Scholarships

🎓 Fully Funded GCUB-Mob Scholarship 2026 — Master’s & PhD in Brazil

Gradualin

May 31, 2026
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Brazil is offering 889 fully funded scholarships to international students from every corner of the world — and the deadline is closer than you think. The GCUB International Mobility Program (GCUB-Mob) 2026, now in its fifth edition, is one of the most generous and accessible postgraduate scholarship programs available to international students today. Whether you want to pursue a Master’s degree or a PhD, study in Rio, São Paulo, Fortaleza, or anywhere else in Brazil, this program has a spot for you — and it does not require an acceptance letter or prior contact with a professor to apply.

In this complete guide on Gradualin, we break down everything you need to know: the benefits, eligibility, documents, application steps, and the full timeline — so you can apply with confidence before the July 6, 2026 deadline.

🎓 Quick Info Box

Detail	Information
Organization	International Cooperation Group of Brazilian Universities (GCUB)
Country	Brazil 🇧🇷
Degree Level	Master’s & Doctorate (PhD)
Funding Type	Fully Funded (Tuition + Monthly Stipend)
Number of Scholarships	889 (539 Master’s + 350 PhD)
Application Opens	May 25, 2026
Application Deadline	July 6, 2026 (11:59 PM BRT)
Programs Start	2027 (per host HEI academic calendar)
Open To	All nationalities (except Brazilian citizens)
Application Language	English, Portuguese, French, or Spanish
Official Website	gcub.org.br

🎓 GCUB-Mob Scholarship Overview

The International Cooperation Group of Brazilian Universities (GCUB), founded on October 29, 2008, is a non-profit civil association made up of a network of 104 Brazilian higher education institutions and 10 foreign institutions. Its mission is to develop academic, scientific, and cultural ties across borders — and the GCUB-Mob program is its flagship achievement.

Now in its fifth edition, the GCUB-Mob scholarship has grown into one of the most competitive and respected international mobility programs in Latin America. In this 2026 edition, 539 Master’s and 350 Doctoral scholarships will be offered by 62 Brazilian universities that are members of GCUB. That is a remarkable expansion compared to previous years.

What makes this program genuinely unique? You do not need an acceptance letter. You do not need to contact any professor. There is no application fee. You simply choose up to four programs, upload your documents, and let GCUB do the rest. It is one of the very few scholarship programs of this scale that removes the most stressful part of graduate school applications entirely.

The program strategically contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

🎓 Benefits and Funding

Here is the best part — this scholarship covers the essentials that matter most:

✅ Full tuition waiver — exemption from all academic fees at the host Brazilian university
✅ Monthly stipend — paid by the host institution throughout your program, benchmarked to the rates set by Brazilian federal research agencies for domestic postgraduate students
✅ Master’s duration: Up to 24 months of monthly stipend payments
✅ PhD duration: Up to 48 months of monthly stipend payments
✅ Access to university restaurants — under the same conditions as Brazilian students
✅ Access to libraries, laboratories, study rooms, and all university services
✅ No application fee — completely free to apply

For eligible candidates from OSC (Organization for South Cooperation) member states: Students may receive up to USD 1,500 to help cover airfare, visa processing, international medical insurance, and other personal expenses.

Important note: The scholarship does not cover airfare, visa fees, or health insurance for most applicants (verify on the official website for OSC-specific benefits). You will need to fund these yourself before arriving in Brazil. However, the monthly stipend and full tuition waiver make this an extraordinary financial package — the equivalent of full postgraduate funding worth thousands of dollars annually.

🎓 Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility requirements for GCUB-Mob 2026 are refreshingly straightforward:

✅ Must be a citizen of a country that maintains diplomatic relations with Brazil (nearly all countries qualify)
✅ Must NOT hold Brazilian nationality
✅ Must have completed an undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree — or be about to complete one, with an expected graduation date
✅ For PhD applicants: must verify whether the chosen graduate program requires a prior Master’s degree (check the official HEI table)
✅ Must declare good physical and mental health to undertake graduate studies
✅ Must have financial capacity to cover personal expenses before the first stipend payment arrives
✅ Application must be submitted in English, Portuguese, French, or Spanish

🌟 Regarding English tests: Applicants must follow the language requirements of the specific graduate programs they are applying to — these are listed in the Table of Master’s and Doctorate Programs of Brazilian HEIs. Many programs are taught in Portuguese, and some are available in English or other languages. There is no universal IELTS or TOEFL requirement at the application stage — this is confirmed on a program-by-program basis. (Verify language requirements for your specific program on the official website.)

