Avenida Professor Luciano Gualberto, 1289 - Cidade Universitária – Butantã - São Paulo – SP - Brazil
University of São Paulo
The University of São Paulo (commonly referred to as USP) is the largest institution of higher education and research in Brazil, and the third in size in Latin America. It is also classified among the first hundred similar organizations between the six thousand world ones. USP is influential in the area of higher education in the South American continent, having educated countless professors with masters' and doctors' degrees now teaching at private colleges and universities in Brazil. With its numerous accomplishments throughout the years, USP continues to evolve in the areas of education, science, technology, and arts.
USP was founded with the purpose of fostering research, advancing science, and transmitting the knowledge that enlivens and develops the human spirit and promotes human life. The university aims at the preparation of specialists in all fields of culture and in all scientific and artistic professions, its motto being: "You shall conquer through knowledge." Its objectives include providing the students with a dynamic education which will enable them to keep pace with the transformations in knowledge and maintain permanent dialogue with society in a productive integration that joins education, research and university extension.
In one hand, USP conquered an outstanding place among the universities, offering quality of education, research and extension. In the other, the responsibilities and obligations undertaken before the society, that have sponsored such a conquest, were and are always present in the everyday life of all campi and in the ethical and moral principle that guides its activities. Such a responsibility includes the obligation to give back to the community part of the financial support offered to the University, either through social justice, scientific discoveries, a better income distribution, or through services and education that lead to a less excluding and more tolerant society.
In 2023, the University of São Paulo (USP) offered approximately 246 undergraduate programs and 229 graduate programs, serving around 97,000 students — including approximately 59,000 undergraduate and 29,000 graduate students. The academic staff consisted of around 5,383 faculty members, supported by 13,368 technical and administrative personnel. USP maintains more than 1,200 international cooperation agreements with institutions from countries such as Germany, Japan, South Africa, and the United States. The university’s annual budget amounts to approximately USD 1.33 billion.
In international rankings, USP has maintained a prominent position:
•USP was ranked 199th in the Times Higher Education (THE) ranking, returning to the group of the top 200 universities worldwide - a position it had not attained since 2013 (2024);
•Ranked among the top 100 universities in the world in the QS World University Rankings (2023);
•Placed within the top 100 in several subject areas and within the 60–70 best institutions globally in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2023.
São Paulo
São Paulo, a city located on the south east region of Brazil, is the largest metropolis in South America. As the city has different cultures, nationalities and beliefs, there is a great variety of tours and attractions to suit all tastes in the main financial center of Latin America.
São Paulo was founded in 1554, when Jesuit priests were looking for a safe place to settle and catechize the Indians who lived in Brazil at the time. They found the Piratininga plateau, where they built a school on a small hill and celebrated a Mass on January 25, date which is considered to be the anniversary of São Paulo.
Having the seventh largest population in the world, the city of São Paulo has around 15 thousand restaurants, 3.200 bakeries, 20 thousand bars, the most consumed foods being pizza and sushi. Also, São Paulo has different bus lines, subway and train, besides millions of cars which occupy the streets of the city.
One of the most popular postcards of São Paulo is Paulista Avenue, which is one of the largest business centers, and probably the largest cultural region in the city. São Paulo offers the biggest quantity of museums in Brazil. Three museums not to be missed, due to their size, architecture, and historical importance, are: The Art Museum of São Paulo (Paulista), Ipiranga Museum (Southeast) and Latin America Memorial (West).
Other interesting places to visit in the incredible city of São Paulo include Municipal Theater, Municipal Market, Botanical Garden, Ibirapuera Park, Liberdade, Banespa Tower, Sé Cathedral, State Pinacotheca and Soccer Museum.
