Prouni applications for second half of 2026 close Friday; 471,304 scholarships offered
The application period for the "Universidade para Todos" (Prouni) program's second semester of 2026 concludes this Friday, July 10th, at 11:59 PM. Interested candidates must apply exclusively through the Acesso Único portal (acessounico.mec.gov.br/prouni), using their gov.br login credentials. This semester's edition offers a total of 471,304 scholarships across 380 undergraduate courses, provided by 879 private higher education institutions. These scholarships are divided between general competition and affirmative action quotas.
The results for the first selection round are scheduled for July 15th, with the second round results to be announced on August 5th. Prouni, a federal government initiative, provides full (100%) and partial (50% discount) scholarships for private institutions. Eligibility requires participation in the 2024 or 2025 ENEM exams, achieving a minimum average score of 450 points across subject areas and a non-zero score on the essay. Additional criteria include having completed high school in public schools, as a full scholarship student in private schools, or a combination of public and private schooling with specific scholarship conditions, as well as being a person with a disability or a public school teacher for specific courses.
Of the total scholarships, 219,725 are full and 251,579 are partial. Specific allocations include 35,365 for individuals with disabilities, 188,880 for Black, Brown, and Indigenous candidates, and 247,059 for general competition. Popular courses with the most scholarships are Systems Analysis and Development (31,221), Administration (30,893), and Accounting Sciences (27,029). Medicine has 1,013 scholarships available. Geographically, São Paulo leads with 91,699 opportunities, followed by Minas Gerais (59,297), Bahia (34,155), Rio Grande do Sul (31,101), and Paraná (29,397), with all states and the Federal District offering positions.
The Prouni program's substantial offering of over 471,000 scholarships highlights a continued government strategy to leverage private educational institutions for social mobility and access to higher education. This model, while expanding opportunities, relies on the private sector's capacity and willingness to participate, creating a dynamic where institutional incentives, regulatory oversight, and student demand must align. The program's structure, particularly its emphasis on ENEM performance and diverse eligibility criteria including socioeconomic and demographic factors, reflects an ongoing effort to balance meritocracy with affirmative action. Future considerations may involve evaluating the long-term impact of these scholarships on both individual career trajectories and the broader landscape of higher education quality and accessibility in Brazil, particularly in the context of evolving economic conditions and technological advancements in learning.
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