Additionally, before defending their dissertation or thesis, all selected candidates must demonstrate at least an intermediate level of Portuguese.

🎓 Who Should Apply — And Who Should Not

✅ Apply if you:

Have already completed (or are about to complete) your undergraduate degree
Want to pursue a fully funded Master’s or PhD in a world-class research environment
Are interested in Latin American culture, Portuguese language, and global academic networks
Come from a developing country — priority consideration is given based on HDI rankings
Want to apply for multiple programs at once (up to 4) without the stress of individual professor outreach

❌ Don’t apply if you:

Hold Brazilian citizenship
Cannot afford to self-fund travel, visa costs, and living expenses before your first stipend arrives
Are only interested in undergraduate study — this program is postgraduate only
Are unwilling to eventually demonstrate intermediate Portuguese proficiency before your final thesis defense

🎓 Available Programs and Fields

One of the strongest features of GCUB-Mob is its sheer breadth. With 62 universities across all regions of Brazil participating, the available disciplines span virtually every academic field:

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
Social Sciences, Economics, and Law
Health Sciences and Medicine (special conditions apply — no patient procedures outside thesis requirements)
Arts, Humanities, and Education
Environmental Sciences and Agriculture
Architecture, Urban Planning, and Design
Communication, Media, and Journalism
Business, Management, and Public Administration

You can apply to up to four Master’s or Doctorate programs at different universities, and preferably from different regions of Brazil. The full list of available programs, universities, language requirements, and vacancies is published in the Table of Master’s and Doctorate Programs of Brazilian HEIs on the official GCUB website.

🎓 Required Documents

All documents must be uploaded in PDF format through the online application portal:

Copy of identity document — passport, national ID, or nationality document
Curriculum Vitae (CV) — supporting documents are not required at submission but may be requested later
Undergraduate diploma or certificate — or an official document from your institution confirming expected graduation date
For PhD applicants: Master’s degree diploma or certificate (if the chosen program requires it)
Text 1 (per program chosen): Academic expectations and professional perspectives after returning to your home country — maximum 1,000 words, Times New Roman size 12, 1.5 line spacing
Text 2 (per program chosen): Full research proposal — maximum 4,000 words, covering: research theme and problem, justification, objectives, literature review, methodology, research schedule, and bibliographic references
For professors: Proof of affiliation with a higher education institution

📝 Formatting requirement for both texts: Times New Roman, size 12, 1.5 line spacing, 2.5 cm margins on all sides.

🎓 Step-by-Step Application Process

Follow these steps carefully to submit a successful application:

Visit the official GCUB website at gcub.org.br and read the full Call for Applications N. 001/2026
Review the Table of Master’s and Doctorate Programs — this lists all 62 universities, available vacancies, language requirements, and program details
Choose up to 4 programs — preferably from different regions of Brazil
Prepare your documents — CV, diploma, identity document, and both required texts (Text 1 and Text 2) for EACH program chosen
Submit exclusively through the Online Application Form — no email submissions, no postal submissions
Submit early — GCUB is not responsible for applications not received due to technical problems or system congestion, and applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last day
Confirm your email address is accurate — all communications from GCUB will come to your registered email
Monitor the GCUB website for phase results

⚠️ Critical: If the same candidate submits more than one application, ALL applications will be deleted and the candidate will be automatically disqualified. Submit only once.

🎓 Important Dates and Deadlines

Date	Activity
May 25, 2026	Call for Applications published + Online applications open
July 6, 2026 (11:59 PM BRT)	⚠️ Application deadline
July 13 – July 31, 2026	Phase 1: Document Consistency Analysis
August 10 – September 8, 2026	Phase 2: Merit and Eligibility Analysis by Host HEIs
October 13 – October 16, 2026	Phase 3: Final Classification
October 26 – October 30, 2026	Confirmation of selected candidates by Brazilian HEIs
November 9, 2026	Publication of Final Results
2027	Academic programs commence

📌 Bookmark this page and check back for updates. Gradualin will update this article as new information is released by GCUB.

