Brazil’s study abroad ambitions widen, but information gap holds back demand

Study Abroad

Growing interest in Europe, expanding bilingual schooling and demand for shorter overseas experiences are reshaping Brazil’s outbound student market, according to speakers preparing for The PIE High Brazil.

by Amy Baker

October 29 2026

4 Min Read

Copied!

Add Your Opinion

Brazil's outbound market is becoming more varied in both destination and format. Photo: iStock

While the US remains an important destination, Canada and Europe are seeing an undoubted rise in interest.

Speaking ahead of The PIE High Brazil , panellists described a market in which families are considering a wider range of countries and questioning assumptions about the cost – and ROI – of an international education.

But turning that interest into enrolments will require sustained engagement with schools and parents, they suggested, with new operators such as GlobalCamps helping high school students engage with the opportunity.

“There’s this conception that if you want to study abroad, it’s going to cost you USD $80,000 per year,” said Mauricio Segura of GlobalCamps, a platform connecting schools and their counsellors with summer and pre-university programS.

GlobalCamps works with approximately 150–200 schools across Brazil, according to Segura. Through school visits, fairs and parent sessions, he encounters students unfamiliar even with the possibility of taking a short university program during their school holidays.

“It’s a huge opportunity, but it’s a building block opportunity,” he said.

For universities seeking to recruit in Brazil, that means investing in market education alongside recruitment.

At Inspired’s Brazilian schools, Paulo Moraes described growing interest in students considering a degree overseas.

The group’s 12 schools in Brazil educate close to 8,000 pupils, although several are still developing their secondary provision. Across a current graduating cohort of around 250 students annually, Moraes estimated that approximately 15% choose to study abroad.

Most continue to university in Brazil, where families weigh competitive public university admissions against an increasingly attractive range of private institutions.

Among those looking overseas, Moraes said Europe and Canada now account for the majority of interest within his school network, contrasting with the stronger pull of the US seven or eight years ago.

Italy, Spain and Portugal feature prominently. For some families, dual citizenship makes European study particularly attractive financially.

“Many of our kids, they have a dual passport,” he said.

Isabel Baptista Zillig of Shorelight, which works with university partners predominantly in the US, reported a 60% increase in its Brazilian student numbers between 2025 and 2026.

She attributed that growth partly to explaining costs more clearly and providing reassurance about the support available once students arrive.

Across the universities Shorelight works with, Brazilian students paid average annual tuition of approximately US$19,000 in 2026, she said. Including living costs, insurance and meal plans, she put the annual total at around USD $35,000–40,000.

Those figures relate to Shorelight’s own students and university partners, but illustrate the gap speakers identified between perceptions of US study and the options available.

“Students, they don’t feel ready to go alone, to live without their families for the first time, and they need a lot of information and support,” said Baptista Zillig.

The expansion of bilingual schooling could help broaden the audience for those opportunities.

Thassiana Balbino Silva, business development manager for TOEFL iBT in Brazil, characterised the growth of bilingual programs over the past decade as preparation for a wider internationalisation of the school sector.

Balbino Silva also described Brazilian universities building international partnerships that allow students to spend part of their degree overseas. Baptista Zillig also reported growing interest in semester programs, including among students in fields such as law and medicine who intend to practise in Brazil.

For these students, shorter mobility can combine international experience with a domestic qualification and continued access to local professional networks.

Moraes said some families were increasingly conscious of the connections students might miss while completing an entire degree abroad.

Shorter experiences can address “both desires”, he suggested – gaining international exposure while building the relationships needed to start a career in Brazil.

Baptista Zillig stressed that overseas degrees bring their own networking advantages, particularly in destinations with strong commercial links to Brazil.

Together, the speakers’ observations point to an outbound market becoming more varied in both destination and format, with opportunities for providers able to explain the costs, support and career value of international study to a wider audience.

The PIE High Brazil is coming to São Paulo on November 12 2026.

Copied!

Amy Baker

Amy Baker is CEO and co-founder of The PIE and worked as a journalist for many years covering the international education sector. A previous winner of the IEAA Award for Excellence in Professional Commentary, she regularly speaks and chairs panels focusing on trends in international education.

View all articles by Amy

Comments

Add Your Opinion

Show Response

No comments found.

Leave Your Comment

Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Your Comment

Your Name

Your Email

Comment