Scholarship Loan in Brazil

The main scholarship financing program in Brazil is FIES – Scholarship Loan.

The program was created in 2005 and it replaced the scholarship loan program that was in effect up to then, the Educational Credit Program.

There have been significant improvements in the scholarship loan in Brazil after the FIES was introduced. It is easier and the criteria to be accepted in the program improved greatly.

In order to request a scholarship loan by FIES it is necessary to meet some pre-requirements, such as record honesty and present an income of at least 2 times the value financed monthly.

The interest rates employed in the scholarship loan are extremely low, approximately 3% p.a. When compared to any other kind of financing, this amount is meaningless.

FIES – Scholarship Financing - Eligibility

In order to be accepted in the FIES scholarship loan program, it is necessary to meet the following requirements:

• Not to be benefited by the former Educational Credit program
• To be registered in a university accepted by the program
• To take part in the selective process defined by MEC

There is also a list of priorities for the distribution of the scholarship loan funds, as follows:

1. Beneficiary students of partial scholarships of 50% linked to University for All Program - PROUNI, according to Law nº 11.096, dated as of 01/13/2005
2. Beneficiary students of partial scholarships of 50% additional to those linked to PROUNI, offered by the college institution, with priority to those registered in licensing and teaching education courses
3. Students enrolled in college institutions that have adhered to PROUNI
4. Other students registered in college institutions

As an important tip, in order to ensure the scholarship loan, it is very important for the student to do PROUNI.

Please refer to Caixa's website for more information concerning scholarship loan.

Scholarship Loan Abroad

There are several scholarship loan programs available abroad.

The scholarship loans are made available for high school and also for graduation and post-graduation courses. Usually the schools themselves have credit lines for that purpose.

Given the large number of scholarship loan programs, we have developed a research guide to help you find the best program.

Tips for Scholarship Loan Abroad

• Choose the country where you intend to study, taking into account the language, quality of the schools and, obviously, the cost of living
• Look for references about the best universities and colleges
• Look for the key words scholarship loan in the local Google and Yahoo websites. The research aims at clarifying financial and cultural aspects of the country
• Look for information concerning the scholarship loan in the college or university. This is usually very organized abroad
• Read carefully the eligibility terms for the scholarship loan. Pay attention to details; this can be very important when signing a contract