Admission for Regular Graduate Students

The Graduate Program in Chemistry within the University of São Paulo focuses on linking cutting edge Science with the development of highly qualified, competent, independent and innovative graduate-level researchers. It is a well-established graduate program, evaluated with the highest scores by CAPES (a Federal Brazilian agency) since the graduate program review system was implemented.

The program includes 70 advisors, mostly from the Chemistry Department, University of São Paulo, but eventually from other Institutes. These investigators develop a diverse group of projects within the general areas of Chemistry (see Research lines).

The program welcomes masters and doctoral students. Students may also be admitted by taking the General Chemistry Test, offered biannually on site (see the Topics). 

In addition to the normal admission consisting in a Chemistry Examination applied at the IQUSP twice a year, an alternative access route is possible, indicated mainly for foreign students who cannot take the normal examination at IQUSP. The admission can be performed in these cases taking the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE Subject Test) - Subject Test: Chemistry, which is offered in many countries. For students joining the program by this route, a special fellowship (Bolsa de Internacionalização – International Fellowship) is offered each semester, depending on founding availability. Brazilian students can be admitted to the Program by this route, but are not eligible to receive this special fellowship.

Specific Instructions:

The admission to the Graduate Program in Chemistry, IQUSP, by the GRE examination is indicated for students who:
(i) are not in conditions to take the normal examination applied each semester in São Paulo and other places in Brazil;

(ii) foreign students with residence abroad and which would like to apply for the International Fellowship.

The GRE examinations consist of around 130 specific questions (15% Analytical Chemistry, 25% Inorganic Chemistry, 30% Organic Chemistry and 30% Physical Chemistry). Dates and examination places, as well as model exams, can be obtained at the site www.gre.org.
3. Students who whish to be admitted by this route and / or apply for the International Fellowship have to submit the following documents:

(i) Results of the Graduate Record Examinations – GRE, sent directly by Educational Testing Service (ETS) to the Instituto de Química (Institution Code: 4899, Name: Instituto de Quimica U Sao Paulo);

(ii) Letter of Acceptance from a permanent Supervisor of the Graduate Program in Chemistry, IQUSP;

(iii) Curriculum vitae;

(iv) Letter of Recommendation.

(v) Copy of the Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry or an equivalent degree, accompanied by undergraduate school records (officially translated into English or Portuguese if the original is not in English) as well as detailed information with respect to your undergraduate studies. In order to be officially admitted to the Program, it is necessary to provide the originals of the degrees or notarized copies.

4. Important information about the International Fellowship.

(i) The Program offers maximally one International Fellowship each semester for PhD students (Direct PhD or PhD after Masters Degree), depending on founding availability, who are foreigners and not-resident in Brazil and have been admitted through the GRE examination;

(ii) Dead-lines for applications to the International fellowship are:

October, 30th, for the fellowship initiating in the 1st semester (March), with publication of the results until November, 30th;

April, 30th, for the fellowship initiating in the 2nd semester (August), with publication of the results until May, 30th;

(iii) The International Fellowship has an initial duration of one year. This period can be extended on request only if the student and supervisor prove efforts to obtain a fellowship from other financing agencies. The application to an alternative agency (CAPES – Bilateral Programs, FAPESP, CNPq and others) should necessarily be performed during the first semester of the candidates Graduate Studies. Furthermore, for the continuation of the fellowship, the student must achieve good grades in theoretical classes and must have his research reports evaluated positively by the reviewer indicated by the Program.

5. Brazilian students have the right to be admitted to the Graduate Program in Chemistry, IQUSP by the GRE route, submitting all documentation indicated above. After admission to the Program student and supervisor should apply for fellowships in the appropriate financing agencies, since Brazilian students are not eligible for the International Fellowship.