Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the second largest city in Brazil and the sixth largest one in the Americas. The metropolis is anchor to the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area, ranked as the second most populous in Brazil, after São Paulo. Rio de Janeiro is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro, which is Brazil’s third most populous state. Part of the city has been designated as a World Heritage Site, and it is home to some world-renowned touristic attractions, such as the Christ the Redeemer Statue on Corcovado mountain (which is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World), and the cable cars in the Sugar Loaf Mountain, as well as famous beaches such as Ipanema and Copacabana.

Rio de Janeiro has the second largest GPD in the country and it is the headquarters to two of Brazil’s major companies – Petrobrás and Vale. It is also home to 99 higher education institutions, including the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the Rio de Janeiro State University, two of Brazil’s top educational institutions. For these reasons, Rio is the second largest center of research and development in Brazil.

There are 32 EducationUSA offices in Brazil, two in Rio: EducationUSA PUC-Rio and EducationUSA IBEU Copacabana. According to the Open Doors Data, Brazil is ranked 10th in leading place of origin for students coming to the United States, with approximately 13,000 students enrolled in U.S. Higher Education Institutions during the academic year of 2016/2017.  Over 6,300 in undergraduate programs. 

 

One of the most visited cities in all Latin America, Rio is also famous for the bossa nova, samba, Carnaval and Maracanã Stadium, one of the biggest sporting arenas in the world and the stadium that held the closing game for the 2014 Soccer World Cup.

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Santiago - Chile

At the undergraduate level, the number of Chileans studying in the U.S. continued to grow. While the biggest jump, 17%, occurred in 2015/16, this year the number of students increased by 0.9%. Also noteworthy is the big increase in number of students attending two-year colleges – 29.62% in 2016/17 vs 5.66% reported in 2015/16, according to the Open Doors Report.

While there has been a slight decrease in the number of graduate students going to the U.S. (-4%), graduate students continue to represent over 50% of the students pursuing degrees in the U.S. The Becas Chile, government scholarship program, plays a key role. This ambitious program was launched in 2008, and provides 100% tuition among other benefits. To date, the program has awarded over 7,500 scholarships for degree seeking students. In November 2017, Becas Chile established water resources, natural disaster resilience and digital transformation as priority areas for their Master´s study abroad scholarship programs, and plan to destine 25% of scholarships to applicants in these subject areas.

The United States is one of the leading study destinations for Chileans and we anticipate that the U.S. will continue to be favored among Chilean students. By attending the fair in Santiago, university officials not only have the chance to recruit highly qualified students, they are also provided with the opportunity to learn more about the Becas Chile Scholarship Program.

Santiago continues to be one of the most stable economies in Latin America and is considered a safe and attractive option for Americans who are interested in studying abroad. EducationUSA has 10 centers throughout the country.

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Lima - Peru

It is a great time to be a student in Peru. Peru, with the second most stable economic growth in Latina America over the past 10 years, has seen an increase in both graduate and undergraduate students with an increase over last year of more than 17%. Peru is the fourth largest sender of students to the U.S. from South America Lima. The graduate scholarship program that focuses on STEM, public health, education and other fields of study has been extended for another 5 year period.

Peru is a rich and diverse capital city with over 32 districts and close to 10 million residents. Although it may be at times overshadowed by more touristic destinations like Cuzco, Lima is the capital city for foodies everywhere. It boasts the largest number of culinary schools of any capital city in the world. It´s cuisine is world-renown for being anything but boring. The Peruvian culture embraces fusion and diversity and for these reason tourists will find restaurants offering Criollo, Afro-Peruvian, Chinese-Peruvian, Japanese-Peruvian, Amazonian and Andean inspired dishes for all price ranges. Whether you enjoy a ceviche overlooking the Pacific Ocean or a Pisco sour within the Hotel Bolivar, we guarantee you and your taste-buds will be satisfied.

For history buffs and museum lovers, Lima offers some of the finest Baroque and Renaissance buildings, mansions, plazas, and churches on the continent. The Plaza Mayor in downtown Lima, for example, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988 and is just 30 minutes away from the tourist districts of Miraflores and San Isidro. Walking tours and bike tours of Lima are low in price and can be completed in just a few hours, day or night. So, whether you descend into the Lima Cathedral’s Catacombs or get lost exploring the largest Chinatown in the Andean region, Lima will keep you entertained.

Beyond being an ideal place to tour, U.S. university representatives will fall in love with Lima because it is the heart of the educational system of the country. The most competitive state and private universities along with Peru’s leading bilingual schools are concentrated here and by consequence so are the brightest students in the country. EducationUSA Peru’s largest centers are also found here and the team of advisers will ensure every U.S. University gets to connect with the right students for them.

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Cali - Colombia

With the official signing of the Peace Accord, Colombia has become the focus of much of the world’s attention, in the international education sector as the Colombian government has positioned education as a main engine for post conflict resolution.

In the 2016/17 academic year, 7,982 students from Colombia were studying in the United States (up 2.1% from the previous year). Colombia is the 22nd leading place of origin for students coming to the United States. Colombian students in the U.S. are fairly evenly divided between the graduate and undergraduate levels. In 2016/17, their breakdown was as follows: 40.7% undergraduate; 37.9% graduate students; 9.0% other; 12.3% OPT (Optional Practical Training).

The U.S. Embassy has set a goal to double the number of Colombian students supporting technology projects such as Ed, a 24/7 virtual adviser in Spanish and various micro grant scholarships for English Language learning. The approval of the FTA between the U.S. and Colombia, has increased foreign investment and the need of academic mobility and exchange. Several commercial missions from individual U.S. States have visited Colombia and education has been a major focus. Colombian accredited universities have a unified exchange strategy called Colombia Challenge Your Knowledge http://www.challengeyourknowledge.edu.co/ to promote the country as a study destination and increase agreements with foreign countries. In Colombia, there is a strong network of 11 EducationUSA centers administering language programs and doing extensive outreach around the country. Advising centers are located at 9 binational centers, the Fulbright commission and COLFUTURO.

The Colombian Foundation, COLFUTURO, continues to offer loans/ scholarships to qualified Colombian graduate students to study abroad. Since 2012, COLFUTURO has also administered the COLCIENCIAS program, which, along with the National Planning Department program, provides funding for study leading to Doctoral degrees abroad in STEM areas. Passport to Science, one of the components of a larger Colombian government initiative called “Colombia Cientifica,” is offering loan scholarship opportunities for Colombians to study at the Master’s and Doctoral levels abroad.