PRE-ARRIVAL INFORMATION GUIDE
2016 – Semestre 1
Dear exchange student:
Welcome to the University of Campinas - Unicamp! Here you will find important information
regarding your arrival procedures at Unicamp.
1. ACADEMIC CALENDAR
This calendar is for all Unicamp courses and for all incoming exchange students. Save the dates!
1st semester (February to July) 2016
Orientation Period (exchange students): February 22th – 25th
Language Placement Interview - Portuguese for Foreigners:
Undergraduate students: February 23rd
Graduate students: February 24th
Welcome Meeting: February 26th
Classes begin on: February 29th (internships begin on February 1st)
Enrollment – class registration:
Graduate students: March 2nd and 3rd
Undergraduate students: March 04th
Classes end on: July 8th
Final Exams: July 11th – 16th
Final arrival date at Unicamp: February 25th
After this date, support offered to students will be limited and no Language Placement Interview will
be offered.
Please, let us know the date of your arrival here - http://goo.gl/forms/PK2gjoqEIC.
2. VISA
A Student Visa is required to enrolll at Unicamp, and can be obtained from the consular division of the
Brazilian Embassy or Consulate in the student’s country of origin. A visa must be requested early
enough to allow time for bureaucratic procedures, which can be quite lengthy. Without a Temporary
Visa (Student Visa – IV), no student will be permitted to conduct any activities at UNICAMP. If your
letter of acceptance does not arrive in time to apply for a student visa before departure, students
should not enter Brazil on a tourist visa. A change of visa status after entering Brazil is not possible.
3. GETTING TO UNICAMP (Campinas)
From the Airports to Campinas:
Cumbica Airport (GRU) – Guarulhos SP
Congonhas Airport (CGH) – São Paulo SP
Viracopos Airport (VCP) – Campinas SP
From any of these three airports, you should take the bus LIRABUS
(http://www.lirabus.com.br/site/translados), which will take you to the Terminal Rodoviário de
Campinas. From there, you should take the bus VB TRANSPORTES
(http://www.vbtransportes.com.br/vb) which will bring you to Limeira.
You will get off at Terminal Rodoviário de Limeira, located downtown Limeira.
From Terminal Rodoviário de Limeira to FCA
You take the 03, 13 or 102 bus and will get off at the Primeiro de Maio Square.
WHEN I GET TO UNICAMP (CAMPINAS OR LIMEIRA), WHERE SHOULD I GO FIRST?
If you are going to take classes in Campinas (Main Campus), in Piracicaba (FOP) or if you are taking
classes in Limeira at Faculdade de Tecnologia, you should go to VRERI, in Campinas (located at the
Biblioteca Central Cesar Lattes, ground floor – map here).
If you are taking classes in Limeira at Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas (FCA), you should go directly
to the FCA campus (map here). Once you get there, you should look for the Diretoria de Ensino.
4. LEGALIZING THE ENTRY AND STAY IN BRAZIL – FEDERAL POLICE REGISTRATION
To be admitted at Unicamp is mandatory to legalize your entry and stay in Brazil by proceeding to the
registration at the Federal Police.
Any person with a temporary visa must register with the Federal Police by scheduling an appointment
within 30 days of his or her arrival in Brazil. After this registration, the student will receive a temporary
foreign identity card.
For further information on how to register, please go to Vreri (Campinas) or to Diretoria de Ensino
(FCA) for instructions (see “Where should I go first” above for directions). You may also find more
information in the Federal Police website: www.dpf.gov.br
5. PORTUGUESE CLASSES – PLACEMENT INTERVIEW – Feb. 23rd and 24th
Unicamp’s Center of Languages Studies (CEL), in Campinas, will conduct placement interviews in
order to allocate each student to the proper level of “Portuguese for foreigners” or “Portuguese for
Spanish speakers” classes.
Language Placement Interview for Undergraduate students: February 23rd
Language Placement Interview for Graduate students: February 24th
6. WELCOME MEETING – Feb.26th
The welcome meeting will be held on February 26th in Campinas and is a great way to meet other
international students and to learn more about practical and social aspects of life in Brazil. Further
information will soon be sent to you by email.
