Higher education is treated much differently in Brazil than it is in the United States. As in the United States, there are both public and private schools in Brazil. However, unlike in the United States, the public schools are much more contested and prestigious than the private schools. Why? In Brazil "public university" means free of tuition. Only the top scorers on exams gain entry into public schools, that is to say, public schools accept only the brightest in the country. For the rest, if university is truly desired, there are pricy private colleges available.
Among the best public school is the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica, (ITA). Located in São Paulo state in the city of Sao Jose dof Campos, ITA is one of the best engineering schools in the country. Each college maintains its own entry exam rather than an application, as is common in the United States. As such, students must know what they want to study before applying to universities, as nearly every university is specific to one area of study.
Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica
Praca Mal-do-Ar Eduardo Gomes 50-Vila das Acaias
Sao Jose dos Campos, SP
Brazil
CEP: 12228-900
+55-12-3947-5835
ita.br
Also located in Sao Paulo, Unicamp is centered in Campinas, a thriving suburb about an hour's drive north of the city of Sao Paulo. Unicamp is as close as it gets to a rounded American liberal arts college, with institutional departments of the arts, sciences, engineering, education and medicine. However, the only difference is that when applying, you must apply to a specific program (i.e., the program of international relations). The MEC (the Brazilian Education Board) ranked Unicamp among the top three universities in the country.
Unicamp
Cidade Universitária "Zeferino Vaz"
Barão Geraldo
Campinas, São Paulo
CEP: 13083-970
Brazil
+55-19-3521-2121
unicamp.br
Known for having one of the best medical schools in the country, Unifesp is funded by the Brazilian federal government (while Unicamp is maintained by the state). Unifesp is one of the most difficult Brazilian institutions to gain acceptance to. Like all public universities in Brazil, Unifesp offers multiple areas of studies for both undergraduate and post-graduate students.
Unifesp
Rua Botucatu
740 Andar: 4° Andar
Sao Paulo, SP
Brazil
CEP: 04023900
+55-19-5085-0240
www.unifesp.br (Portuguese only)
Other top Brazilian public universities include USP (University of Sao Paulo), UNESP (Sao Paulo State University), UFRGS (The Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul) and UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais), which also rank among the best universities in the country.
Although not as contested or prestigious as public schools, Brazil is home to many top private schools (that unfortunately require tuition). Among them are FGV -- Fundação Getulio Vargas (Getulio Vargas Foundation), located in Rio de Janeiro and specializing in business education, and Ibmec, also a business school located in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Brasilia.