Superguia do Fies e financiamentos universitários: veja simulações, tire dúvidas e avalie riscos antes da dívida

Fies Supergrowth and university funding: see simulations, ask questions and assess risks before debt

It is common for students to sign the contract without having the real notion of payment terms. After graduation, comes the nightmare: debts early in adult life.
By Luiza Tenente, G1




7 questions to not fall into a trap in the Fies

The result of the University for All Program ( Prouni ) is out and your name is not on the list. Search among those approved in the Unified Selection System ( Sisu ) and the news is also not good. A common alternative, which seems to save the candidate for another year out of college, is the Student Financing Fund ( Fies ). The idea seems enticing: to enter a private university and start paying tuition only after graduating. But is this the best solution? It can mean starting adult life with a debt of thousands of reais.

Caike Falcão, 25, started to study journalism in Fortaleza after being approved by Fies. In the middle of the course, he noticed that the labor market in the area is getting worse - besides facing difficulties to get a job in the area, wages were low. "I locked up and got out of college. The debt has accumulated and I am in default. I can not take even half the course I did. Without counting interest, I have to pay almost R $ 3,000 per month until 2031, "he says.

"I was very young, I wanted to start studying right away, I did not think calmly before joining Fies. I do not recommend it to anyone, the debt is a snowball. "
Caike Falcão desistiu de estudar jornalismo e não consegue pagar a dívida do Fies relativa ao período cursado. — Foto: Arquivo pessoalCaike Falcão desistiu de estudar jornalismo e não consegue pagar a dívida do Fies relativa ao período cursado. — Foto: Arquivo pessoal
Caike Falcão has given up studying journalism and can not pay Fies's debt for the period studied. - Photo: Personal archive

The danger, as experts and students report, is to sign a loan agreement without being clear about what the rules for payment will be. How long will the young man have to pay for this degree? What interest? And here comes the challenge: finding these answers is not easy. The Fies edict is nebulous, replete with complex mathematical formulas.

For example: what is the percentage of the monthly fee that can be financed? The answer:

f = 100% - {[(16% + 0.02% * RFPC) * RFPC + a * m] / m} * 100%

Or: If I get a job once I graduate, what will be the minimum amount that will be deducted from my salary every month?

Percentage Linked to income = Min {[b * ln (gross income) + a] * 100%; 13%}

Banks also do not usually clear up doubts. On the Fies website, after registering, there is even a financing simulator. And, in the words of the candidates, it is not exactly clear.

Maria Eduarda Rozemberg, 20, attends psychology at PUC-MG, in Betim. She was able to enter the private university because of Fies, in the old model. And he complains about the lack of assistance when deciding on the funding. "It was not clear to me when I signed the contract. No one took my doubts about interest. I accepted the pressure of going to college. I was 17 years old, I did not know what I was doing, "he says.

Precisely because the payment conditions are often not clear, some young people in 2019 are not even considering Fies as an option. This is the case of Vitória Oliveira, 18, from Santa Maria (RS). She says she already has the "dirty name" - and fears that her financial situation will worsen.

Vitória Oliveira não quer aderir ao Fies por medo da dívida — Foto: Arquivo pessoalVitória Oliveira não quer aderir ao Fies por medo da dívida — Foto: Arquivo pessoal
Vitoria Oliveira does not want to join Fies for fear of debt - Photo: Personal archive

"I'm afraid I will not get professionally done and never have that funding money. I work since I was 16 and my family does not have luxuries ", he says. "I'm expecting Sisu next year to try a public college."

See the FIES details below:

Para quem é o Fies? — Foto: Fernanda Garrafiel/G1Para quem é o Fies? — Foto: Fernanda Garrafiel/G1
Who is Fies for? - Photo: Fernanda Garrafiel / G1

The Student Financing Fund (Fies) was created in July 2001 by the Ministry of Education (MEC). The goal is to assist students who can not afford the tuition fees of a private university.

In 2018, the program was modified and became known as "New Fies". There are two modalities:

Fies
For whom: students whose family income per capita is up to 3 minimum salaries (R $ 2,994.00)

How it works: By the note of the National Exam of the Secondary School (Enem) 2018, students are selected who will have the graduation fees funded at zero interest. The financing contract must be signed at Caixa Econômica.

How much the funding will be: Depending on the applicant's income, he will "borrow" a certain amount. For example, assuming you are entitled to 80% financing. If the monthly fee is $ 2,000, he will have to pay $ 400 per month. The other R $ 1,600 will be paid after graduation.

What they will pay during the course: The student will have to pay, every month, that amount that was not financed (in the example above, the R $ 400) + an "operating expenses" fee with Fies + a life insurance. Why this insurance? The justification is simple: in cases of student disability or death, this amount will offset the government debt of Fies that will not be paid. According to the MEC, insurance is composed of monthly installments of about R $ 5 - and medical courses, R $ 15.