7. ENROLLMENT (CLASS REGISTRATION) – March 2nd, 3rd and 4th
Your admission will be completed only when you register for classes on March 2nd and 3rd (graduate
students) and March 4th (undergraduate students) at the Registrar’s Office (DAC) in Campinas. You
will need a 3X4cm picture, a copy of your health insurance*, copy of two pages of your passport
(Student Visa and the Federal Police Stamp), and the proof of Federal Police registration.
In order to register, you will also need to create a login at DAC’s website – learn how to do so here –
and a signed form with your classes that we will teach how to fill once you get here.
* All students must have a health insurance plan that covers medical expenses and repatriation from the day you leave
your country until the day of your return.
Living in Limeira:
Here you will find important information to assist you plan for your stay in Limeira
HOUSING (OFF CAMPUS)
Unicamp does not provide university dorms for Exchange Students, but we, here at the International
Office (VRERI), can help students find accommodation, especially in the Campinas Campus. We
cannot, however, be held responsible for any arrangements or contracts signed by the student. You
should discuss the details with the real estate agency or landlord.
Unicamp’s main Campus is located in the district of Barão Geraldo, 5 miles from downtown
Campinas. However, many students take classes in Limeira, at the Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas
(FCA). There are buses serving this itinerary, but tickets cost R$3,40 each way. For this reason, we
suggest that you look for housing near FCA Campus if you plan to study there. Listed below are the
many kinds of housing available around Campus:
Rooms
Rented shared rooms for girls, boys or mixed, in a house administered by a landlord. It costs around
R$ 300 to R$600.
Kitinetes (Studio Apartments)
Small apartments with 2 or 3 rooms (bathroom, bedroom and kitchen, integrated or not), usually
furnished. Rent is high, between R$700 and R$1400. It might be difficult for a foreign student to sign a
lease because contracts are usually established for a year and require a guarantor or a deposit.
“Repúblicas” (shared houses)
Rented houses administered by the students themselves, autonomous and independent. There are
enormous possibilities of prices, location and styles.
Hotel (Short term accommodation)
Carlton Plaza Limeira – http://www.carltonhoteis.com.br/site/o_hotel/Carlton-Plaza-Hotel----Limeira-/11
Here are a few sites with housing offers:
http://www.internationaloffice.unicamp.br/housing/
http://morarunicamp.com.br/
http://sistemas.ft.unicamp.br/moradia/index2.php
Also, please contact Ms. Lucineia Moraes if you have any questions: [email protected]
MONEY – AVERAGE EXPENSES
The Brazilian currency is the REAL and we suggest that you bring some cash with you because
change offices are not available everywhere and rates are higher at airports.
Students with scholarship
We strongly recommend that students on scholarships bring R$1.000 to cover the expenses until the
scholarship is paid.
FOOD
The University Cafeteria costs R$ 2,00 and you will have access to it as soon as your admission
process is concluded (usually the day after class registration). Besides the Cafeteria, there are many
snack bars serving meals (from R$10,00 to R$ 20,00), snacks (R$5,00 a R$10,00) and juices
(R$4,00 to R$6,00).
TRANSPORTATION
There is no subway in town. However, Limeira has an integrated bus system and the single trip ticket
costs R$3,40. After making a registration on SIT, you are able to get a card called Passe that allows
you to take two buses within a 1-hour period paying only R$3,00 or R$1,00 to be student.
http://sitlimeira.com.br/
Inside the FCA Campus you will be able to get around by bike or walking.
Buses to other Brazilian cities – including Campinas and Piracicaba, where Unicamp’s other
Campuses are located – leave from Terminal Rodoviário de Limeira.
Bus schedules are available here: http://www.vbtransportes.com.br/vb/
From Unicamp (Limeira) to Unicamp (Campinas) – within campuses
You can take a free bus offered by the university. For further information and registration:
http://www.ft.unicamp.br/intercampi
There are also paid buses and vans that make the trip regularly. Check
http://sistemas.ft.unicamp.br/moradia/index2.php > transporte for their contacts (Portuguese only).
WE WISH YOU A GOOD TRIP! WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING YOU SOON!
Student Mobility Team – Limeira (FCA)
Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas - Limeira
Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Fone: + 55 19 3701-6717
[email protected]
Student Mobility Team (Campinas)
Vice-Reitoria Executiva de Relações Internacionais (VRERI) - International Relations Office
Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Fone: + 55 19 3521-7145
[email protected]