Over 57 thousand students took the first phase of the Unicamp 2026 vestibular on Sunday (26), with a record-low abstention rate of 6.4%. The exam featured 72 multiple-choice questions on high school topics, including memes and cultural references. The official answer key will be released on October 29.
The State University of Campinas (Unicamp) held the first phase of its 2026 vestibular on October 26, 2025, with 57.7 thousand candidates in 31 cities in the state of São Paulo and six capitals: Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Recife, and Salvador. Only 3,980 enrollees were absent, representing an abstention rate of 6.4%, the lowest in 15 years, according to the Comvest, the organizing commission.
José Alves de Freitas Neto, Comvest director, credited the success to the shift to morning hours: "The morning exam time is something successful, not just from last year. This is a very relevant data point in terms of candidate adherence and participation." The exam consisted of 72 multiple-choice questions covering Portuguese, mathematics, human sciences, natural sciences, and English, featuring contemporary themes such as the film 'Still Here', starring Fernanda Torres, memes of the character Nazaré Tedesco from the soap opera 'Lady Destiny', designer Zuzu Angel and her resistance to the military dictatorship, and the song 'Dawn' by Cartola.
Freitas Neto emphasized the exam's balance: "This is a test that stands out for respecting students' repertoire, whether through memes, image readings, graphs, or tables." Teachers from the Farias Brito Educational Group in Fortaleza commented on the questions in a video. Tom Dantas, Portuguese teacher, praised the emphasis on critical readers and textual diversity, including memes and journalistic productions, requiring syntax mastery. Ademar Garcia, English teacher, noted the connection to current topics like the mentioned film. Roberto Ricelly, chemistry teacher, pointed out that two of seven questions had an excess of calculations, increasing difficulty.
The unofficial answer key is available via Farias Brito, while the official one is set for October 29. The call for the second phase is on November 24, with exams on November 30 and December 1. Specific assessments for performing arts, dance, and architecture will be from December 3 to 5. The first call results are expected on January 23, 2026.