A Partnership for Progress: Expanding U.S.-Brazil Student Exchange

The Issue

Brazil is the world’s seventh-most populous country and the largest economy in Latin America. Yet despite vast opportunities for economic development and global engagement, Brazil’s educational disparities, skill gaps, and foundational inequalities present significant obstacles to its progress. Historically, cross-cultural exchange has served to help mitigate these challenges and accelerate development—in particular, bilateral educational exchange between Brazil and the United States, which has served as a key pillar of cooperation and fostered academic, economic, and cultural ties between the two nations. This report provides an in-depth look at the cross-cultural educational exchange between the United States and Brazil, analyzing the impacts and benefits for both nations and highlighting opportunities for growth.

The Importance of International Exchange with Brazil
 

Diplomacy and Soft Power  

The United States and Brazil have had a diplomatic relationship since 1824. Today, Brazil is an increasingly critical partner for the United States as it seeks to address challenges in energy, food security, climate change, and multilateral cooperation. Trade also remains a central pillar of the relationship. In 2024, trade between the United States and Brazil reached an estimated $92 billion. Of this total, U.S. imports from Brazil accounted for approximately $49.7 billion—a trade surplus for the United States. Beyond economic cooperation, maintaining a strong political alliance is crucial as Brazil positions itself as a global power—especially as countries like China seek to expand their influence through initiatives such as BRICS, an intergovernmental organization comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. A key factor in sustaining the close U.S.-Brazil relationship is soft power, including educational exchanges, cultural diplomacy, and scientific collaboration, all of which play a vital role in deepening ties between the two societies. These connections not only foster mutual understanding but also reinforce long-term strategic cooperation.

While the United States and Brazil share a strong tradition of educational collaboration, the rise of the BRICS bloc has introduced new complexities for alliances within the western hemisphere. Since its formation in 2009, BRICS has sought to challenge Western influence, with member states steadily expanding their geopolitical and economic reach. As a key participant, Brazil has strengthened its ties with fellow BRICS nations—particularly China and Russia—thereby broadening opportunities not only for trade and strategic cooperation but also for educational and cultural exchanges. These evolving partnerships reflect Brazil’s growing role in a shifting global landscape, raising important questions about the future of its engagement with Western institutions.

The stakes for countering Russian and Chinese influence in Brazil continue to rise, particularly given that Brazil is Russia’s leading trade partner in Latin America—and with China’s imports from Brazil reaching $89 million in 2022, more than double U.S. imports that same year. In recent years, education has emerged as a key pillar in strengthening Brazil’s individual ties with both China and Russia. BRICS initiatives have underscored the growing opportunities for educational exchanges between Brazil and Russia, culminating in the establishment of the first Russian-Brazilian school near Rio de Janeiro. Similarly, Brazil and China have recognized the need to expand student mobility, implementing programs to encourage cross-country study. China, in particular, has advanced these efforts through initiatives to bring Brazilian students to the School of Foreign Languages at East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) and offer Chinese instruction in Brazil through the Confucius Institute at FAAP Business School in São Paulo. These developments highlight the urgent need for the United States and Brazil to prioritize educational collaboration—not only to deepen bilateral ties and maximize shared opportunities, but also to counterbalance growing Chinese and Russian influence in Brazil’s academic and cultural spheres.

Furthermore, there is also strong global competition to attract international student talent. Recent years have seen an expansion of international students studying outside their home countries, according to UNESCO. The United States is the top host of international students worldwide, but it is notable that both Russia and China consistently rank among the top ten. Beyond BRICS, there are other countries actively recruiting large numbers of globally mobile students that have experienced robust growth, based on 2024 data from Project Atlas. Following the United States, the leading hosts include Canada (+28 percent), Australia (+21 percent), and the United Kingdom (+6 percent). In addition to these large hosts of international students, intraregional mobility within Latin America has also been increasing. For example, more Brazilian students studied in Argentina (24,219) than in the United States, based on 2024 data provided by the Argentinean Ministry of Education. 

As the United States looks to build upon its history of hosting the most international students in the world and to compete with other countries for top talent, there continues to be capacity across its nearly 4,000 colleges and universities, particularly at the undergraduate level, which is currently facing declining enrollments. With Brazilian students in the United States mostly studying in undergraduate programs, there is space within our institutions to host more of these often self-funded students.

Brazil-U.S. Student Exchange: Trends and the Lasting Impact of Special Programs

Based on data from Open Doors—a 75-year research project on international educational exchange conducted by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and supported by the U.S. Department of State—there were 16,877 Brazilian students in the United States in 2023–2024 (see Figure 1). The trend line below, which tracks the number of Brazilian students studying in the United States since 1948, is more striking not for the current numbers, but for the surge occurring in the mid-2010s, when significant bilateral government programs supported Brazilian students coming to the United States.

