Brazilian Program for Exchange Students - Postgraduate Level (PEC-PG)

Benefits & funding

• Monthly stipend of R$ 2,100 for master’s students and R$ 3,100 for doctoral students.
• Health insurance allowance of R$ 400 per month, paid as a single lump sum.
• A tuition-free place in a graduate program at a CAPES-recognised Brazilian institution.
• Return travel assistance to the home country after completion, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Not covered: the flight to Brazil, accommodation, dependants, and institutional fees. Scholars must arrive with enough money for at least 60 days.
• CAPES Call 12/2025 committed up to R$ 41,050,000 across its 650 scholarships.

Eligibility

• Nationals of one of the 74 participating countries, living in that country and not in Brazil.
• No Brazilian nationality, no dual Brazilian nationality or right to it, and no permanent residence in Brazil.
• A completed undergraduate degree. The full doctorate route also needs a master’s diploma or a declared defence date; the sandwich route needs current doctoral enrolment with the required credits completed and the qualifying exam passed, or one year of the doctorate finished.
• Applicants must not already hold a doctorate, must not have held a Brazilian federal scholarship at the same level, and must have spent two years back home after any earlier study in Brazil.
• An updated Lattes CV in Portuguese and a valid ORCID identifier.
• Language requirements are set by the individual graduate program applied to.
• On-campus academic programs only; professional master’s and doctorate courses are not funded.
• A clean record, with no debts to CAPES or the Brazilian government.

Application process

1. 1
   Check that your country is on the participating list, then pick a CAPES-recognised graduate program that has registered PEC-PG vacancies.
2. 2
   Obtain the program’s acceptance letter and prepare the documents the call requires: research project, memorial, diplomas and full transcripts.
3. 3
   Register free of charge on the CAPES platform at inscricao.capes.gov.br, rank your program choices and upload the documents.
4. 4
   Graduate programs select in three rounds: first-choice applicants, then second-choice applicants, then any remaining eligible applicant regardless of preference.
5. 5
   The institution confirms its selection, CAPES checks the documents, and the final list is published.
6. 6
   For CNPq-funded places, apply through the institution’s own selection once CNPq publishes the list of eligible institutions.

Program timeline

1. CAPES Call 12/2025 applications open for the full master’s and full doctorate routes

   Aug 14, 2025

2. Sandwich doctorate applications open

   Oct 1, 2025

3. Full master’s and full doctorate applications close

   Oct 8, 2025

4. Final results for the full master’s and full doctorate routes

   Dec 17, 2025

5. Sandwich doctorate applications close

   Jan 16, 2026

6. Final results for the sandwich doctorate route

   Apr 30, 2026

7. CNPq Call 16/2026 published

   Jun 29, 2026

8. Deadline for Brazilian institutions to submit proposals to CNPq

   Aug 13, 2026

9. CNPq publishes the list of eligible institutions

   2026-12

10. Scholarships under the CNPq call begin

    2027-03