The students, Vinicio Ramalho, Raphael Ottoni de Souza, Sidney Kolás and André Osório, have each successfully secured a placement with the fifth largest manufacturer of executive jets in the world, Embraer.

Science without Borders is a competitive programme which offers students in Brazil the opportunity to study at universities worldwide. The programme is fully funded by the Brazilian government to enable individuals from all income backgrounds to broaden their opportunities through international study.

Loughborough is one of the top-20 universities in the UK to accept applicants through the programme, having received more than 200 students over the past four years.

The four members of this year’s intake are set to leave the University in June to start their internship at Embraer, based in Portugal.

André Osório, a Science without Borders student and future Embraer intern, said: “For me, this has been a dream come true. One of my main motivations for coming to study here at Loughborough through the Science without Borders programme was to work towards winning the placement opportunity at Embraer.

“We are going to work for a great company from a great university and this opportunity is because of the support received at Loughborough.”

Vinicio Ramalho, fellow future Embraer Intern, added: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and the support and motivation from staff at Loughborough really helped me to make my decision.

"My course at Loughborough has helped a lot. Being the youngest of the group, the others were ahead of me from things they had already learnt in Brazil. But I learnt a lot on my course here and was able to catch up and be one step ahead of what I was in Brazil. The things I have learnt on one of the modules here, I will be using in my internship role at Embraer.”

David Chapman, International Officer (Brazil) and Co-ordinator of Science without Borders for Loughborough University, said: “Let’s celebrate the presence at Loughborough during the past four years of so many fine Science without Borders students. Not only have they impressed us time and again by their natural positive energy, whether at work or play, and their intelligent, adventurous use of the opportunities available for them to carry out research projects or work placements, but they have also introduced us to some splendid Brazilian universities with which we are now seeking to build partnerships for the long term.”