The number of Brazilian students in the United States peaked at 23,675 in 2014–2015. This record high was primarily due to two government programs that supported mobility by providing funding: Brazil’s BSMP and the U.S.-led “100,000 Strong in the Americas” initiative.

Brazil’s substantial investment of $1.3 billion in international academic mobility through BSMP aimed to send students all over the world for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Between 2011 and 2016, the investment funded over 25,000 Brazilian students, many of whom also benefited from the program’s coordination with more than 2,500 companies, organizations, and universities for hands-on internships and research experience. This program (which will be examined below) yielded swift returns, causing academic exchange participation and enrollment in STEM fields to surge.

Meanwhile, the 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative was launched to expand institutional partnerships, collaboration, and mobility opportunities for the western hemisphere. Through a public-private partnership, the initiative brought together government entities, companies, foundations, and educational institutions to build collaboration between institutions and organizations throughout the region. To receive funding, U.S. and Brazilian institutions submitted joint proposals to a competitive review, with only a select number of winning grant recipients each cycle. This collaborative proposal partnership process has led to an increase in connections and partnerships between Brazilian and U.S. institutions, regardless of whether the proposal received funding, as reported by experts interviewed by the authors. For recipients of funding, awards yielded innovative projects across many U.S. and Brazilian higher education institutions, such as promoting the study of health and nutrition, joint engineering collaborations, the future of mining, building data analytics and entrepreneurship applications, and artificial intelligence for urban sustainability.

The significant impact of these programs is reflected in the academic level enrollment data seen in Figure 2. The most remarkable growth was in the number of non-degree-seeking students, a rise driven by BSMP, most of whose beneficiaries were participating in one-year exchange or intensive English study programs. These numbers surged from a baseline of approximately 1,000 students in 2011–2012 to more than 11,500 in 2014–2015. Interestingly, there were also notable increases in the number of full degree students coming to the United States: The number of undergraduate and graduate students grew by over 30 percent from 2013–2014 to 2014–2015, with 6,990 undergrads and more than 4,100 graduate students enrolled in the 2014–2015 school year. These data clearly indicate that the most substantial growth in Brazilian student enrollment coincided directly with special programs promoting student exchange.

Following the “shock” of BSMP and the ongoing 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative, undergraduate and graduate enrollment saw a small decline after the BSMP program ended in 2016, but the numbers have continued to rise above pre-program levels. Even following the Covid-19 pandemic, undergraduate numbers have nearly rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, and the number of graduate Brazilian students in the United States has reached a record high, surpassing 5,000 for the first time. This growth has likely been driven by sustained Brazilian student interest, active recruitment by U.S. institutions, regional networks that promote study in the United States, and other partnerships established through these large governmental programs. One example of an organization that builds connections between prospective Brazilian students and U.S. institutions is the Department of State’s EducationUSA, which conducts outreach to students throughout Brazil to promote U.S. colleges and universities and also provides U.S. higher education institutions with resources about how to best recruit students throughout the country. The number of non-degree students, in contrast, has returned to pre-program levels and remained steady since then.

One of the lasting legacies of the BSMP initiative has been the increase of STEM as a field of study—a primary goal of the program. As shown in Figure 3, STEM enrollment surged during BSMP, particularly in engineering. Similarly, math, computer science, and physical and life sciences saw significant growth in 2014–2015 and have continued to increase steadily ever since.

Today, the impact of the BSMP program is still being seen as the proportion of students studying in the STEM fields increases. For example, in the 2023–2024 academic year, 35 percent of Brazilian students studied STEM, up from just 22 percent in 2009–2010. The most popular of the STEM fields in 2023–2024 was engineering (13 percent), with preferences for mechanical, civil, and electrical specializations. Math and computer science also saw significant growth, rising from 3 percent a decade ago to 8 percent in 2023–2024. Brazil has come to rank among the top ten countries of origin for international students in the United States; despite this progress, however, Brazil sends fewer STEM students than other top countries like Nepal, Nigeria, and Vietnam, indicating that there is room for continued growth and collaboration in these fields. 
 

U.S.-Brazil Study Exchanges Drive Startup Growth

The impact of Brazilian students studying in the United States extends beyond the increase in international exchange and investment in STEM fields—it is also beginning to shape Brazil’s entrepreneurial sector, fostering innovation and contributing to the country’s growing startup ecosystem.

In 2017, Brazil ranked 69 in the Global Innovation Index, climbing to 50 by 2024—a significant improvement. A major driver of this progress has been the rapid growth of venture capital activity, both in the number of deals and their total value. According to the Latin American Venture Capital Association (LAVCA), Brazil’s startup ecosystem has expanded dramatically since 2013. That year, the country had fewer than 50 startups; by 2020, the number had surged to 682, and by 2024, it had soared to 1,428, more than double the 2020 number.

