With 3,900 applications, the equivalent of 97.5 candidates for every spot, the CNPEM undergraduate degree program is one of the most contested in Brazil
Student demand for the free, innovative undergraduate degree program offered by the Ilum School of Science at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, São Paulo more than tripled in the 2024 admissions process.
The Ilum School of Science is funded by the Brazilian Ministries of Education and Science and Technology, and received applications from all five regions of Brazil for the bachelor’s program in science and technology, the equivalent of 97.5 candidates per slot in the third undergraduate class. Of this total, 1,828 were women and 2,072 men.
For the 2024 admissions process, the Ilum School received candidates from across Brazil: a total of 2,232 candidates from the Southeast, 734 from the Northeast, 327 from the North, 261 from the Center-West, and 256 from the South. In 2023, 1,183 applications were received, and 943 the previous year.
Ilum received 3,900 applications from Brazil’s five regions (Outreach: Ilum/CNPEM)
This year, interest in the Ilum admissions process surpassed numbers seen for entrance exams at the main Brazilian universities in programs like engineering, biology, physics, applied mathematics, medical physics, biomedical physics, geophysics, astronomy, statistics, chemistry, and biotechnology.
“Yet again, we are very pleased to receive applications from all of Brazil for the third class in the bachelor’s degree program in science and technology at Ilum. This representativity was already one of our objectives when we established the school and it makes the program even richer,” says Ilum School of Science Director and member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences Adalberto Fazzio.
Ilum’s undergraduate degree program is full-time over a three-year period with 40 slots available, half set aside for students from public schools. Successful applicants will receive room and board, transportation, English classes, and a laptop with all the software needed for their academic activities, as well as a ticket to the Ilum School from any part of Brazil.
The admissions process consists of three stages, now moving to evaluation of scores on the national high school exam (ENEM) followed by individual online interviews with the top 150 candidates. The final evaluation of the candidates will consider the outcomes of all three of these stages.
The names of the selected applicants will be announced from February 6, and classes begin in March.
Focus on the student
The objective of the Ilum School of Science is to train future scientists, and for this purpose offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate program that focuses on practical work in groups.
Even during the first semester, students experience immersion in the CNPEM laboratories, seminars involving researchers, and master classes, and have the chance to put into practice everything they learn in the classroom. Right from the start of the course students utilize cutting-edge equipment, test theory in hands-on classes, and interact with scientists working on advanced research, training which allows students to graduate into the job market prepared for research in laboratories or the university setting.
The Ilum School of Science is known for its innovative approach in training scientists and researchers with a curriculum that focuses on projects and active learning; students are encouraged to independently seek out knowledge. Its interdisciplinary approach integrates five major knowledge areas: languages, life science, mathematics, materials science, data science, and the humanities.
“We want our students to leave after the three years of their program as well-rounded scientists who also have humanist training, who are ethical and engaged with the problems of society,” notes the director.
