How to apply

Learn about eligibility for the Telles Scholarship and how to apply.

To be considered for the Telles Scholarship and the Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC) you will need to check that you meet the following entry requirements:

• eligibility
• academic requirements
• English language requirements.

You will then need to complete the four stages of the UPC application process:

• application form and supporting documents
• entrance tests in mathematics and physics
• financial assessment
• interview.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be a Brazilian national domiciled in Brazil.
• Meet the below academic and English language requirements.        
• Not have a qualification that UCL accepts for direct entry onto Electronic and Electrical Engineering BEng. 
• Be in financial need as assessed by UCL. See guidance on how UCL defines household income.
• Be able to demonstrate enthusiasm in Electronic and Electrical Engineering and want to study the discipline at undergraduate level.

If you are not eligible for this scholarship, then please see the other scholarships that UCL has on offer on our scholarships and funding page.

Academic requirements

You must have completed high school in Brazil - usually within two years of the UPC start date - and have achieved the Certificado de Conclusão de Ensino Médio with an overall average of 8/10 with 8/10 in relevant academic subjects.

If you graduated from high school more than two years before the UPC start date and are thinking of applying, please email us first with information on your past studies and details of experience(s) relevant to your future studies, so we can assess your suitability.

English language requirements

The English language requirements are:

• IELTS for UKVI (Academic): 6.0 overall and in each sub-section, or
• Pearson PTE Academic UKVI: 59 overall and in each sub-section.

You can apply without an English language test result, but please include it in your application if you have one.

You must have an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) or Pearson PTE Academic UKVI taken after September 2023 to be eligible to apply for a Student Visa to study in the UK.

We can provide some financial support in taking one of these tests if you haven't already and you receive an offer for the Telles Scholarship.

Further information on this support will be provided to you during the application process.

How to apply

Applications for September 2025 entry will open in October 2024.

UPC application

There are four stages to the UPC application process:

1. application and supporting documents
2. entrance tests in mathematics and physics
3. financial assessment
4. interview.

You must succeed at each stage to receive an offer.

Application guidance and FAQ

Application and supporting documents

You should make your UPC application directly to the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education (CLIE) via our online 'Undergraduate Preparatory Certificate for Science and Engineering' application form and selecting 'Telles Foundation Scholarship' in the sponsorship details section.

You’ll need to provide the following:

• Completed application form including a personal statement and a completed financial assessment form (see below). 
• Certified (and if available translated) copy of your school transcripts.
• Copy of your English language test score - an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) or Pearson PTE Academic UKVI if you have one. You can submit an application before you have taken one of these tests, but please note one of these test results will be required for you to be eligible for your Student Visa.
• A reference on headed school paper, stamped and signed.

Before applying, please ensure you have scanned these documents and saved them as PNG or JPEG files, because you will need to upload them to your application form before you can submit your application.

If you don’t upload a reference letter in your application, we will contact your referee directly using the email address provided in your application form. We require the reference before we can invite you to take the entrance tests. 

There is no application fee for Telles Scholarship applicants.

Once we have received and processed your complete Undergraduate Preparatory Certificate for Science and Engineering (UPCSE) application we will ask you to fill out a financial assessment form.

Personal statement

Your personal statement is an important part of the application form and should explain in no more than 500 words:

• Why you chose to study Electronic and Electrical Engineering as an undergraduate degree? Which aspects of the degree interest you the most?
• Which experiences (academic and personal) have shaped your interest in this field? (e.g., reading in the subject area, non-academic projects, useful relevant skills you have.)
• How do you think you will fit into the UPC course and what might challenge you during the foundation year?
• What is your single proudest achievement? What did it teach you about yourself, others and the world around you?
• If you have participated in any social, charitable, entrepreneurial or other project where you worked to make a change in your local community or on a wider scale.

Application deadline

The application deadline for the Telles Scholarship is 20 November 2024. 

Application fee payment

There is no application fee for the Telles Scholarship.

Financial assessment form

Once we have received and processed your complete Undergraduate Preparatory Certificate for Science and Engineering (UPCSE) application we will ask you to fill out a financial assessment form.

You will need to complete this form to be eligible for a Telles Scholarship and to be invited to take the entrance tests.

In the form, we will be looking for an honest appraisal of your personal financial situation beyond what you may receive through your scholarship application.  

It collects information on several financial factors, including household income information and estimations of other available funds for study. 

Please note that you will need to provide information and copies relating to the following:

• Evidence of your/your family’s household income of the last year (e.g. bank statements, official tax returns, accounting statements, payslips, savings account(s)).
• Information on your family situation (number of dependents, employment statuses, occupation).
• Evidence of any other income you or your family are benefitting or have benefitted from, such as: welfare support, government benefits, scholarships or sponsorships.
• Information on any additional, other than the Telles Scholarship, sources of funding (such as savings, loans, bursaries or other scholarships) you may have secured or intend to apply to for your studies in the UK.

You will be able to add in writing any additional information you consider would support your application and assessment of your financial situation.

