Diplomas issued by foreign Higher Education Institutions (HEI)s can be validated or recognized in order to be valid in Brazil.

Validating and Recognizing degrees obtained from foreign HEIs is not necessary for academic exchange programs.

This process involves evaluating the equivalence of the foreign undergraduate degree to the Brazilian educational system and recognizing the foreign postgraduate degree in Brazil, granting them legal validity for professional or academic purposes within the country.

The Validation of Undergraduate Diplomas [Revalidação de Diplomas de Graduação] refers to the process conducted in Brazil to recognize the equivalence between a degree obtained from a foreign HEI and a degree obtained from a Brazilian one.

The process of Validation of Undergraduate Diplomas needs to be carried out by an accredited Brazilian public HEI.

On the other hand, the Recognition of Diplomas [Reconhecimento de Diplomas de Pós-graduação] pertains exclusively to postgraduate degrees obtained from foreign HEI.

In order to be valid in Brazil, the postgraduate (stricto sensu Master’s and Doctorate) degree must be recognized by duly accredited Brazilian HEI, whether public or private, that offer evaluated, authorized, and recognized postgraduate programs in the same field of knowledge at an equivalent or higher level.

In summary, Validation of Diplomas pertains to undergraduate degrees, while Recognition of Diplomas pertains to postgraduate degrees, and each process is specific to the respective level of higher education.

At the University of São Paulo (USP), requests for the validation and recognition of diplomas issued by foreign HEIs are received by the General Secretariat of USP within specific deadlines.

For further information on the requirements, fees, and deadlines for requesting the validation and recognition of diplomas, please consult the website of the General Secretariat of USP [Secretaria Geral da USP] (available only in Portuguese).

See also Structure of degree programs at USP