federal universities in João Pessoa (UFPB), Belém (UFPA), Fortaleza (UFC), Goiânia (UFG), Viçosa (UFV) and Uberlândia (UFU), state universities in Maringá and Londrina, and the American School of Belo Horizonte.

Culture and practical life

Classes may run in the morning, afternoon or evening; full-time (integral) courses have classes in more than one shift. Students who plan to have a Brazilian degree recognised at home, or a foreign diploma recognised in Brazil, should prepare apostilled or legalised documents before travelling; a sworn translation may also be needed after arrival.

Frequently asked questions

Are public universities in Brazil free for foreign students?

Public institutions in Brazil do not charge tuition fees. Foreign students can enter through the Enem exam or programmes such as PEC-G for students from participating countries.

Which visa do I need to study in Brazil?

For a regular course, internship, exchange or research, the rule is the temporary visa VITEM IV, applied for at a Brazilian consulate. Short courses of up to 90 days may be possible on a visit visa, and Mercosur nationals can use the Mercosur residence route.

Do I need to speak Portuguese?

Most degree programmes are taught in Portuguese. The Celpe-Bras is the official proficiency certificate, and PEC-G applicants who need it can take a free Portuguese course through PEC-PLE.

How long does a degree take in Brazil?

A bacharelado takes four to five years (sometimes six), a licenciatura about four, a technological degree two to three, a master's about two and a doctorate about four.

Is there a Brazilian university for Latin American students?

Yes. Unila in Foz do Iguaçu was created to support Latin American integration and admits students from 32 Latin American and Caribbean countries through its international selection process.