fbpx
Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
7th Jun 2017

Brazilian outbound grew in 2016

The latest annual survey of education agents in Brazil finds that the number of outbound students from the country increased in 2016. The Brazilian Educational and Language Travel Association (Belta) estimates that more than 247,000 Brazilian students went abroad in 2016. This represents a 14% increase over the year before, whereas the two-year trend for Brazilian outbound shows net growth of 6.5% between 2014 and 2016. As the following chart reflects, this is well off the dramatic growth rate of the previous decade. However, it nevertheless reflects a return to growth after the notable “down” year of 2015. the-growth-of-brazilian-outbound-mobility-2003-2014 The growth of Brazilian outbound mobility, 2003-2014. Source: Belta As in last year’s survey, Brazilian students demonstrated a strong interest in more affordable destinations as well as in courses linked to career opportunities or career advancement. Belta began to observe last year that cost considerations have become more pressing due to Brazil’s challenging economic context, and that students are looking carefully at currency conversion rates as well as whether they will have the opportunity to work when considering where they will study. Driven in part by these considerations, Canada remained the preferred destination for Brazilians in 2016, followed by the US, Australia, Ireland, the UK, and New Zealand. Aside from the growing student numbers for 2016, the other notable finding in this year’s survey is that there has been a shift in the programmes most in demand among Brazilian students. Last year, the most popular programme areas were language studies (predominantly English), secondary school placements, junior programmes, and language studies with a temporary work permit. Reflecting a renewed interest in affordability in Brazil over the last two years, this year’s survey found that, while language studies remain the leading area of programme demand, that language studies combined with temporary work has moved into second place, followed by junior programmes in third place. “I believe that this has happened because the work portion of these programmes can give a small help to pay for the investment,” says Belta President Maura de Araujo Leão. “Moreover, it will bring some work experience when the students will come back and will add a differential in their careers. Besides the language proficiency they also develop other skills that are very important for young professionals to find jobs. Countries like Ireland and Australia, as well as New Zealand, are very much looking into this market share, for they have visas that allow Brazilians to work for a certain number of hours, depending on the length and type of programme they will attend abroad.” More broadly, Belta finds that students mainly study abroad in order to improve or learn another language. After language proficiency, the next major goal for Brazilian students is to invest in academic education. This is followed in turn by “making their resume stand out in the labour market,” “increasing employability,” and “promoting international experience focusing on career” – which together round out the top five motivating factors for Brazilian students. Looking ahead to the remainder of 2017, Ms Leão says, “This year has started better than last year. However, we are facing again a serious political crisis…It affects the agencies somewhat.” “For the next two-three months, clients have already decided to go abroad. We have to wait to see how it will affect us from the next semester on. On the other hand, the young Brazilian adults are keen to get to study abroad to prepare themselves for better jobs when the economy picks up again. Parents are also looking for countries where to send their kids to study for longer periods, or going for higher education, as a way to give them a good future. 2017 is almost at its half, [and within] a very complicated time in the world, but we are still motivated to keep going.” The survey results for 2016 are based on 106 respondents representing 618 agencies throughout Brazil. Of the respondents, 67 were Belta member and 39 were non-member agencies. For additional background, please see:

Most Recent

  • ICEF Podcast: Together for transparency – Building global standards for ethical international student recruitment Read More
  • New analysis sounds a note of caution for UK immigration reforms Read More
  • The number of students in higher education abroad has more than tripled since the turn of the century Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

ICEF Podcast: Together for transparency – Building global standards for ethical international student recruitment Listen in as ICEF’s Craig Riggs and Martijn van de Veen recap some of the latest news and...
Read more
New analysis sounds a note of caution for UK immigration reforms Within the UK’s higher education system, there are a group of institutions known as “Post-1992 universities”. The term...
Read more
The number of students in higher education abroad has more than tripled since the turn of the century The latest figures from UNESCO indicate continued strong growth in higher education enrolments globally. From the year 2000,...
Read more
US warns of expanded travel ban that could affect key African markets “The United States is considering restricting entry to citizens of an additional 36 countries in what would be...
Read more
Breaking: US resumes student visa processing On 18 June, the US State Department sent a cable to all US diplomatic posts abroad instructing them...
Read more
Is Canada valued more as a “pathway to immigration” or as a destination for education? During a 12 June 2025 webinar presented by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and IDP, IDP...
Read more
Japanese outbound numbers reached 90% of pre-pandemic levels in 2024 An annual survey of Japanese education agents finds that outbound student numbers from this key sending market are...
Read more
UK: Study visa applications up by nearly a third year to date The early data we are seeing so far this year makes a couple of things clear. First, there...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links