Brazil expands free ENEM preparation programs

In early August 2026, Brazil’s municipalities and state authorities rolled out new free preparation initiatives for the national university entrance exam, ENEM.

On 3 August, the city of Itaboraí launched a local in‑person course, “Passaporte para o Futuro,” enrolling 76 students and offering evening and Saturday classes through December. The program provides study materials, ten teachers covering core ENEM subjects, and municipal transport for those who gain university admission. In the same period, students from Maricá’s Popular Pre‑ENEM Iara Iavelberg program visited the Fiocruz research complex in Rio de Janeiro, linking classroom lessons to real‑world health science.

The following day, 4 August, a much larger event took place in Salvador. The “Prepara ENEM 2026” program, a partnership between the Bahia State Education Secretariat and the federal Ministry of Education, turned the Concha Acústica of the Teatro Castro Alves into a temporary classroom for 4,000 graduating high‑school students from state schools. Over 300 teachers and coordinators provided subject‑specific reviews, emotional‑well‑being activities, book giveaways, and on‑site assistance for exam registration, aiming to democratize higher‑education access for schools with low ENEM enrolment rates.

By late August, these efforts expanded further into the northern regions. In Amazonas, the Aleam Educa project held its third Saturday of activities, engaging 210 high school students from eight state schools in Manaus. Meanwhile, in Pará, the State Secretariat of Education organized the ‘Aulão Enem Pará Digital,’ a live-streamed preparatory session hosted at a high-performing public school in Belém.