PEC-PG is Brazil's flagship graduate scholarship. It funds Master's, PhD and sandwich doctorate study at Brazilian universities, and it is fully funded. On paper that makes it an obvious target for Pakistani students looking beyond the usual UK, German and Chinese options. In practice there is one question that decides everything, and it has nothing to do with your grades: does your country have a bilateral education cooperation agreement with Brazil?
That question is not settled for Pakistan. This guide explains why, what the scholarship covers if you are eligible, and how to check your status before you spend weeks on an application. You can also see the full scholarship details on our scholarship page.
The PEC-PG scholarship in brief
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Funding | Fully funded |
| Study level | Master's and PhD, plus sandwich doctorate arrangements |
| Fields | Open, depending on the host university's programs |
| Country | Brazil |
| Run by | CAPES, CNPq and Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE) |
| Deadline | Varies yearly. A recent cycle closed around November. Dates for the next cycle are unconfirmed. |
| Official site | official CAPES website |
Why the bilateral agreement decides everything
PEC-PG is not a fully open global scholarship. It is built around bilateral education cooperation agreements between Brazil and specific partner countries. Historically, the program has been strongest with Latin American countries and Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) African countries that already have these agreements in place. Those students have made up most of its intake.
For South Asian applicants, the picture is unclear. We were not able to confirm whether Pakistan, India or Bangladesh currently have the agreement this program requires. That is a genuine open question, not a polite way of saying no, and not a hidden yes either.
So treat this as the first eligibility filter, ahead of everything else. If Pakistan is not on the current list of eligible countries, your CGPA, publications and research proposal will not matter. If it is, PEC-PG becomes a serious option.
How to check your country's status
There are two places to look. The first is the current year's official edital, which is the Brazilian term for the call for applications. Each cycle's edital sets out which countries are eligible. The second is the Brazilian embassy, which can tell you whether your country currently participates and which application channel applies to you. Do both if you can. An answer in writing from the embassy is worth more than a forum post or an old list of countries copied from another website.
What the funding covers
If you are eligible and selected, PEC-PG covers four things:
- A monthly stipend
- Health insurance
- Airfare
- A tuition waiver
The source information we have does not give stipend amounts, so we are not going to guess. Check the current edital for the monthly figure and any conditions attached to the airfare and insurance. Before you accept, it is sensible to compare the stipend against rent and living costs in the specific Brazilian city where your host university is located, since those can differ a lot between cities.
The coverage is broad for a government scholarship. Tuition, travel, health cover and a living allowance together remove most of the costs that usually stop Pakistani students from considering a country like Brazil in the first place.
Eligibility beyond the country question
The listed requirements are short. You need to be:
- A national of a country with a bilateral education cooperation agreement with Brazil (Pakistan's status is not confirmed, so verify it directly)
- Accepted into a Brazilian graduate program
The second point is where many applicants get the order wrong. PEC-PG does not place you in a university. You need acceptance or pre-selection from a Brazilian host institution as part of your application. That means you are effectively running two processes: one with the university or supervisor, and one with the scholarship.
The Portuguese question
Portuguese is often required or strongly preferred, depending on the host university and program. Do not assume an English-taught option exists for your field. Ask the program directly what language teaching, supervision and thesis writing happen in, and whether a Portuguese proficiency certificate is expected at the application stage or later.
For a Pakistani student with no Portuguese background, this is a real cost in time. If your preferred program teaches in Portuguese, you will want to start learning well before you arrive. Be honest with yourself about whether you can manage a degree in a new language alongside the research workload.
Paperwork for a PEC-PG application
The core documents are:
- Passport
- Academic transcripts
- Acceptance or pre-selection letter from a host Brazilian institution
- CV
- Research proposal
The acceptance or pre-selection letter is the hardest item on this list and takes the longest, so start there. The research proposal matters most for PhD and sandwich doctorate applicants, and it should match the interests of the supervisor or department that is willing to host you. Pakistani applicants usually also need their degrees and transcripts attested before they are accepted abroad. Our IBCC and MOFA attestation guide explains that process, and the documents checklist for international scholarships covers the general paperwork. Check the current edital for any translation or extra format requirements specific to Brazil.
Applying in the right order
The order matters more here than with most scholarships, because the first step can end the process.
- Confirm your country's current bilateral agreement status with Brazil, through the edital and the Brazilian embassy.
- Secure acceptance or pre-selection from a Brazilian host institution.
- Apply through the CAPES or embassy channel tied to your country's agreement.
Notice that the application route itself depends on your country's agreement. There is no single universal portal that every nationality uses in the same way, so the embassy is often the most reliable source on where and how to submit.
When to start, given the uncertain dates
The deadline varies from year to year. A recent cycle closed around November, but the opening date is listed as varying and the dates for the next cycle are unconfirmed. Do not plan around a fixed date until the new edital is out. Confirm the exact deadline on the official portal.
A realistic plan looks like this. Verify the bilateral agreement before anything else. If the answer is positive, start contacting Brazilian programs and supervisors early, because you need their acceptance or pre-selection letter before you can apply. Keep an eye on the official CAPES website so you see the edital when it is published, and aim to have your documents ready well before the window closes.
Who this suits, and who should look elsewhere
PEC-PG suits a student who has already confirmed that Pakistan is eligible in the current cycle, has a clear research interest that fits a Brazilian program, and is willing to learn Portuguese if the program needs it. Brazil has a strong and growing research sector, and the funding package is comprehensive for both Master's and PhD study.
If you cannot get a clear answer on eligibility, or you need an English-only program and cannot find one in your field, PEC-PG is probably not where your main effort should go. Keep it on your list, but put your energy into scholarships where Pakistani eligibility is confirmed. Our all Brazil scholarships guide is a good place to compare other options in the country.
Mistakes we see applicants make
- Spending weeks on a research proposal before checking whether Pakistan is eligible this year.
- Assuming the program is open to all nationalities because it is a government scholarship.
- Treating last cycle's November closing date as this year's deadline.
- Applying to the scholarship without first securing a letter from a host institution.
- Assuming English-taught study is available without asking the program.
Frequently asked questions
Can Pakistani students apply for PEC-PG?
This is genuinely uncertain. The program requires your country to have a bilateral education cooperation agreement with Brazil, and we could not confirm this status for Pakistan. Check the current CAPES edital and ask the Brazilian embassy directly before you apply.
Is Portuguese required?
It is often required or strongly preferred, depending on the host university and program. Confirm the language of instruction with your program before assuming an English-taught option is available.
Is PEC-PG fully funded?
Yes. It covers a monthly stipend, health insurance, airfare and a tuition waiver. Check the current edital for the stipend amount and any conditions.
Do I need a university admission before applying?
Yes. Acceptance into a Brazilian graduate program is a listed requirement, and you need an acceptance or pre-selection letter from a host institution as part of your documents.
What is a sandwich doctorate?
It is one of the arrangements PEC-PG funds alongside full Master's and PhD study. The details of how it works for your case, including eligibility, are set out in the current edital, so check there before applying.
When is the deadline?
It varies yearly. A recent cycle closed around November, but the next cycle's dates are unconfirmed. Confirm the exact deadline on the official portal.
Before you commit time to PEC-PG, check the current edital on the official CAPES website and confirm your eligibility with the Brazilian embassy. For a summary you can come back to, see the PEC-PG scholarship page.