MEC Creates Permanence Grant for Low‑Income Medical Students Under Mais Médicos

Overview

• Portaria nº 655/2025, published on September 22, establishes the Programa de Bolsa Permanência (PBP‑PMM) and its rules.
• Eligibility requires active enrollment in an authorized medicine course, CadÚnico registration, per‑capita family income up to 1.5 minimum wages, and no prior higher‑education degree.
• Students at private institutions must already hold an institutional full scholarship, and federal‑university recipients cannot receive the IFES permanence grant concurrently.
• Institutions will select beneficiaries with priority to the lowest‑income students, then public‑school graduates, with federal universities prioritizing social‑quota entrants.
• According to MEC statements reported by Extra, 1,500 grants of R$700 are planned from 2026 with R$12.6 million a year, pending the edital and institutional adhesion expected to start in October.