How to Verify Brazilian University Degrees: MEC and INEP Guide

Brazil's massive higher education system

Brazil has one of the largest higher education systems in the world, with over 2,500 institutions serving millions of students. The Ministry of Education (MEC) oversees the system, with INEP conducting institutional evaluations and CAPES accrediting graduate programs. This scale makes verification both important and challenging.

Verification steps

1. Check MEC recognition — All institutions must be recognized by MEC. Use VerifyED to verify Brazilian institutions against our database of 912,000+ schools.
2. Check INEP evaluation scores — INEP rates institutions and programs on a 1-5 scale. Scores of 3+ are considered satisfactory.
3. For graduate degrees, check CAPES — CAPES evaluates graduate programs on a 3-7 scale. Only programs scoring 3+ can award degrees.
4. Contact the institution — Brazilian universities maintain registrar offices (secretaria acadêmica) for verification.
5. Apostille for international use — Brazil joined the Hague Convention in 2016. Documents can be apostilled at designated notary offices.

Key considerations

• USP, UNICAMP, UFRJ — Brazil's top public universities are well-recognized globally. Federal and state public universities are generally well-regarded.
• Large private sector — Most Brazilian students attend private institutions. Quality varies enormously.
• Technology degrees — Brazil offers "tecnólogo" degrees (2-3 years) that are MEC-recognized but differ from bachelor's degrees.
• Revalidation — Foreign degrees used in Brazil must be revalidated by a Brazilian public university in the same field.