The GCUB International Mobility Program (formerly branded strictly under PAEC-OAS) is a massive consortium agreement between dozens of Brazilian universities and international organizations. It is specifically designed to bypass the complex, decentralized admission processes of individual Brazilian universities by offering a single, unified application portal for international students across the Americas.
Quick Overview
Full Requirements & Details
Academic Requirements
- Min. CGPA
- No Minimum Requirement
- Offer Degrees
- Masters, PhD
- Subjects
- Agriculture, Arts, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, History, Law, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics, Psychology
- Seats Available
- Hundreds annually
- Study Gap Allowed
- No Restrictions (Gap Allowed)
- Research Publication
- No
- Work Experience
- No
- Age Range
- No Age Limit
Language Requirements
- IELTS
- No
- TOEFL
- No
- GRE
- Not Required
- Local Language
- Portuguese
- Local Lang Test
- No
- Study Languages
- Portuguese
Financial Details
- Type
- Partial
- Fund Details
- Full tuition waiver + partial monthly stipend + free Portuguese classes
- Monthly Stipend
- BRL 2100/mo
- Tuition
- Full
- Living Costs
- Partial
- Travel & Health
- No / None
- Application Fee
- Free (No Application Fee)
- Spouse Allowed
- No
What Matters Most
Required Documents
Why You Should Apply
Applying to Brazilian public universities independently is a bureaucratic nightmare involving localized exams and Portuguese-heavy websites. The GCUB program solves this. You submit one application in English, Spanish, or French, and you can select up to five different Master's or Doctoral programs at various participating Brazilian universities across the country.
If selected, the host university guarantees a full tuition waiver (as is standard in public universities) and provides a monthly living stipend (usually matching the national CAPES standard of 2,100 BRL for Master's and 3,100 BRL for PhDs). Crucially, you do not need to prove Portuguese proficiency at the time of application, and the host university will provide you with free Portuguese language support once you arrive.
Application Process
The call for applications (Edital) typically opens in May or June on the GCUB website. You fill out an online form, upload your passport, undergraduate diploma, academic transcripts, a CV, and three short essays detailing your academic intentions and how your studies will promote development in the Americas. You do not need to contact professors in advance or take entrance exams.
The GCUB centralizes the evaluation and distributes the candidates to the respective universities, which make the final selections based on your dossier.
How to Win This Scholarship
This is a volume game. Because you can apply to multiple programs, your strategy should mix highly prestigious, hyper-competitive universities (like UnB in Brasília or UFMG in Minas Gerais) with excellent but less globally famous regional federal universities (like UFPA in the Amazon or UFPR in the South). Do not put five programs in Rio de Janeiro; diversify geographically.
Your essays are the only voice you have. They must clearly articulate your research interests and align perfectly with the OAS goals of regional integration, social development, and capacity building.
Benefits After Completing Study
This program rapidly accelerates academic integration in Latin America. It provides a highly streamlined entry into the Brazilian academic ecosystem, allowing you to focus on research and language acquisition immediately, which often leads to PhD or Post-doc opportunities within Brazil or the wider OAS network.
The GCUB program does NOT cover your flights, visa costs, or health insurance. You must pay out-of-pocket to get to the Brazilian city. The stipend is a 'partial' living allowance—it is enough to survive, but in expensive capitals, you will need to live frugally.
Furthermore, the first stipend payment is often delayed by 30 to 60 days while the university processes your arrival paperwork and bank account, so you must bring sufficient emergency savings to cover your first two months of rent and food. You cannot hold other Brazilian government scholarships simultaneously.
Official Source
For complete details and to verify all requirements, please refer to the scholarship provider's official website.
Visit Official Source