Information for term High School Abroad in Brazil
Application deadline, and cost information.
Overview
Click to OpenLearn a new language in one of the world’s most colorful cultures.
Brazil is about football (soccer), music (like samba, funk, and favela beats), tempting dishes (rice and beans with everything), fresh fruit (mango, banana, papaya … take your pick!), and a happy, laid-back lifestyle. As a high school student, it’s also about daily classes and after-school interaction. Walk in the shoes of a local teen, and see your Portuguese language proficiency grow by leaps and bounds.
For your first three weeks in Brazil, you’ll take an intensive Portuguese language course to get you speaking basic Portuguese and ready for daily high school classes. Then, five days a week you’ll take classes — taught solely in Portuguese — at a private high school.
Along with Portuguese literature, science, math, history, art, and philosophy, you’ll also spend two hours per week in a Portuguese language “booster” course.
Follow our Travels:
The Take-Aways
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Language Proficiency
Our program provides students 150 language contact hours in just a few weeks.
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College Readiness
Studying abroad gives you the kinds of life skills that can’t be learned in a classroom — and shows college admissions reps that you’re already one step ahead in terms of initiative, maturity, and independence.
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Independence & Resilience
Come home better prepared to make transitions, take control of new situations, and appreciate challenging experiences for what they are: opportunities to learn and grow.
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said their experience made them more aware of global issues.
93% -
said their experience with CIEE helped shape their college applications.
79% -
said they regularly use the knowledge and skills they acquired while abroad with CIEE.
96%
Location & Culture
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The Destination
From the wilds of the Amazon rain forest in the north to world-famous waterfalls in the south, Brazil covers more terrain than any other country in Latin America.
The world’s fifth-largest country also includes lively multicultural cities like Brasília, acclaimed for its modern architecture; Rio de Janeiro, famous for its beaches and Carnaval culture; and São Paulo, a melting pot with Italian, Korean, Japanese, German, Russian, Caribbean, Greek, and Arab influences.
Share petiscos and conversation with classmates in your favorite local hangout. Discover a hidden talent for the Brazilian martial art of capoeira during a school field trip. Help your host family cook a traditional Brazilian dinner of feijoada, churrasco, and brigadeiro.
On Brazil’s culturally rich island of São Luís, you’ll discover a vibrant region that offers the perfect setting to develop your Portuguese language skills. You’ll deepen your understanding of the traditions and practices that characterize another culture, and gain important life skills needed to be successful in college and beyond.
Orientation
Upon arriving in Brazil you will be met by CIEE partner staff in São Luís, where you will begin your three-day orientation. During orientation, you will participate in different workshops focusing on a variety of themes — culture, language, academics, social norms, and current events — all designed to best prepare you for your experience in Brazil. Additionally, you’ll see some of the best that the amazing city of São Luís has to offer!
Activities include a tour of the historical city center, an afternoon at the beach, and experiencing some of the most incredible Brazilian dishes, through organized lunches and dinners!
Daily Life
Click to OpenDaily Life
"I can feel this experience changing me; changing the way I see the world, how I think about people, how I think about my future; who I want to be."
Learn more about daily life on a high school study abroad program by reading our blog posts above.
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Hotel during orientation in São Luís, then carefully screened host family on the island of São Luís, which has four cities: São Luís, São José de Ribamar, Paço do Lumiar, and Raposa
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Local Coordinator in country and CIEE support staff available 24/7
Program Blogs
Click to OpenProgram Blogs
Activities
Click to OpenSample Activities
Your orientation in historic São Luís will jump-start your adventure with a tour of the city, some downtime at its magnificent beaches, and intensive Portuguese lessons to prepare you to converse with the locals.
Most schools offer the chance to participate in sports like indoor soccer, volleyball, and handball. For more local flavor, you can also check out regional favorites such as capoeira, surfing, slacklining, dancing, and drumming.
Looking for adventure? You can also choose (at an additional cost) to go on excursions. Examples of options may include:
Carolina
Enjoy the magnificent waterfalls and relaxing swimming destinations of the national park in Carolina, located in the beautiful state of Maranhão.
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park
Surrender your senses to the blue lagoons and plentiful desert sand dunes of this popular tourist attraction.
Rio de Janeiro
Experience the sights and sounds of this sparkling city, famous for samba, sweeping beaches, dramatic mountains, and, of course, its annual Carnaval.
Amazon rain forest
Journey to a spectacular sight you’ll never forget — the world’s largest tropical rain forest, famous for its biodiversity.
Alcântara
Head off to revel in the haunting beauty of colonial Alcântara, where the jungle edges historical ruins that tell stories of generations before.
Dates & Fees
Click to OpenDates & Fees
Eligibility
At the time of departure, students must:
- Be in their 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th year of schooling
- Have completed the ninth grade, with a minimum GPA of 2.5
- Demonstrate, through the application process, their flexibility, maturity, adaptability, and readiness to face the challenges of living in a new culture
- No previous Portuguese is required
Application Fee
$50
Apply six weeks prior to the deadline, and receive a $250 discount.
Program fee includes international airfare and iNext travel insurance. Full inclusions are found online.
Program |
Application Due |
Start Date |
End Date |
Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic Year 2020 49 weeks | May 15, 2020 | Jul 17, 2020* | Jun 26, 2021* | |
| Spring 2020 25 weeks | Oct 15, 2019 | Jan 3, 2020 | Jun 29, 2020 |
$11,950 |
| Spring Trimester 2020 14 weeks | Oct 15, 2019 | Jan 3, 2020 | Apr 13, 2020 |
$10,500 |
| Fall Trimester 2020 66 weeks | May 15, 2020 | Jul 17, 2020* | Oct 25, 2021* |
*Dates for this program are provided as tentative dates. Please consult with your study abroad advisor to confirm dates before purchasing your flights.
Our Staff
Click to OpenOur Staff
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Sonia Chop
Enrollment Coordinator
She completed her undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech where she received a BA in International Studies and French.
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Anne Rothacker
Enrollment Coordinator
A graduate of the Bowdoin Teacher Scholars program, Anne was an advisor and teacher at a boarding school in Maine before joining CIEE.
Ready to change your life?
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