More than 140 students have taken out FIES loans this year.
This is what Dilma announced today; According to the president, this means that we will achieve almost the same number of contracts in four months as we did in all of last year; more than 1.500 higher education institutions are accredited in the program.
Agência Brasil - From January to the beginning of April, more than 140 students contracted the Student Financing Fund (Fies), according to a report released today (9) by President Dilma Rousseff. “This means that we will reach almost the same number of contracts, in four months, as we did in all of last year,” she said. Currently, 500 university students are studying thanks to the initiative.
In her weekly radio program "Coffee with the President," Dilma Rousseff emphasized that by financing courses at private universities, FIES allows thousands of young people to study even when they cannot afford tuition. For her, the program represents an important instrument in democratizing access to higher education in the country.
The president recalled that, in 2010, FIES underwent a major reform, which lowered the interest rate from 9% to 3,4% per year, in addition to extending the grace period from six months to a year and a half. In this way, students, after graduating, had more time to begin repaying the loan installments.
“After this grace period, during which nothing is paid, the student has a period equivalent to three times the duration of the course plus 12 months to repay the loan. We also have another new feature: low-income students can now count on the Guarantee Fund, which allows them to sign the contract without the need for a guarantor,” he explained.
Enrollment for FIES can be done online at any time of year. The student's data is analyzed by a committee from the chosen college or university. Currently, more than 1.500 higher education institutions are accredited in the program.
“Fies is one of the most important instruments in our policy of providing access to higher education for all who want it. For this, we also rely on the expansion of federal universities and the ProUni [University for All Program] throughout the country. All these actions are fundamental because it is with opportunities in education, professional training, and the job market that we will build a much more prosperous and just country,” he concluded.