This expansion has been largely fueled by the adoption of the U.S. venture capital model, which not only provides critical funding but also fosters a culture of innovation and risk-taking. Additionally, the integration of entrepreneurial skills into higher education programs has further strengthened the startup landscape, equipping a new generation of founders with the knowledge and tools necessary to scale their businesses successfully.

The authors of this report conducted an in-depth analysis of a dataset comprising 161 Brazilian startups that received venture capital funding in 2019 and 107 that had received seed capital in 2021–2022. The goal was to identify trends and patterns associated with entrepreneurs who had studied at accredited academic institutions in the United States. By examining these startups, CSIS sought to understand the potential influence of U.S.-based education on the growth of venture-backed companies.

The 161 startups that received funding in 2019 did so at various stages of development, from seed and early-stage to expansion. These companies were founded between 1990 and 2018, but most were relatively young—80 percent were established after 2008, with 66 percent established after 2011. Nearly 48 percent had at least one founder who studied in the United States.

Among the 107 startups that received seed capital between 2021 and 2022, 59 percent of founders had studied in the United States—an 11-point difference from the 2019 cohort. Notably, all 107 were at the seed stage, ensuring no overlap with the 2019 dataset and focusing the analysis on businesses founded in the last three to four years. This highlights the significant impact of international education experiences in the United States on Brazil’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. In addition, this newly created ecosystem is also a great opportunity for foreign direct investors—of which the United States is the largest one.

It is also worth highlighting that all startups in this cohort incorporated STEM education in some capacity. Even when their products were not directly related to STEM fields, technology played a crucial role in these products’ development. Forty-six percent of the founders who studied abroad participated in short-term academic programs, which indicates that many may have benefited directly or indirectly from initiatives such as BSMP and partnerships built through the 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative. This also underscores how even short-term experiences in the United States can play a critical role in startup creation, in turn highlighting the need to sustain and expand programs that facilitate these exchanges.

Aligned to this period of heightened mobility between 2013 and 2016, the number of STEM graduates overall in Brazil experienced significant growth, from 188,199 graduates in 2015 to 237,767 in 2020. This period also aligns with an increase in Brazilian students studying STEM in the United States, as shown in Figure 4. The upward trend in STEM graduations in Brazil began in 2013–2014 and peaked in 2015–2016, two years after the conclusion of the BSMP, suggesting a lasting impact of the initiative on the country’s talent pipeline and startup ecosystem.

Quantifying the direct economic impact of study abroad programs is challenging due to the many factors that influence the sector. However, there is a clear correlation between the expansion of Brazil’s startup ecosystem and the increasing number of entrepreneurs who have studied abroad, particularly in the United States. Notably, at least half of Brazil’s new technology entrepreneurs have received education in the United States, underscoring the significant role of Brazil-U.S. academic exchange programs. These programs not only contribute to Brazil’s overall economic development but also play a crucial role in shaping the industries that will drive its future economy. 
 

Challenges to Continued Expansion of Brazilian Exchange

The findings of this report make clear that exchange between the United States and Brazil benefits both countries diplomatically and economically. Yet rapidly expanding the number of students moving between the two countries will be a challenge. Several of the largest existing barriers remain at the student level, where problems like lack of language proficiency, insufficient programs, limited funding, and unequal access to education hold progress back.

Despite Brazil’s economic size and potential, its educational bottlenecks present a fundamental challenge to increasing student mobility, both domestically and internationally. According to the PISA 2022 results, Brazilian students rank far below OECD averages in subjects such reading, mathematics, and science, and these scores have remained nearly unchanged since 2009. Similarly, language skills (or lack thereof) have also been a significant barrier for students. At the global level, Brazil ranked in the “low proficiency” category, placing 81st out of 105 countries in 2024, and even regionally, it trails behind 16 countries in Latin America. Decreasing levels of English proficiency and Brazil’s high level of inequality have also impacted students’ opportunities to study in the United States. From 2013 to 2016, the enrollment of Brazilian students in non-degree programs, including English language programs, surged significantly, peaking in 2014–2015 at 11,581 students. This surge in students due to BSMP’s short-term, funded program likely broadened the pool of students and made the opportunity to study in the United States more accessible to lower-income students. However, as seen in Figure 2, non-degree exchange students dropped sharply after the end of BSMP, despite ongoing need; this shows a clear reduction in opportunities following the end of the program.

Limited funding also directly restricts study abroad opportunities for Brazilian students in the United States and highlights inequality within Brazil. The International Trade Administration identified in a 2023 report that approximately 80 percent of Brazilian students studying in the United States are from Brazil’s wealthier southern and central eastern states. Because of economic inequality across the country and varying markets that seek out STEM majors, unequal access to education tends to favor those living in wealthier states. Due to limited funding opportunities and resources, students that are able to engage in existing study abroad opportunities often resort to private funding.

