Almost 3 million Brazilians apply to university through the Sisu on-line platform

Every year millions of Brazilians hoping to
study in one of the the country’s public universities and technical
colleges register in the Unified Selection System, known as Sisu, a
system created in 2009 that did away with the bureaucratic and
expensive dedicated entrance exams known as vestibular.

Together with the National Middle School Exam (ENEM) – which in
2009 also became a higher education entrance exam as well as an
appraisal system of the quality of middle school – the public
education system is now more open and accessible to all Brazilians.

The candidate chooses the application options from among the
vacancies offered anywhere in the country. At the end of the
registration stage, the system automatically selects the top-ranked
candidates that applied for each course, according to their Enem
results.

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Below you can see the answers to frequently asked questions about
Sisu.

What is Sisu?

The Unified Selection System is an
on-line platform that allows students who are completing or have
already finished their secondary education to apply for vacancies in
universities throughout the country.

Why is Sisu important?

Sisu created a democratic way for students to have access to state
universities. With Sisu they need to pass only one single exam –
Enem – to compete for vacancies. This replaced the the traditional
system in which the student would have to sit several exams – one
for each university – often having to travel to different towns.
Because Sisu is based on the Enem exam results, which is recognised
nationally, it allows all students to compete for university
vacancies in the same condition.

How dos Sisu work? How can a student apply for a post?

To apply the student needs to have passed the Enem exam with at
least marks in the written composition. The Enem result is used to
classify all candidates and determine who is selected. The student
can opt for two vacancies throughout the country. At the end of the
registration period, the system automatically selects the top
candidates in each course according to the Enem results.

How many times a year can one candidate have access to Sisu?

Twice: the Sisu is open for selection in first and second
semesters.

What is the maximum number of courses that student can apply to?

Two, maximum.

How much does it cost?

Nothing, it’s free.

Which higher education institutions offer vacancies in Sisu?

There are 65 higher education institutions which includes federal
and state universities. There are also federal institutes of education, science
and technology.

How many vacancies are offered? How mane people have registered
in Sisu?

In 2016, a total of 228,000 vacancies will be offered with an
expectation of 2,712,937 applications. In 2015, a total of 200,000
vacancies were offered and Sisu had 2,791,334 applications.