Applications are now open for the online selection process for refugees

The Permanent Commission for Unicamp Entrance Exams (Comvest) opened today (10/4) applications for the Open Selection Process aimed at foreign students in refugee or risk situations in their country of origin, in addition to migrants who benefit from humanitarian policies of the Brazilian government. The selection process will be offered for the first time by Unicamp in a systematic and online manner for admission to its undergraduate courses. Applications are free and can be made until April 30, 2025, exclusively at electronic page from Comvest. There are 45 vacancies available in 26 undergraduate course options. The Notice with the rules is available on the Comvest website. At the time of registration, candidates must choose a single course option and indicate in which of the three languages ​​offered they will take the test (Spanish, English or Portuguese). Only people with the profiles indicated above who are studying or have already studied higher education abroad may register for the process.

What will the three phases be like?

The Process will be carried out in three eliminatory and classificatory phases. The three phases are: 1) Text Reading and Interpretation Test (PLIT) and Specific Knowledge Test (PCE) related to the major areas of knowledge; 2) Writing Test; 3) Curricular Compatibility Analysis.

The Reading and Text Interpretation Test (PLIT), the Specific Knowledge Test (PCE) and the Writing Test (PR), mandatory for all candidates, will be held on May 18, 2025, starting at 13:12 p.m. (Brasília time), online. The guidelines for taking the test, as well as the protocols for the virtual environment, will be available on the Comvest website. The Reading and Text Interpretation Test will consist of eight objective reading and interpretation questions. The Specific Knowledge Test will consist of 1.400 objective questions related to the specific area of ​​the course chosen at registration (Humanities/Arts or Exact/Technological Sciences or Biological Sciences). The Writing Test will require a text production of at least 2.800 characters and a maximum of XNUMX characters. The study programs and guidelines for the tests are available on the Comvest website.

Candidates have a maximum of three hours to complete the tests and must connect to the virtual environment at 13:14 p.m. (Brasília time) for any technical support needed to complete the exam. The test will begin at XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. (Brasília time). After this time, candidates will not be allowed to access the platform.

For the Curriculum Analysis phase, a number of candidates equivalent to three times the number of vacancies in the course will be called. The list of candidates called for the Curriculum Analysis phase will be released on June 2, 2025, and those selected must digitally submit the required documentation described in the Notice between June 3 and 6, 2025. The Curriculum Compatibility Analysis is the responsibility of the Undergraduate Committee of the desired course, and the criteria are set out in the Notice. During the same period, candidates must also submit documentation proving their refugee or risk status, as specified in the Notice.

Tuition

The list of candidates called for enrollment will be published on the Comvest website on July 14, 2025, and enrollment must be completed remotely, via the internet. At the time of enrollment, scanned copies of the original or notarized copies of the documents indicated in the process announcement must be sent.

Approved students may enroll, from 7/7 to 5/8/25, as special students, in the Portuguese Language for Foreigners course, to be taught in the second semester of 2025. Regular admission to the chosen course will take place in the first semester of 2026.

Important: Unicamp recommends that those approved do not cancel their enrollment at their original educational institution before enrolling at Unicamp.

Reception and support at Unicamp

Unicamp has been standing out in promoting access to higher education for refugees through the “Sérgio Vieira de Mello” Chair (CSVM). In operation at Unicamp since 2019, the chair is an initiative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in cooperation with universities. Currently, the chair operates in 44 Brazilian institutions.

According to the most recent data from UNHCR, between 2023 and 2024, CSVM promoted access to higher education for 750 refugees in Brazil, at a time when forced displacement reached historic levels worldwide. The 2024 UNHCR Report indicates that 122 million people have had to flee their homes as a result of political persecution, armed conflict, humanitarian crises or natural disasters.

Through the Chair, Unicamp already had a simplified admission process for refugees, but it did not yet have the possibility of conducting a remote test. In this way, it is expected that the online test will allow people who have not yet arrived in Brazil to also be able to apply. Currently, Unicamp has 54 students from countries such as Syria, Iran, Cuba, Congo, Russia, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone, among others, 44 of whom are undergraduates and ten are graduate students.

After joining Unicamp, the university offers a support network through various actions and bodies, such as a partnership with the language center, which offers a Portuguese course as the host language, the psychological care service, scholarships and care at the Community Health Center, which offers outpatient consultations and vaccinations.

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