Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
A tuition-free federal research university in Porto Alegre whose roots go back to an 1895 school of pharmacy and chemistry.
- Students
- 45,477
- 28,054 undergraduates
- Tuition
- Free
- 2027
- Founded
- 1934
- QS World Ranking
- 741-750
- 2027 edition
About UFRGS
UFRGS traces its origins to the Escola de Farmácia e Química founded in Porto Alegre in 1895 and the Engineering School of 1896; the University of Porto Alegre was created from these schools in 1934 and became a federal university in 1950. It is a public institution, so undergraduate courses are tuition-free, and it describes itself as a centenary university teaching every field of knowledge at every level, from primary school (its Colégio de Aplicação) to doctorates.
In 2025 it had 28,054 undergraduates in 105 degree courses and 17,423 postgraduate students, taught by 3,001 faculty across 28 academic units and five campuses, including the Campus Centro, Campus Saúde, Campus Olímpico, Campus do Vale and Campus Litoral Norte on the coast. Its teaching hospital is the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, and the university counts 1,043 research groups and 5,783 research projects.
Almost all undergraduates are Brazilian (99.4% in 2025) and teaching is in Portuguese. Places are allocated by UFRGS's own vestibular exam (70% of places) and by SiSU using ENEM scores (30%); foreign students can sit the vestibular after getting their secondary studies declared equivalent, come through the government PEC-G program, or enter later as transfer or diploma-holder students.
Why students choose UFRGS
There are no tuition fees: UFRGS is a federal public university, and the Vestibular UFRGS 2027 offers 4,058 places in 98 undergraduate courses.
Presidents Getúlio Vargas, João Goulart and Dilma Rousseff and Brazil's first female Supreme Court justice, Ellen Gracie Northfleet, all studied there.
UFRGS has taken part in the PEC-G program for students from partner developing countries since it began in 1965.
Student support includes seven university restaurants and four student residences with more than 580 places.
Admissions
2027 entry (Vestibular UFRGS 2027 and SiSU 2027)
Selectivity
UFRGS does not publish an overall acceptance rate. 70% of undergraduate places are filled through its own Vestibular (4,058 places in 98 courses for 2027) and 30% through SiSU using ENEM scores; demand varies greatly by course.
Typical entry requirements
| Brazilian ensino médio (or foreign equivalent) | Completed secondary school plus a qualifying Vestibular or ENEM/SiSU score; foreign diplomas need a Declaração de Equivalência de Estudos or revalidation from the Rio Grande do Sul State Education Council |
|---|---|
| PEC-G (partner countries) | Nationals of PEC-G partner countries living outside Brazil, aged at least 18 (UFRGS describes the target group as 18 to 23), with secondary school completed abroad and an overall average of at least 60%, a financial sponsor who can prove support in Brazil, and a commitment to return home after graduating. Portuguese: a Celpe-Bras certificate or an intermediate-level Instituto Guimarães Rosa certificate (or, if Portuguese was an official-language subject throughout secondary school, a 65% average in it); applicants without either can apply to PEC-PLE, a free first year of Portuguese in Brazil leading to Celpe-Bras. |
| Diploma holders and transfers | Ingresso de Diplomado fills vacant places each semester for graduates of recognised degree programs; the PSU transfer exam admits students who have passed the first two semesters of the same or a similar course |
Deadlines
- PEC-G 2027 (via Brazilian embassies and consulates) Non-binding PassedPre-registration 31 March to 9 May 2026 (closed)
Selection is by Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs; first-call results from 28 September 2026 and selected students must confirm by 13 October 2026. Entry in 2027/1 or 2027/2. The PEC-G 2028 call is expected around March 2027 (the 2027 notice was published on 30 March 2026).
- Vestibular UFRGS 2027 registration Non-binding Passed21 September 2026 (closed)
Registration ran 24 August to 21 September 2026; fee R$ 180 paid by 22 September.
- Vestibular UFRGS 2027 exams Non-binding Next deadline · In 53 days28-29 November 2026
Final results (listão) published 21 December 2026; classes start in semester 2027/1.
- SiSU (ENEM-based places) Non-bindingEarly 2027, per the Ministry of Education calendar
SiSU selection happens only at the start of the year, for entry in both semesters.
Registration for the Vestibular UFRGS 2027 has closed; the exams are on 28 and 29 November 2026, with the final list on 21 December 2026. SiSU applications open early in 2027 on the Ministry of Education's calendar. The PEC-G 2027 selection is already under way (pre-registration closed 9 May 2026), so new PEC-G applicants should watch for the 2028 notice. Diploma-holder and PSU transfer calls are published separately (the Ingresso de Diplomado 2027-1 and PSU 2027 notices are already out).
How to apply
Vestibular: register on the COPERSE candidate portal (a Brazilian CPF number is required, which foreigners can request from the Receita Federal), pay the R$ 180 fee and sit the exams in Porto Alegre. SiSU: apply through the Ministry of Education's SiSU platform with ENEM scores. International routes: PEC-G through Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the Ingresso de Diplomado and PSU transfer calls published by UFRGS each year.
What admissions looks for
- Performance across nine objective tests (Biology, Physics, Geography, History, a modern foreign language, Portuguese, Literature, Mathematics, Chemistry) and a Portuguese essay, weighted by course.
- For SiSU places, an ENEM score of at least 450 in each area and 500 in the essay.
- Completed secondary education recognised in Brazil, with foreign studies declared equivalent or revalidated.
- For Music courses, approval in the specific aptitude test (PHE) as well as the vestibular.
