The Permanent Commission for Entrance Examinations at Unicamp (Comvest) administered the 2026 Indigenous Entrance Examination, a unified exam between the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) and Unicamp, last Sunday, January 11th. A total of 1.098 students took the exam, which was administered in five cities across the country: Campinas (SP), Recife (PE), Santarém (PA), São Gabriel da Cachoeira (AM), and Tabatinga (AM). Comvest recorded a slight decrease in absenteeism rates compared to the previous edition, falling from 46,8% to 46,1% in the 2026 Entrance Examination. Of the 2.037 registered candidates, 941 did not show up to take the exam. The lowest absenteeism rate was recorded in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, with 40,5% absenteeism, below the overall average. In Campinas, 137 candidates took the exam (51,8% absenteeism). In Comvest pageIt is possible to consult the table with the indexes for all cities, in addition to the test administered and the answer key for the questions.
The exam consisted of 50 multiple-choice questions, distributed as follows: languages and codes (14 questions); natural sciences (12 questions); mathematics (12 questions); human sciences (12 questions); and an essay. The essay section offered two prompts from which students could choose one, both involving reflection on artificial intelligence. The first prompt asked candidates to write a manifesto advocating for indigenous participation in the development of generative AI. The second prompt asked students to write an account in their field diary as a young person involved in a research project to build an AI focused on preserving an indigenous language.
Bruna Cardoso, a 19-year-old student, traveled all day by boat from the Amazonian municipality of Barcelos to take the university entrance exam in São Gabriel da Cachoeira. For her, being accepted to Unicamp is both a challenge and a dream. “I prepared a lot for the exam and was even expecting a current topic like this to be used for the essay. I imagined something related to climate and deforestation or something involving AI.” The student is applying to two health-related courses: Nursing and Nutrition.
The director of Comvest, José Alves de Freitas Neto, visited São Gabriel da Cachoeira for the first time, a location that registered the highest number of applicants for this year's Indigenous Entrance Exam. After visiting indigenous communities, schools, and locations where Unicamp administers the exams, Alves commented on the challenges of the exam. “When the Indigenous Entrance Exam was created, one of Unicamp's concerns was reaching locations where other universities did not offer the exam. São Gabriel da Cachoeira was one of those places. In this sense, my first time here is a unique opportunity to dialogue with students and teachers, to hear some of their needs based on the reality of the students here, and to understand the challenges from the perspective of expanding access to the exam and the partnerships that may eventually be established in this regard,” he said.
To organize exams outside the state of São Paulo, Comvest relies on the infrastructure of local schools and universities, utilizing their physical spaces, in addition to partnering with teams to administer the tests. In some places, many of the people working on administering the exam are Unicamp students themselves who are on vacation in their hometowns, as is the case in São Gabriel da Cachoeira. A large part of the teams that worked in the two schools used to administer the 2026 Indigenous Entrance Exam were made up of students from different Unicamp courses. Nalberth Barreto, from the Baré ethnic group, a student in the History Licentiate program, is from São Gabriel da Cachoeira and participated in the exam for the third time.
“It’s gratifying to be here because four years ago I was taking the university entrance exam and managed to pass with only a suitcase and a dream. I practically crossed a continent to get to Campinas. Being here today reminds me how difficult it was and how much things have changed, because we go to university not just to get a degree, but to broaden our knowledge, with many opportunities. Today I have a different vision to bring to my community and I hope that this generation taking the indigenous entrance exam will bring new debates and new perspectives to the university,” commented Nalberth.
Publication of those approved
Comvest will publish the first list of candidates called for enrollment on February 2, 2026, on its website. Enrollment for those called in this round must be done online, from 9:00 AM on February 3rd to 5:00 PM on February 4th, via the internet, on the Comvest website. The second list will be published on February 9th. Up to five rounds are planned.
At UFSCar, this is the 19th edition of the admission process for indigenous students, and at Unicamp, the eighth. Unicamp offers 130 places, distributed across all university courses, and UFSCar offers up to two places per course in 65 undergraduate options.
Book 'Essays 2026' launched in Amazonas
In addition to administering the 2026 Indigenous Entrance Exam, another activity carried out by the Comvest team in São Gabriel da Cachoeira was the launch of a book that compiles the best essays from the Unicamp Entrance Exam and the Indigenous Entrance Exam. Published by the Unicamp Press in partnership with Comvest, the work includes texts from the last edition of the exam, selected and organized by Unicamp professors.
The event took place on January 9th at the Maloca dos Saberes cultural space, belonging to the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of the Rio Negro (Foirn), and brought together dozens of students and teachers from the region. The director of Comvest delivered several copies to be placed in the libraries of schools in the municipality and riverside indigenous communities. One of the students present, 18-year-old Nayra Stephany Cardoso, said she arrived early to get a copy of the book. “I’m taking the indigenous university entrance exam and I heard about the distribution of copies. Since I really wanted a book, I arrived early to secure mine. I’m trying to get into the Performing Arts course and I hope to get into Unicamp,” said the prospective student.
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