The Ministry of Economy and Finance Carlos Antonio López National Scholarship Programme (Becal) celebrates its 10th anniversary. To celebrate this occasion, Becal is organising a fair named “Becal, 10 Years Building The Future.” The event is planned for Saturday 11 October 2025 from 11:00 to 18:00. This fair will be hosted at the Staudt Cultural Space, located in downtown Asunción.
At the Becal Fair, participants will have the possibility to stop at informational stands from diplomatic missions and official institutions. Additionally, students will be able to ask for more information from language institutions and specialised agencies. Apart from stands, there will be presentations of testimonials from scholarship recipients, and informative talks.
Academic training and personal growth
The aim is to provide teachers, students, and the general public with the opportunity to learn about different scholarship and international exchange programmes. The main goal of providing these opportunities is to contribute to their academic training and personal growth.
Since its creation in 2015, Becal 3,700 beneficiaries were selected through various scholarship options. Becal is funded by the Fund for Excellence in Education and Research (FEEI), and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Expansion of the scholarship offerings over time
The list of the first selected Becal scholarship recipients was announced on 14 August 2015. Those students travelled to the world’s top universities in September of that year to pursue graduate programmes.
In 2019, the International Undergraduate Mobility Scholarships (IUMS) were awarded for the first time. The IUMS seek to enable university students in their final years of various programmes to learn about the best universities in the world. These scholarships also include foreign language training in Paraguay (English, German, French, and Portuguese). The aim is at university students aspiring to pursue postgraduate studies abroad.
National Postgraduate Studies
In 2024, the Paraguayan government took a further step by launching, for the first time, the call for National Postgraduate Studies. The programme offers scholarships for Masters and Doctoral programmes at Paraguayan Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Those HEIs study programmes are linked to the country’s strategic development areas.
Likewise, the creation of the Guarantee Fund for Postgraduate Studies Abroad (FOGAE) was finalised. This financial instrument was developed to improve access to credit for those interested in pursuing postgraduate studies abroad. This instrument seeks to reduce public financing efforts and increase private participation. The goal is to also ensure that workers and companies increasingly internalise the costs of postgraduate training.
In 2025, the programme expanded its scholarship offering by launching the first call for specialisations abroad. The aim is towards professionals seeking shorter postgraduate programmes. Those programmes focus on responding to labour market demands and national challenges.
For more information about the BECAL Fair, visit the Ministry of Economy and Finance BECAL website.
Read more: Becal Scholarship Programme Expands Partnership With Two More Universities.
