Brazil expands international education program

Brazil’s Programa de Estudantes-Convênio—or Partnership-Students Program, referred to as PEC in the original Portuguese acronym, in existence since 1965 and last changed in 2013—has been expanded by the government.

Following the new rules, in addition to undergraduate students, graduate and exchange students studying Portuguese will also be able to participate.

Aimed at promoting educational, cultural, scientific, and technological cooperation with other countries, the initiative allows international students to study at Brazilian higher education institutions through bilateral agreements.

The program is developed by the Ministry of Foreign Relations and should involve the Ministry of Education in the management of undergraduate courses and courses of Portuguese as a foreign language. In the case of graduate courses, higher education institutions will be involved.

The revamp excluded rules that conditioned participation on the obligation to pay expenses and subsistence in Brazil. On the other hand, it guarantees international students equal access with Brazilians to services and assistance programs of the institution to which they are linked, taking into account their financial situation—including scholarships.