🎓 Why Apply — Why Brazil?

Brazil is not just South America’s largest country — it is a global academic powerhouse. Brazilian universities have produced world-class research in tropical medicine, environmental science, social sciences, engineering, and agriculture. Institutions like USP (Universidade de São Paulo) consistently rank among the top 200 universities in the world.

Studying in Brazil means living in a country of extraordinary cultural richness and biodiversity — from the Amazon rainforest to cosmopolitan São Paulo, from the beaches of Salvador to the colonial architecture of Ouro Preto. The experience goes far beyond academia.

What makes this even better is the selection process: the Advisory Evaluation Committee considers geographical distribution of candidates’ home countries, the Human Development Index (HDI) of the candidate’s country of origin, gender balance, and professors affiliated with HEIs — meaning applicants from developing countries receive priority consideration.

This is one of very few fully funded programs that actively prioritizes students from underrepresented regions. If you come from Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America, or the Pacific Islands, your application carries real weight.

🎓 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Do I need an acceptance letter or professor approval before applying? A: No. One of the biggest advantages of the GCUB-Mob program is that no prior acceptance letter or professor contact is required. You simply apply through the online portal, and the host universities evaluate your documents during Phase 2.

Q: Is IELTS or TOEFL required? A: There is no universal IELTS or TOEFL requirement for the application itself. Language requirements vary by program — some are in Portuguese, some in English. Check the Table of Master’s and Doctorate Programs on the GCUB website for your specific program. However, all selected candidates must eventually demonstrate intermediate Portuguese proficiency before their final thesis defense.

Q: How many programs can I apply to? A: You may apply to up to four Master’s or Doctorate programs at different universities, ideally from different regions of Brazil.

Q: Does the scholarship cover flights and health insurance? A: No, for most applicants. The scholarship covers tuition fees and monthly stipends. Airfare, visa processing, health insurance, and personal expenses are the student’s responsibility. Candidates from OSC member states may receive up to USD 1,500 in additional support (verify on the official website). You must also be financially prepared to cover living costs until your first stipend payment arrives.

Q: Can I apply if I do not have my degree yet? A: Yes, provided you can submit an official document from your institution confirming your expected graduation date.

Q: What happens if I am selected but decline after signing the contract? A: If a selected candidate declines the vacancy after signing the Scholarship Acceptance Contract without justification accepted by GCUB, they will not be eligible to apply for any GCUB mobility program for the next two years, and may be required to refund any scholarship amounts already received.

🎓 Official Sources and Contact

Official Program Page: gcub.org.br – GCUB-Mob Call 001/2026
Full Call for Applications (English PDF): Download Here
Online Application Portal: Available via the official GCUB website
Contact Email: gcub.mob@gcub.org.br (all inquiries must go here — no other communication channel will be considered)

🎓 Complete Summary Table

Detail	Information
Program Name	GCUB International Mobility Program (GCUB-Mob) — 5th Edition
Organization	GCUB (International Cooperation Group of Brazilian Universities)
Supported By	Instituto Guimarães Rosa (MRE), OAS, CONFAP, AUF, UDUALC, UNESCO Brazil
Country	Brazil 🇧🇷
Degree Level	Master’s (up to 24 months) & Doctorate / PhD (up to 48 months)
Number of Scholarships	889 total (539 Master’s + 350 PhD)
Number of Universities	62 Brazilian HEIs
Funding	Full tuition waiver + monthly stipend
Application Fee	Free
Eligible Nationalities	All (except Brazilian citizens)
Application Language	English, Portuguese, French, or Spanish
IELTS/TOEFL Required?	Not at application stage (varies by program)
Application Opens	May 25, 2026
Application Deadline	July 6, 2026 (11:59 PM BRT)
Results Announced	November 9, 2026
Programs Start	2027
Contact	gcub.mob@gcub.org.br