The supporting evidence documents do not need to be translated in English.

You can get in touch with us if you have any questions at clie-tellesscholarship@ucl.ac.uk 

Entrance tests

Once you've submitted a complete application, including all required documents, our Admissions team will check it. If you meet our requirements, we’ll contact you about the entrance tests.

If you have submitted a complete application, you will be invited to sit entrance tests in mathematics and physics, because these are the two optional subjects you will study on the UPC.

The entrance tests will be taken online on 30 November 2024. There will be no other dates offered to take the tests.

Learn about our entrance tests including how you will take them and how to practise with sample papers.

Interview

If you achieve 50% or above in each entrance test, a UPC Admissions Tutor will assess your application.

We’ll review your high school results, academic transcripts, personal statement, reference, English language level as well as your entrance tests. Our decision regarding an invitation to interview will consider all aspects of your application. You’ll hear from the UPC Admissions team within a week from taking the entrance tests.

If you are successful, a UPC Admissions Tutor will contact you to schedule an online interview in the following weeks. All interviews will take place between 9-13 December 2024. 

In the interview, we’ll discuss your interest for Electronic and Electrical Engineering and your wider interests, as well as your expectations and future plans. It’s also an opportunity for you to ask us any questions.

Your performance in the interview is important in our decision to offer you a place. The UPC Admissions Tutor will decide within a few days of your interview.

Financial assessment

If you are successful at the interview stage, you will be notified that you have been pre-selected. UCL’s Student Funding Office will review the documents you have provided in support of your application.

How do we determine financial need?

Applications are overseen by UCL’s Student Funding Office based on several factors including:  

• Household income (including the number of dependents who rely on that income, financial circumstances, exceptional household expenditure e.g. medical bills).
• Personal background (e.g. from a single-parent family, previous scholarship support, welfare provision, other special needs).
• Family circumstances (e.g. parent/guardian occupation(s), state/welfare support).
• The financial assessment form and documents you submit as part of your application.

Selection panel and final decision

A selection panel composed of UCL staff will assess your application and consider your academic and personal achievements, your academic plans and financial circumstances.

You will be informed of the result by 17 January 2025 and receive a formal offer to enrol on the UPC course as a Telles Scholarship recipient. You will need to confirm that you accept the offer and the award of the Scholarship by January 2025.

Applying for UCL accommodation

Once you have accepted your award and UPC place you can apply for UCL accommodation. You should apply for this before 10 June to be prioritised for a room.

Under 18s

If you’re under 18 at the start of the course, please read UCL's essential information for students under the age of 18 before applying.
 

How we use your data

UCL’s privacy notices for current and prospective students set out how any personal data we collect will be processed.
 
The information provided in your application will be processed by UCL Centre for Languages & International Education and the UCL Electronic and Engineering Department for the purposes of determining your eligibility for a place on the award scheme. The information you provide may also be shared with other UCL departments for information verification purposes.

The financial support to be provided to successful applicants for the purpose of the Telles Scholarship is offered in collaboration with an external funder, Telles Foundation. UCL will consult with the Telles Foundation regarding the pool of potential candidates for the Telles Scholarship but UCL will be responsible for selecting successful recipients of the Scholarship. UCL may share the following personal information about applicants and successful recipients of the Telles Scholarship with Telles Foundation: name, contact details such as email address, personal details such as gender, nationality, course particulars and academic progression.  

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If you are successful in your application for the Telles Scholarship, then at the end of each academic year of your UPC and your EEE BEng programme, UCL will also ask that you complete a feedback form, which UCL will share with Telles Foundation and which will include questions relating to your academic progression, and if you are studying on the EEE BEng programme, questions relating to your extracurricular activities (e.g. participation in community service, exchange programmes, etc), and professional experience inside or outside of UCL (e.g. internships, trainee experience, etc, if applicable). Telles Foundation will process your personal data in the manner and for the purposes described in their privacy policy.
 
You acknowledge that by UCL or you transferring your personal data to Telles Foundation, your personal data may be transferred to, and processed in, Brazil.
 
Any data sharing by UCL will be carried out with due regard to UCL’s duties as a ‘data controller’ within the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Our legal basis of processing this disclosure of information will be for the purposes of performance of a contract or to take steps prior to entering into a contract.

Application and progression to BEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering during the UPC

In term one (September-December) of the UPC, you will submit your UCAS application for UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering BEng. 

You will receive a conditional offer for BEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering if you are predicted to meet its entry requirements (and have a clearly relevant personal statement).

If you complete the UPC successfully and meet the entry requirements of UCL BEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering you will progress automatically.

If you fail to progress to BEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering at UCL, you will stop receiving the Scholarship. You can apply to other degrees at UCL and other UK universities using the Undergraduate Preparatory Certificate qualification.

Next steps

• email the Telles Scholarship Admissions team any questions or for support with your application
• review the UPC website and videos
• practise sample papers for the UPC entrance tests