Number of Brazilian University Students in US Increases 9.8 Percent

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The number of Brazilian students in US universities increased 9.8 percent last year, reaching 16,059 in the 2018/19 school year.

The rise is the second-highest among foreign students, behind only Bangladesh, according to the Open Doors report by Education USA, an affiliate of the US Department of State, released on Monday, November 18th.

There has been an upturn in the growth in the number of Brazilian students in US higher education over the past two years, but the mark is still far from the peak of the last ten years,  23,600 in 2014/15. Brazil ranks 9th in the overall picture, behind China (369,548 students) and other countries in Asia and the Middle East, as well as Canada.

Just over 1 million foreigners studied in American higher education in the last academic year, which includes undergraduate, postgraduate, exchange and complementary academic activities. This translates into approximately US$44.7 billion annually for the economy. Half of them are looking for so-called “STEM”) courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

In the last year, most Brazilian students in the United States (7,700) graduated. Another 4,700 were studying for a master’s or doctoral degree.

Preparation

Anelise Zandona Hofmann, the coordinator of Education USA in Brazil, credits the growth to the internationalization of Brazilian private schools. “Many are becoming bilingual starting at the fundamental and middle levels. Attending secondary school following the American model is not a prerequisite, but it helps to prepare for higher education in the United States.

“A significant number of Brazilian private schools have begun to incorporate five additional subjects into their high school curriculum in English. According to Anelise, this profile differs from years ago, when a large part of the program came from Science Without Borders – in this case, only part of the course was taken outside the country. “Today, youths want to complete their entire graduation.”

Among the places most sought after by Brazilians are Florida, California, Massachusetts, and Texas, but Anelise mentions southern states as more accessible. “Ideally, the first thing to look at is the academic preference, the quality of the institution, and then the costs. We also have cases of partial scholarships, specific to Latin America.”

Liza Yoshitani, manager of Universities at CI Exchange, points out that the increase in demand by foreigners is also linked to the number of international students now considered one of the criteria for evaluating educational institutions.

“It is important for American universities to have a range of nationalities. In addition to qualifying for the ranking, it also positions itself as more tolerant, open to other cultures.” She says that demand in Brazil has been starting increasingly early, as students plan from their first year of high school.

Flexible

According to Liza, the US education format provides greater support for the student’s personalized development through academic tutoring, assistance in choosing the curriculum, and increased attention to career planning. “Here, the students’ grades are more rigid, which is a distinguishing feature of the American model, also in relation to countries such as Canada and England.”

This was one of the factors that attracted the interest of Orisvaldo Salviano Neto, 19, who is in his first year at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “Here, you don’t normally choose a major before at least two semesters, and in these two semesters, you have the freedom to test several different academic areas, which helps you decide.”

From Fortaleza, he decided to study in the United States when he was in his second year of high school. The experience of taking part in the scientific Olympiads and voluntary activities helped: “I did it because I liked it a lot and, in the end, the application (selection process) takes that into account too,” he explains. He intends to become a researcher.

“Unfortunately, Brazil has never encouraged research much. I realized that if I really wanted to become a researcher who could significantly influence my country – or even physics itself -, I would need to try an education that truly cares and has resources for research”.

Raniery Mendes, 19, from Rio de Janeiro, is in his second year at Wake Forest University, in North Carolina. He classifies the experience as “incredible”. “Here you don’t need to know right away what you want to study at university. It is possible to choose up until the end of the second year, and I intend to major in Political Science and International Relations,” he said.

What Mendes is still unclear about is when he will return to Brazil. The initial desire to return after graduation is pending. “I’m watching the situation in Brazil, with scholarships being cut. So, I intend to continue my studies here or in Europe”, he said.

Source: Estado de S. Paulo.