And after the course? Once you graduate, the trainee will need to start paying Fies debt. That is to say: to take away all that value that he stopped spending during the course. In this Fies modality, if there is no delay, there is no interest.

To avoid default, the monthly amount is discounted directly from the newly formed payroll. It is proportional to his salary. The formula to find out how much the plot will be will be that at the beginning of the text: Percentage Linked to income = Min {[b * ln (gross income) + a] * 100%; 13%}

To facilitate, let's give an example:

Exemplo mostra como seria o pagamento da dívida do Fies de um estudante de administração — Foto: Fernanda Garrafiel/G1Exemplo mostra como seria o pagamento da dívida do Fies de um estudante de administração — Foto: Fernanda Garrafiel/G1
Example shows how the payment of Fies debt of a student of administration would be - Photo: Fernanda Garrafiel / G1

The value of the installments will depend on what his salary is. Suppose he gets a job as soon as he graduates, whose salary is $ 1,700.

Every month, will be deducted R $ 158.44 from the payroll.

The MEC expects that the person will get a better job in a short time and, consequently, have a higher income. Thus, it will finish paying the debt of R $ 132 thousand in 14 years, on average.

But supposing she continues with that salary for a lifetime. It is a situation, of course, that no one expects to happen. But in that case, it would be 69 years of paying debt installments.

What if you are unemployed?
Let's remember that Lucas paid $ 1,240 during graduation, plus fees. Under Fies rules, even if he is unemployed, he will have to pay a minimum amount per month, which will be:

in the 1st year: 70% of the amount paid monthly during the course (not counting taxes) - R $ 868
in the 2nd year: 75% of the amount paid monthly during the course (not counting taxes) - R $ 1,054
in the 3rd year: 100% of the amount paid monthly during the course (not counting taxes) - R $ 1,240
That is, if Lucas does not get a job once he finishes graduation, he will have to pay $ 868 a month in the first year, $ 1,054 the next year, and $ 1,240 from the third year on.

If he does not pay some installment, there will be interest and fine for the delay.

E o P-Fies, o que é? — Foto: Fernanda Garrafiel/G1E o P-Fies, o que é? — Foto: Fernanda Garrafiel/G1
And P-Fies, what is it? - Photo: Fernanda Garrafiel / G1

This modality, called P-Fies, has much smaller proportions. In 2018, for example, there were 2,500 contracts signed - in Fies, the index was 82,363 financing.

For whom: Students whose family income per capita is between 3 and 5 minimum wages (R $ 2,994 to R $ 4,990)

How it works: The biggest difference of P-Fies in relation to Fies is that the financing is signed in private financial agents. It is the banks that will define the terms of payment, such as interest, for example.

And here is a series of difficulties: First, it is not easy to find an institution that participates in P-Fies. It was only possible to have access to this list of partners when G1 contacted the MEC. They are: Banco do Nordeste, Banco da Amazônia and three others, through the "Pravaler" program: BV Financeira, Itaú Unibanco and Banco Andbank.

The tendency of several banks is to offer their own financing schemes, rather than to cast doubt on Fies.

It is an obstacle to be able to have clear terms of payment. "The fact that there is a deadline for the student to sign the contract may make him not mind important questions. You need to look at the interest, understand what the penalty is if there is a delay in some part, and check how the payment will be, "explains Marcela Kawauti, chief economist at SPC Brazil (Credit Protection Service).

"It's important to be aware of ancillary spending. Some banks charge to make a registration or require the student to have a credit card from the institution. This kind of married sale can not happen, "he adds.

Assinar ou não assinar o contrato?  — Foto: Fernanda Garrafiel/G1Assinar ou não assinar o contrato?  — Foto: Fernanda Garrafiel/G1
Sign or not sign the contract? - Photo: Fernanda Garrafiel / G1

Let us assume that the student has the real notion of the financing conditions. Several issues need to be taken into account before signing the contract with the financial agent. (Watch the video above)

1- At this time of life, what are your plans?

When graduating from college, the youngster may have ambitions such as living alone, buying a car or getting married. If he takes on a high debt like Fies, he will have to choose a priority.

2- How much of the salary can be compromised?

Marcela, SPC economist, stresses that it is necessary to plan the portion of income that could be compromised by the financing. "Experts say that, in general, the ideal is to allocate a maximum of 30% of the salary for debts. But that percentage is very relative. If the young person lives with the parents and does not have to help pay the bills, he can reserve a larger portion of the monthly gain for the financing, "he says.

"On the other hand, there are those who, at the age of 20, are already responsible for the family budget. That's 30%, "he said.

The ideal, according to her, is to make a spreadsheet with all the expected expenses: water, electricity, telephone, mobile internet plan, rent, food, transportation, etc. Without forgetting the leisure, like cinema or eating out.