Tips for applying to UFRGS
- 1 Foreign applicants need a Brazilian CPF to register for the vestibular; request it early from the Receita Federal.
- 2 Get your secondary school studies declared equivalent by the Conselho Estadual de Educação do RS before enrolment; documents in Spanish do not need a sworn translation, others do.
- 3 If you are from a PEC-G partner country, apply through the Brazilian embassy or consulate (free of charge) rather than the vestibular, and get your Celpe-Bras Portuguese certificate in time; without it you can apply to PEC-PLE for a preparatory year of Portuguese.
- 4 Already have a degree? Watch for the Ingresso de Diplomado notice each semester, which fills vacant places without the vestibular.
Costs & financial aid
2027 · figures in BRL
Tuition is free. UFRGS supports undergraduates in socio-economic need under Brazil's PNAES program with financial grants, social and pedagogical support, psychological counselling and student housing; in 2025, 3,024 students were beneficiaries of 13 assistance benefits. Low-income candidates can apply for exemption from the vestibular registration fee.
- 3,024 students (13 types of benefit)
- Student assistance beneficiaries, 2025
- 4 Casas de Estudantes with more than 580 places
- Student residences
- R$ 180 (exemption program available)
- Vestibular 2027 registration fee
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (2027/1 and 2027/2)
Law (Direito)
The faculty where presidents Getúlio Vargas and João Goulart and Supreme Court Justice Ellen Gracie Northfleet studied.
Economics (Ciências Econômicas)
Former President Dilma Rousseff graduated from the course in 1977.
Medicine
Taught with the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, the university's clinical research hospital.
Physics
Home to physicist and UFRGS rector Márcia Barbosa, who did her undergraduate and graduate studies there.
Engineering
The Engineering School dates from 1896, among the first higher education in Rio Grande do Sul.
Research
- In 2025 UFRGS reported 1,043 research groups, 5,212 researchers, 5,783 research projects and 3,415 publications.
- The Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre is the university's clinical research hospital.
- UFRGS runs six incubators and the Parque UFRGS science and technology park, with 29 startups in 2025, plus a planetarium and an astronomical observatory.
Schools & faculties
- Escola de Engenharia
- Faculdade de Direito
- Faculdade de Medicina
- Faculdade de Ciências Econômicas
- Faculdade de Arquitetura
- Faculdade de Agronomia
- Faculdade de Biblioteconomia e Comunicação (FABICO)
- Instituto de Física
- Instituto de Química
- Instituto de Biociências
- Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas
- Instituto de Artes
Student life
UFRGS life is spread across Porto Alegre: the historic Campus Centro in the city centre, the Campus Saúde by the teaching hospital, the Campus Olímpico for physical education, physiotherapy and dance, and the large Campus do Vale. Seven university restaurants serve meals to students, and four student residences house more than 580 students in need. The Salão de Atos hosts graduations and cultural events, and the university runs a museum, the Sala Redenção cinema, a planetarium and an observatory. Student politics has a long history here.
- Seven university restaurants (Restaurantes Universitários).
- Four Casas de Estudantes with more than 580 places.
- Salão de Atos, Sala Redenção cinema, UFRGS Museum and Planetarium.
- Portuguese for Foreigners courses at the Instituto de Letras for international students.
Housing. UFRGS has four student residences (more than 580 places) allocated by semesterly selection to students in socio-economic need; most students rent in the city.
Location
Porto Alegre is the capital and largest city of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost state, on the eastern bank of Lake Guaíba. It has a humid subtropical climate with well-defined seasons and rain spread through the year. UFRGS's Campus Centro is in the city centre, and its other campuses and units are spread across the city, with the Campus Litoral Norte on the state's northern coast.
Nearest airport: Porto Alegre Salgado Filho International Airport (POA)
Notable alumni
- GV Getúlio VargasPresident of Brazil (1930-1945, 1951-1954); studied at the Porto Alegre law school now part of UFRGS
- JG João GoulartPresident of Brazil (1961-1964); law graduate
- DR Dilma RousseffPresident of Brazil (2011-2016); economics graduate, 1977
- EG Ellen Gracie NorthfleetFirst woman on Brazil's Supreme Federal Court and its first female president; LL.B., 1970
- PB Paulo BrossardJurist, senator, minister of justice and Supreme Court justice; studied law
- MB Márcia BarbosaPhysicist known for research on water and rector of UFRGS; undergraduate and graduate studies at UFRGS
Frequently asked questions
Is UFRGS free for international students?
Yes. As a federal public university, UFRGS charges no tuition to Brazilian or foreign undergraduates; you only pay application fees such as the R$ 180 vestibular fee, plus your living costs.
How can international students get into UFRGS?
There are two routes to a full degree: sit the Vestibular UFRGS (with a CPF and your secondary studies declared equivalent in Rio Grande do Sul) or be selected for PEC-G by Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which requires Celpe-Bras (or an intermediate Instituto Guimarães Rosa certificate) or a preparatory Portuguese year through PEC-PLE. Graduates and current university students can also use the diploma-holder and transfer calls.
When is the UFRGS vestibular for 2027?
The Vestibular UFRGS 2027 exams are on 28 and 29 November 2026, with final results on 21 December 2026. Registration closed on 21 September 2026.
Does UFRGS accept ENEM?
Yes. 30% of undergraduate places are filled through SiSU using ENEM, with at least 450 points in each area and 500 in the essay; the other 70% go through UFRGS's own vestibular.
Are UFRGS courses taught in English?
Undergraduate teaching and the vestibular are in Portuguese, and 99.4% of undergraduates are Brazilian. UFRGS offers Portuguese for Foreigners courses to help international students.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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