The University of São Paulo (USP) offers exchange places for students from all over the world. Students can apply for an international exchange programme at USP if they are enrolled in a foreign Higher Education Institution (HEI).

1. USP and its campuses
2. Student Exchange Programme at USP
3. Tuition fees
4. Nomination and application
5. Medical Insurance
6. Visa
7. National Foreign Registry
8. Housing options and campus life
9. Course of Portuguese as a Foreign Language
10. Coronavirus vaccination policy

USP has eight campuses spread across the state of São Paulo:

• São Paulo Campus, subdivided into four different locations:

  • São Paulo Cidade Universitária Armando de Salles Oliveira – Campus Butantã

  • São Paulo USP Leste

  • São Paulo Faculdade de Direito – Largo de São Francisco – School of Law

  • São Paulo Quadrilátero da Saúde (School of Nursing, School of Medicine, School of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine)

• Bauru

• Lorena

• Piracicaba

• Pirassununga

• Ribeirão Preto

• Santos – Department of Mining and Petroleum Engineering of the School of Engineering

• São Carlos

Further information on the campuses and their location is available at

http://internationaloffice.usp.br/en/index.php/admissions/campus-guide

USP offers undergraduate and postgraduate exchange places as follows:

• Undergraduate level (BA degree and teacher education programmes): course attendance;

• Undergraduate level (BA degree and teacher education programmes): a combination of course attendance and research placement (under the supervision of a USP faculty member/researcher);

• Graduate level (Master’s and PhD degree): research stay under the supervision of a USP faculty member/researcher (research-only placement);

• Graduate level (Master’s and PhD degree): a combination of research stay and course attendance.

Students enrolled in Master’s programmes may be advised to enroll preferably in courses offered at the undergraduate level (see also Structure of degree programmes).

USP is a public state institution that welcomes undergraduate and graduate exchange students at no cost, except for a few short summer, winter and extension courses (refresher, diffusion, specialization, professionalizing, extension etc.) that are either free of charge or offered at reduced fees.

Students interested in studying at USP as Exchange Students should contact their home university Student Exchange Coordinator in order to obtain information on how to be nominated.

To apply for the exchange programme at USP, the student must first be officially nominated. Information for (non-)partner institutions and applicants is available on our nomination/registration platform Mundus.

The deadlines and conditions for nomination and application for the exchange programme are different for undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Depending on the study level the student is interested in, different procedures should be followed. For more details on how to apply, visit the relevant page:

• How to apply for undergraduate programmes;
• How to apply for graduate programmes;

Free Movers are not eligible for exchange and cannot apply through the USP International Cooperation Office.  Students considering applying as Free Movers should directly contact the Local International Office of the School/Institute of their interest to check their eligibility criteria and application procedures.

Exchange students need to provide evidence of medical insurance or appropriate and valid travel medical insurance policy for registration upon arrival. Students must purchase their Health/Travel Insurance before travelling to Brazil (this must cover the entirety of the stay in Brazil).

International students will have access to the Brazilian Public Health System only in cases of emergency.

Non-Brazilian nationals need a visa in order to study in Brazil. Providing the Acceptance Letter at the Brazilian diplomatic representation in their home country is a mandatory step for students to request the appropriate Student Visa.

Mercosur students may study in Brazil holding a ‘Mercosur Visa’. However, in this case they will not be able to be granted a scholarship offered by any Brazilian institution. If the student is granted a scholarship from a Brazilian institution, he/she must request the appropriate student visa. 

For more information about visa requirements and the application process, please read the instructions available at

https://internationaloffice.usp.br/en/index.php/academic-reception-office/migration-information/visa/faq

The former “National Registry of Foreigners” (Registro Nacional de Estrangeiro – RNE), the long-term identity document issued after Federal Police registration, has been renamed “National Migratory Registry Card” [Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório] (CRNM). Visitors may be required to register with the Brazilian Federal Police office within 90 days upon arrival and apply for a CRNM, depending on the length of their stay in Brazil.

For more information about CRNM requirements and the application process, please read the instructions available at

https://internationaloffice.usp.br/en/index.php/academic-reception-office/migration-information/regularization-of-foreigners-in-brazil/national-migratory-registry-rnm

USP does not provide housing facilities for exchange students within the campuses. The search for accommodation must be carried out by the students themselves according to their economic conditions and interests. For further information regarding alternative housing options outside the campuses, please contact the

of your host school. 

USP strongly recommends that students take part in the USP iFriends programme in order for them to get assistance with finding accommodation.

All exchange students have access to the university restaurants. Several campuses offer free bus transportation. Please check the relevant website (available in Portuguese).

The exchange student can attend (during the semester, not before) an intensive Portuguese course offered by the Language Learning Center (Centro de Línguas da FFLCH) at the São Paulo Campus only – Cidade Universitária. For further information, please visit http://clinguas.fflch.usp.br/ or send an email to portcl@usp.br.

For opportunities available on other campuses, please refer to our Local International Offices. The courses offered by the Language Center can be combined with regular courses offered by the schools, but they are not listed together on the Transcript of Records. Students who pass a language course receive a certificate and the sending institution may consider them when transferring credits.

A committee headed by the Rector of USP had decided that only fully vaccinated students would be allowed to attend classes in-person at USP. Accepted students were asked to upload their vaccination certificate during the application process or before the enrollment period, but the restrictions were lifted and the vaccination is not mandatory anymore. USP may accept non-vaccinated students again, although the institution keeps recommending the vaccination of students and staff. USP will keep following the guidelines set by the local authorities, therefore they are subject to change at any time.

The former policy that may be resumed according to how the situation evolves in future

Only students regarded as fully vaccinated could be enrolled (i.e. students up-to-date with COVID-19 Vaccines including boosters, according to the regulation valid at USP during the enrollment period). The same applied to all degree-seeking students, faculty and administrative staff.

The certificate of vaccination needed then to be validated online and then and only then the students could have access to all facilities just by taping their student card on the display of the card readers scattered everywhere at the campuses, therefore students who were not vaccinated or objected to being vaccinated could not be enrolled even if they were allowed to enter the country.