"The budget should never be compromised to the limit. Unforeseen happen. And then, if the person has outstanding debts, it will fall on the overdraft or interest on the credit card, "the economist adds.

3- What is the salary of a recent graduate?

At age 20, Tuanne Marinho studied physiotherapy at Fies. He studied throughout high school in a public school in Rio de Janeiro and opted for funding to get into private university. "I try to raise money now, to pay my debt later, but I can not. I work as a young apprentice and earn half a minimum wage. So my plan is to get a job once I graduate and then take out my financing, "he says.

Tuanne pretende conseguir um emprego logo após se formar para pagar a dívida — Foto: Arquivo pessoalTuanne pretende conseguir um emprego logo após se formar para pagar a dívida — Foto: Arquivo pessoal
Tuanne plans to get a job soon after graduating to pay the debt - Photo: Personal archive

Dorgilan Rodrigues da Cruz, president of the Regional Council of Economics of Piauí (Corecon-PI), says that Tuanne's strategy is similar to that of several other Fies students. It is necessary, he says, to investigate beforehand what is usually the average remuneration of a recent graduate in that area. Will it be enough to pay off the debt?

"With the financial crisis, most of them are not in the market right now. You can spend about 16 months idle. So we must pay attention to the values ​​of the plots to conclude if there is a condition to pay them, "he says. "If you take an internship, you can try to save some money along the way. You can not get excited about parties and forget about this commitment. "

The chief economist of the SPC recommends: "Also consider what college you are going to study. Talk to professionals in the area to know if the institution is absorbed by the market. It's not worth getting into one that is not so good and then having trouble getting a job. "

Não há alternativas melhores que o Fies? — Foto: Fernanda Garrafiel/G1Não há alternativas melhores que o Fies? — Foto: Fernanda Garrafiel/G1
Are there no better alternatives than Fies? - Photo: Fernanda Garrafiel / G1

1- Try a college funding.

Fies is not the only form of student funding - some universities also offer student loan forms. According to Marcela Kawauti, it is often easier to try to reduce interest rates with college than with the bank.

2- Inquire about scholarships in college

The economist Dorgilan recommends that the candidate give the entrance exam and, if approved, enrollment. "He may try to negotiate some discount on the monthly fee, depending on his performance. Or be part of internal projects, such as scientific initiation, to have a scholarship, "he says.

3. Wait another year.

It seems frustrating to postpone the plan to get into college, but according to experts, it may be better than having a debt in a time of so many aspirations - leave the parents' home, start paying their own bills.

It is difficult to resist the social pressure to enter higher education soon after finishing high school. But you have to reflect the price of that. Waiting for a semester or a year does not mean that the youngster will stand still during this period.

He can pursue other possibilities: studying alone at home, for example, with the help of videos on Youtube. Or even look for pre-college courses that are free or low-cost. This will increase the chances of being approved in public universities or Prouni, with 50% or 100% scholarships.

Try a bag in the crib.

If the student chooses to study in a prestigious pre-college course, which has higher monthly fees, it is possible to claim discounts or even scholarships. At the beginning of the semester, most institutions apply knowledge tests - depending on the candidate's performance, he is able to reduce the amount he will pay per month.

Or, even if the young man pays the tuition in full, he can think of one-year funding. It is better to have a one-year student loan than four-year undergraduate.

5- Make investments during the course.

If the option is in fact the Fies, it is possible to think about financial investments that aid in the payment of the debt. Any amount over the trainee's salary, for example, can be applied to the Treasury Direct.

"There are several options: fixed-rate securities or those that depend on inflation (IPCA). There are also investments in LCI and LCA (real estate or agribusiness bonds), which are exempt from income tax after 30 days, "recommends Dorgilan Rodrigues da Cruz. "Equity investments are profitable, but you need to have prior knowledge. Better be cautious and choose the Treasury or LCI / LCA, "he concludes.

6- Check bank financing.

This option requires a lot of caution. In Bradesco, for example, the student has 12 months to pay the tuition fees for a semester of college. But this involves interest. In "Pravaler", by Itaú, is the same system: pay one semester in a year.

These credits do not require the applicant to have done the Enem. The approval of the funding depends on the student's income and their guarantor. If the two earn R $ 2,000, they can finance a course of up to R $ 1,818.00 in "Pravaler".

It is important to pay attention to the fees charged by the financial institution. Example: A course whose monthly fee is R $ 2,385.58 will cost R $ 14,313.48 per semester. In Bradesco's credit, this amount could be paid in 12 installments of R $ 1,357.56. With interest, the total amount would increase to R $ 14,607.61.

Economists also warn that it is necessary to always pay attention when the first installment will be paid - in the case of Bradesco, it would be in March, just at the beginning of the graduation.