São Paulo – Refugees with a registration issued by the National Committee for Refugees (Conare, in the Portuguese acronym) of the Ministry of Justice, can now apply for a position in any one of the 61 undergraduate courses offered by the São Carlos Federal University (UFSCar), located 244 km from São Paulo. The admission process for 2016 will use the results of the National Secondary Education Examination (Enem).
To participate, the candidates must have taken any of the Enem’s editions since 2011 and send the required documents to UFSCar via post office until August 31st. Required documents include the registration form, a document attesting the conclusion of studies equivalent to high school and a Conare certification confirming refugee status.
According to UFSCar’s admission coordinator, Wagner Souza, two refugees already graduated and six are enrolled in the university. However, the institution wishes to expand the number of refugees in the undergraduate level, and that’s why it has implemented changes in the admission process for the 2016 term.
“The search for openings has been low and we want it to pick up. In 2014, there were 12 entries. We changed [the selection process] to have a higher number of entrants, especially since Brazil is receiving more refugees. However, there were obstacles for them to come to São Carlos to take an exam. There was a specific admission process”, said Souza. According to the admission coordinator of UFSCar, the candidates come mainly from Middle East countries, such as Lebanon, Iraq and Iran (which is not Arab), Africa and Latin America.
Application and admission
The refugees that have taken any edition of Enem since 2011 can use their registration numbers to apply at UFSCar. If there’s only one entrant, the refugee is automatically accepted, provided they don’t have any F (zero) in the five grades given by Enem: Natural Sciences and Related Technologies; Mathematics and Related Technologies; Languages, Codes and Related Technologies; Humanities and Related Technologies; and Essay.
If more than one person enrols for an opening, the student approved will be the one with the highest grade in the sum of the five skills. In the case of a drawing, the student approved will be the one that took Enem more recently. Should the tie persist, the student approved will be the one with a better grade in the Essay category.
“This system is not different from the Unified Selection System (Sisu, a system used by Brazilian students that appoints them to public universities), there is no minimum required grade”, says Souza. If no one applies for the course or if the approved student doesn’t enroll, on January 20th, 2016, there will be a second call for the refugees. Those interested will have until January 28nd to enroll. They will be called for a simplified test, which is an essay. On February 12th, the list of candidates approved will be announced and they will be called to enrol.
UFSCar offers undergraduate courses in the Humanities, Exact and Biological sciences in campuses located in São Carlos, Sorocaba, Buri and Araras. According to Souza, the most sought after courses by the refugees are Medical School and those in the Engineering areas.
Service
All information, dates and the registration form are available in the admission directive for refugees, at the link: http://www.saci.ufscar.br/data/solicitacao/27685_edtprgr_ref16.pdf (in Portuguese)
For further information go to http://www2.ufscar.br/ or call 55 16 3351-8152
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
