The Student Financing Fund, or FIES program, was created by the Brazilian government in 1999. Since then, it has helped many students to enter university. This is because entering a public university is not always easy. Especially with educational inequality in Brazil.

Therefore, many people see the private university as the only option. However, because they are private, these institutions have a high value to study. In this way, FIES helps students to pay their monthly fees more freely. And still having the chance to pay as soon as they get a job after graduation.

Therefore, in today's article we will show you the details of student financing from the Brazilian government, FIES. Continue reading and check it out!

First, FIES is the Student Financing Fund. In this sense, it was created with the aim of expanding the access of the low-income population to university. This is because the FIES program offers more time to pay private college tuition. In other words, it works as a kind of loan. Typically, students can pay after their training, when they are normally already employed. 

Incidentally, this loan can be offered by both the government and financial institutions. Therefore, FIES financing – by the government – has lower rates. P-FIES, on the other hand, has slightly higher rates, as it is from financial institutions. However, rest assured, the fees are still lower because they contain public resources. Even so, the new FIES offers the possibility of zero interest, under certain income conditions. That is, now the scale of financing and interest varies according to the income of each family.

In this sense, in 2022 approximately 110,000 places will be offered for FIES. They are divided between 60% for the first semester and 40% for the second.

In short, the main benefits of the FIES program is to expand access to graduation. While a degree does not guarantee entry into the job market, it does provide more opportunities. Therefore, the chance of starting to pay tuition only after training is very good. However, it is worth remembering that the monthly fee cannot exceed 10% of the total income of the family group.

In addition, as mentioned, the new FIES has a different interest scale. That is, the program analyzes the social condition of each student to stipulate the interest. Therefore, it is possible for the student to get zero rate on financing!

In short, to be eligible for the program you must have a specific income. Incidentally, this income varies according to the financing chosen. Therefore, for the FIES you must have a family income of at most three minimum wages. For those who opt for the P-FIES, the income is up to five minimum wages. In addition, FIES is direct financing with the government, while P-FIES is the combination of government and private banks.

In addition, the FIES program also uses ENEM as a means of selection. In this sense, there are some conditions for those who took the exam:

Finally, to enroll in the FIES it is necessary to have already taken the ENEM. Therefore, make sure that in any year from 2010, you have taken the test. Also see if you meet the prerequisites, such as getting at least 450 in the knowledge areas. In addition to reaching at least 400 points in the Writing. 

With that, you can already register for the program. To do so, simply access the FIES portal, fill in your details and complete your registration. Then, just choose the desired course and how to finance it. 

In this sense, the registration opening is scheduled for March 8th to 11th. The disclosure of results must be carried out on March 15, 2022. Pay attention to the dates and do not miss your registration.

So, now that you know the program, it's time to understand how to apply. Check out our article below where we show you the step by step!