ForsaEdu Logo
ForsaEdu
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
Flag of BrazilBrazilQS #317Rio de JaneiroPublic UniversityTuition-FreeTuition R$0 per year

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)

الجامعة الاتحادية في ريو دي جانيرو (UFRJ)

Current cycle
Next cycle not announced yet
Eligible study levels:BachelorMasterPhD
ForsaEdu logoForsaEduforsaedu.com

About the scholarship program

The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) is one of Brazil’s largest federal universities, founded in 1920 and ranked 317th in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Its main campus is on Fundão Island in Rio de Janeiro, with strong schools in engineering (COPPE), medicine, science and economics. Study is free and teaching is in Portuguese.

Information last verified: November 3, 2026Official source

Tuition for international students

R$0 per year

Federal universities charge no tuition or enrolment fees for bachelor’s, academic master’s or PhD programmes.

Admission for international students

Bachelor’s: through the ENEM exam and the SISU system (details at acessograduacao.ufrj.br) or PEC-G. Master’s and PhD: each programme publishes its own admission notice on its website.

Official admission announcement

Available programmes

Programmes, requirements and documents will be published when the next cycle is announced. Save the scholarship to get a reminder.

Life and living

Brazil

Studying and living in Brazil

$500–900
Living cost / month (approx.)
Portuguese, English
Teaching languages
March
Academic year starts

Costs and living

Study at public universities is free for Brazilians and foreigners at bachelor’s, master’s and PhD level, with no enrolment fees — only entrance-exam fees (for example R$228 for Fuvest). Private universities charge tuition: at PUC-Rio, for example, a full-time undergraduate (19–24 credits) paid R$44,802–47,190 per semester in 2026, while graduate students can receive fee waivers and scholarships. Living costs (R$1 ≈ US$0.19): UNESP estimates about R$2,700 a month in São Paulo city and R$1,800 in smaller inland cities, and UNICAMP advises scholarship holders to bring R$3,000 to cover the first month before their stipend arrives. For comparison, government master’s and PhD scholarships pay R$2,100 and R$3,100 a month, and FAPESP fellowships in São Paulo state pay from R$3,270 (master’s) to R$12,570 (postdoc). That is roughly US$500–900 a month depending on the city; public-university restaurants are subsidised and cheap.

Working while studying

The study visa is meant for study, and the clearest way to work during it is an internship (estágio) linked to your course under Brazil’s Internship Law, which limits higher-education students to 6 hours a day and 30 hours a week and is usually paid with an allowance. Ordinary paid employment needs a separate authorisation, and we found no current official page explaining the rules for study-visa holders, so check with your university’s international office before accepting any job. Note that CAPES, CNPq and FAPESP scholarships usually require full-time dedication to research, PEC-G requires students to return home after graduating, and PEC-PG includes a return ticket. Staying on to work after graduation requires a new residence permit based on a job contract.

Last verified: November 2026· Source

Guide to studying in Brazil

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Key questions and answers regarding eligibility, documents, and application steps.

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) is listed as: Tuition-Free. The exact benefits are not verified yet, so check the official website (https://ufrj.br) before applying.

Eligible levels: Bachelor, Master, PhD.

QS World University Rankings 2026

Rank#317

View the full ranking

Track your academic readiness

Use the checklist in your profile to prepare your documents and make sure you meet this scholarship’s requirements.

Open readiness checklist
Official website:
https://ufrj.br

Similar scholarships

PEC-G Brazil (Undergraduate)
Flag of BrazilBrazil
Government Scholarship

PEC-G Brazil (Undergraduate)

Bachelor

PEC-G (Undergraduate Exchange Student Programme) is a Brazilian government programme launched in 1965 and run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the Ministry of Education. It is open to students from developing countries that have educational, cultural or scientific cooperation agreements with Brazil, and offers tuition-free Bachelor's study at participating Brazilian universities, most of them public. The programme does not include a regular monthly stipend, so applicants must show they can cover their living costs. Courses are taught in Portuguese, and students need the Celpe-Bras Portuguese proficiency certificate.

PEC-PG Brazil (Postgraduate)
Flag of BrazilBrazil
Government Scholarship

PEC-PG Brazil (Postgraduate)

MasterPhD

PEC-PG is a Brazilian government postgraduate scholarship programme for foreign students, run by CAPES, an agency of the Ministry of Education, in partnership with Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the research council CNPq. It is open to nationals of developing countries that have educational, cultural or scientific cooperation agreements with Brazil, and funds full Master's or PhD study, or a shorter sandwich doctoral period, at accredited Brazilian universities. The award usually includes a monthly stipend and a health allowance. Applicants are generally required to live in their home country and not be in Brazil when they apply.

University of São Paulo (USP)
Flag of BrazilBrazilQS #108
Public University

University of São Paulo (USP)

BachelorMasterPhD

The University of São Paulo (USP) is a public São Paulo state university founded in 1934 and the highest-ranked university in Brazil and Latin America (108th in the QS World University Rankings 2026). Its main campus is in São Paulo city, with others in cities such as Ribeirão Preto, São Carlos and Piracicaba, and it offers programmes in almost every field from bachelor’s to PhD. Study is free for Brazilian and foreign students, and teaching is in Portuguese.