São Paulo – São Carlos Federal University (UFSCar) is accepting registration until September 29th from refugees who want to take an undergraduate course at the educational institution.
According to the coordinator of UFSCar’s Entrance Examination Council, Wagner Souza Silva, even though there are more openings than candidates, each candidate needs to go through the selection process. Candidates take a multiple-choice test and an oral examination, and they need to meet requirements such as reaching a minimum score.
The tests are in Portuguese. According to Silva, candidates are usually fluent in Portuguese, as some had studied secondary school in Brazil and others have studied the language. Either way, if the refugee passes the test, but needs to study the language more, UFSCar directs them to its own extension courses in the area.
According to the coordinator, the demand is not so high: from five to ten refugees apply to the selection process. And the courses they are interested in vary greatly, ranging from Administration to Engineering and careers in Healthcare. UFSCar offers courses such as Biotechnology, Physics, Nursing, Medicine, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Psychology, Pedagogy, Languages, Physiotherapy, and others.
Silva explains that the openings for refugees are added to the authorized openings, those which are offered in the regular Entrance Examination. UFSCar started the initiative in 2009 and receives students from regions such as Middle East, Africa and Latin America. He explains he cannot mention the countries by name as to avoid identifying the refugees.
To register for the selection process, the refugee needs to send a letter to UFSCar stating the course he is interested in, along with the required documentation, including a proof of refugee status by a statement from Brazil’s National Committee for Refugees (Conare), connected with the Ministry of Justice. The university is public, therefore all of the courses are free of charge.
Service:
Openings for refugees in undergraduate courses at UFSCar
Registration is open until September 29th 2014
Documentation should be mailed to: UFSCar Pró-Reitoria de Graduação (Undergraduate Studies Department), Rodovia Washington Luis, km 235, CEP 13565-905, São Carlos (SP).
For further information: http://www2.ufscar.br/english/index.php and (+5516) 3351-8152
*Translated by Rodrigo Mendonça