Hurdles for Brazilian students studying in the United States go beyond the aforementioned student barriers. Currently, Brazil lacks any formal degree revalidation agreements—the official recognition of a foreign degree as equivalent to a Brazilian one—with foreign countries, meaning that students completing education abroad must undergo a strenuous and costly revalidation process through public universities. Furthermore, students must also take into consideration the logistics and economic cost of acquiring visas. These hurdles raise the level of inaccessibility for students affected by inequality within Brazil.

While this report has largely focused on the mobility of Brazilian students to the United States, it is also worth noting that other barriers likely exist for U.S. students in relation to Brazil. According to Open Doors, from the 2001–2002 academic year through 2015–2016, Brazil consistently ranked among the top 25 study abroad destinations for U.S. students. However, since 2016, it has no longer appeared on this list. This is likely due to a number of factors, including a lack of Portuguese language proficiency, a dearth of study abroad program options in Brazil, and perceptions of safety and security. At the same time, despite the rise of multilingualism in the United States, poor Portuguese and higher Spanish proficiency may deter many U.S. students from seeking opportunities in Brazil, as students studying abroad in Latin America often choose Spanish-speaking countries. For those students who lack Portuguese skills but are undeterred, they face a limited—albeit growing—number of English-language programs in the country. 
 

Expanding Student Mobility

By increasing funding, investing in targeted programs, and strengthening institutional linkages, both the United States and Brazil can expand the number of students studying abroad and enhance the long-term benefits of these exchanges.

Expand and Strengthen Funding

Brazil and the United States should prioritize sustained and expanded funding to encourage student mobility. For example, an expansion of the Department of State’s EducationUSA network could create more opportunities for Brazilian students to understand their options, navigate the application and visa processes, and access resources to study in the United States. In addition, establishing long-term programs with funding opportunities for students will lead more Brazilians to pursue their studies in the United States. As Brazilian students have increasing options to study in other English-speaking destinations or BRICS countries, further investment would allow the United States to build a competitive advantage in attracting talented students.

Address Educational Gaps

The Brazilian government should continue and expand investments in English-language instruction at the high school level, ensuring that students gain the proficiency needed to pursue higher education opportunities in the United States. To aid in the training of English-language teachers, there should be continued development of programs that provide rigorous English-language training, such as PDPI (Programa de Desenvolvimento Profissional para Professores de Língua Inglesa nos EUA), which brings Brazilian high school English teachers to the United States to study both English and instruction techniques. At the same time, higher education institutions should expand English and Portuguese bridge programs, including virtual ones that can reach wider audiences and underserved regions.

Brazil must also increase investment in primary and secondary education to better prepare students for professional and technical careers. The country’s education spending as a share of GDP has been declining since 2017 and currently stands at 5.5 percent. As of 2023, Brazil invested only $3,583 per student in primary and secondary education—well below the OECD average of $10,949.

Promote Non-Degree and Short-Term Study Opportunities

Expanding non-degree and short-term study opportunities is crucial for increasing student mobility, particularly that of low-income students who may not have the financial means to pursue full degree programs abroad. Short-term exchanges—such as English language programs, specialized training courses, certificate programs, and technical career programs at U.S. community colleges—provide valuable international exposure and are both accessible and cost effective. To enhance participation, both governments should consider reintroducing and scaling up government-backed short-term exchange programs similar to BSMP. Additionally, U.S. institutions can expand summer programs, internships, and research opportunities specifically designed for Brazilian students, providing them with hands-on learning experiences in key fields.

Strengthen Institutional Partnerships

Increasing academic collaboration between institutions in both countries can create more opportunities for exchange. One way to do this would be through the development of dual-degree programs in which students split their studies between U.S. and Brazilian universities and earn credentials recognized in both nations. By establishing credit-transfer agreements and mutual degree validation frameworks through university partnerships, students could have their coursework pre-approved, making it easier to apply their foreign education upon returning home. Expanding faculty-led study abroad programs, joint research initiatives, and English-language courses in Brazilian universities would also make study abroad more accessible, particularly for U.S. students who may not speak Portuguese fluently. By strengthening institutional partnerships with built-in degree validation mechanisms and addressing bureaucratic hurdles, both countries could create a more dynamic and accessible academic exchange ecosystem.

Julie Baer is a research and learning lead at the Institute of International Education in Washington, D.C. Juliana Rubio is an associate director with the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Eitan Casaverde is an intern with the Americas Program at CSIS.

This brief was made possible through generous support from the Richard Lounsbery Foundation, and in partnership with the Institute of International Education.