Applications for the Brazilian Government Scholarship Program (PEC-G) for Developing Countries are now opened for application. The programme has been created by the Brazilian Government to help nationals of developing countries to complete their Undergraduate studies in Brazil.

The Brazilian Government’s Exchange Programme has been in place for over thirty years and since 2000, more than ten thousand (10 000) students have benefited from the scholarship. Candidates can apply to study in engineering, medicine, natural sciences and any field of study available at participating higher educational institutions in Brazil.

Brazilian government will only cover tuition fees for the PEC-G winners. However, once in Brazil, there are numbers of scholarships programmes available for PEC-G students that provide additional support like a monthly stipend and even a flight ticket back home after graduation. Foreign students must return to their home countries after graduation, in order to contribute to development.

Programme Details

• Host institutions: Participating Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Brazil.
• Field of study: Available programmes at host institutions.
• Number of awards: Not specified.
• Duration: Normal programme duration.
• Eligible countries: Open to citizens of the following countries: Africa (South Africa, Angola, Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Ivory Coast Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Bissau, Equatorial, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Zambia); Latin America and the Caribbean (Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Ecuador Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela); Asia (China, South Korea, India, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Syria, Thailand, Timor-Leste); Europe (Armenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, Turkey).

Brazilian Government Scholarship Program Benefits

The scholarship program will cover tuition fees for selected candidates at Participating Higher Education Institutions. However, once in Brazil, there are scholarship programmes available for PEC-G students (e.g. Bolsa MRE, Bolsa Mérito etc.) that provide additional support like a monthly stipend and even a flight ticket back home after graduation.

Brazilian Government Scholarship Program Eligibility

To apply for this scholarship to study in Brazil, candidates must have:

• Be a citizen and resident in a PEC-G participating country;
• Be at least 18 years of age;
• Have completed high school (secondary education) in a country other than Brazil, with an average grade in all subjects equal to or above 60% and a final average grade in the country’s official language of at least 60%.Applicants who have not concluded high school by the time of the application period are eligible for application but must present their secondary education certificate of completion at the time of registration in the Brazilian Higher Education Institution, in case they are selected.
• Obtain the Certificate of Proficiency in Portuguese as a Foreign Language – Celpe-Bras. Applicants from countries where the Celpe-Bras exam is not available must take the exam in Brazil, having a single opportunity, soon after completing a course of Portuguese as a Foreign Language in an accredited Brazilian Higher Education Institution, in preparation for the exam. Failure to pass the exam will terminate the student’s participation in the Programme, with no possibility of appeal, and will imply the student’s immediate return to the country of origin.
• Documents indicating that the applicant possesses sufficient means of subsistence to fund living costs in Brazil, since the PEC-G does not offer scholarships. All applicants must have a sponsor who can regularly transfer financial resources to the student. Even though the program is free of all academic charges, PEC-G is not a scholarship program.
• Commit to returning to their country of origin after graduation. Academic documents of students who graduate from PEC-G will only be delivered at the Brazilian diplomatic representation where they registered for the Programme.

Applications will not be considered in case the candidate is:

• a Brazilian citizen, including those with dual nationality;
• holders of any temporary or permanent visa to Brazil;
• those who have completed high school in Brazil;
• those who have been excluded from the program in previous PEC-G editions;
• selected students that have lost the enrolment deadlines of the higher education institutions without offering justification;
• those with a high school final overall average and official language average inferior to 60%;
• those who come from a country where the Celpe-Bras exam is available but do not hold the Celpe-Bras certificate.

Similar opportunities

1. Government of the Czech Republic Scholarships (Master – PhD);
2. Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program in the USA;
3. Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS).

Application instructions

Eligible applicants who wish to apply for this government scholarship program should get in touch with the Brazilian Embassy in their country to get more information on application procedures and required documents.

They must complete application forms and submit it with all required documents to the embassy before the deadline.

The application deadline for this scholarship program is August 18, 2023. For more details on the Brazilian Government Scholarship Program, please visit the official page. To be the first to see latest opportunities, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.