BackpackerU Explore & learn 
São Paulo → Paraty → Rio de Janeiro / Winter 2027–2028
Spend New Year's Eve in Brazil while studying business, innovation, Portuguese, and Brazilian culture.
Route
Both sessions begin in São Paulo, include New Year's Eve in Paraty, and continue to Rio. Choose the full program or an earlier finish.
Full program · A2
Study business, language, and culture across Brazil.
Travel through São Paulo, Paraty, and Rio de Janeiro with classmates and faculty, combining classes with professional and cultural visits.
Dates begin with arrival in São Paulo. Travel days mark the end of one city stay and the start of the next.
Compare shorter session optionsDecember 28–30
December 30: travel to Paraty
December 30, 2027–January 3, 2028
January 3: travel to Rio de Janeiro
January 3–21
January 21: program ends
Session options
Choose the full program or a shorter session that fits your schedule. Your itinerary may require an earlier departure to arrive by the start date.
Full program · A2
Earlier finish · A1
Housing and health insurance for your program are included; international airfare and personal spending are separate. Your agreed price and terms are preserved if prices later change for new applicants.
Request pricing and scholarship details for your preferred program and session.
Scholarships and payment schedulesProgram highlights
Spend New Year's Eve in Paraty between the São Paulo and Rio academic blocks.
Explore Brazilian history, local traditions, and everyday life through cultural visits and time in each city.
Compare how culture, institutions, markets, and regional context shape organizations across Brazil.
Brazil in context
Students begin with business and university life in Sao Paulo, examine coastal history and life in Paraty, and finish in Rio by comparing what they observed across the route. Course topics include international business, entrepreneurship, Portuguese, Brazilian culture, and innovation.
At ESPM
Students study with ESPM in Sao Paulo and Rio, using coursework and faculty guidance to examine what they observe across the route.
Company visit
Professional visits give students concrete examples of how organizations respond to Brazil's markets, media, consumer culture, and city life.
Student life
Sao Paulo and Rio show students different sides of urban Brazil, while Paraty / Green Coast offers a smaller coastal setting shaped by history, tourism, and conservation.
Examples of programs Summit has run in Europe and Brazil.
Destinations
Destination
Sao Paulo is the arrival city and Brazil's largest economy. Students begin with its financial, media, creative, and consumer sectors, infrastructure, and daily movement.
Destination
In Paraty, students continue coursework in a smaller coastal community shaped by history, tourism, conservation, and the visitor economy.
Destination
The program ends in Rio de Janeiro, where students study creative industries, public institutions, tourism, inequality, and urban life with ESPM before final discussions and assignments.
Housing
Sao Paulo, Paraty / Green Coast, and Rio de Janeiro
Summit selects housing for safety, comfort, and reasonable access to the program schedule.
Brazil courses
Study how businesses develop and adapt in Brazil, alongside Portuguese language and Brazilian culture. Explore these subjects through classes, visits, and travel through São Paulo, Paraty, and Rio.
Earn 3 or 6 credits, depending on your session and course selection. Course availability varies by session.
Explore Brazil coursesCredit transfer
Students, parents, and academic advisors
ESPM is Brazil's academic host. Each student must confirm how Summit coursework applies toward degree progress.
Faculty-led learning
Faculty prepare students for visits and observations in Sao Paulo, Paraty, and Rio, then use those experiences in discussions and assignments.
Program resources
Review destinations, courses, credit, financial aid, safety, and family or advisor guidance.
See how class time, visits, written work, and credit fit together.
See how São Paulo, Paraty, and Rio shape the program.
Understand what your home university may need before you rely on transfer credit.
Review available scholarships and financial-aid guidance before setting a budget.
Review housing, communication, safety preparation, and support information for travel abroad.
See how credit, support, housing, cost, timing, and group travel fit into the family decision.
See the course, credit, partner, and route materials students can bring to an academic reviewer.
Learn how Summit's academic partners fit into the Europe and Brazil programs.
Learn about ESPM coursework, credit, and the academic settings in Sao Paulo and Rio.
Student voice
"I would recommend this program to other students. I really liked the structure and how well we were able to view and capture all aspects of the country of Brazil."
"I liked the length of time we got in each city, not constant movement, but not too static. I liked the mix of planned events and freedom to explore on your own."
"I would recommend this program to future students because there are a lot of amazing things to see and do in Brazil, and this program allowed us to spend time in three cities."
FAQs
Full program (A2): December 28, 2027–January 21, 2028. Earlier finish (A1): December 28, 2027–January 14, 2028.
The route runs from São Paulo through Paraty to Rio de Janeiro in Summer 2027 and Winter 2027–2028, with different dates.
A1 uses one fixed 3-credit course: POR 316 Intensive Portuguese Language, Brazilian Culture, and Innovation. A2 offers BUS 318 International Business, BUS 315 Entrepreneurship in Brazil, and POR 311 Intensive Portuguese Language and Brazilian Culture. Take any one for 3 credits, or pair a morning business course with afternoon Portuguese for 6 credits. BUS 318 and BUS 315 meet at the same time and cannot be combined.
ESPM issues official transcripts directly for this program. Your home university decides whether to accept the credits and how they count toward your degree. Share course materials with your advisor or study abroad office and arrange approval before relying on those credits.
Shared housing is included throughout the program in Europe and Brazil. Summit selects accommodation for safety, comfort, and access to classes and activities. Students receive location, rooming, and commute details before they go.
Request information if you have questions about courses, costs, housing, dates, or credit transfer. If you have chosen a program, you can start your free application. No payment is required to submit it.
Next step
Ask about sessions, courses, housing, pricing, application dates, and credit review.