About the University

Located in the south of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in the city of Pelotas, which is 250km away from the capital of the state, Porto Alegre, the Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel) always attentive to the scientific and technological growth and development of the country, as well as the public demands of the city and region, has been investing in the growth and pursuit of excellence in the areas that it operates. The mission of UFPel is to promote the integral and permanent graduation of professionals, building knowledge and culture, committed to the values of life and to the construction and progress of the society.

UFPel was founded in 1969, from the transformation of the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio Grande do Sul (composed by the centennial Eliseu Maciel Agricultural School, Veterinary School and the Domestic Science School) and the annexation of the Dentistry and Law Schools, that were, at that time, bonded with the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Private institutions that already existed in Pelotas were also added to Universidade Federal de Pelotas, such as Pelotas Conservatory of Music, Dona Carmem Trápaga Simões School of Fine Arts, the Medicine School from Instituto Pró-Ensino Superior do Sul do Estado and the Visconde da Graça Agrotechnical Complex (CAVG). The agricultural field has been of great importance for the development of the region with its predominant pastoral economy, and was also responsible for important contributions on the development of the University.

The Universidade Federal de Pelotas has been increasingly investing in teaching, research and extension programs. Since 2007, when it joined the Reestruturing and Expansion Program of Federal Universities (REUNI) developed by the Ministry of Education, UFPel has registered significant improvements that correspond to its enlargement in the academic field through the increase in the number of admissions and the creation of new post and undergraduate programs, as much as to the expansion of its patrimony. But also, improvements mainly correspond to the implementation of inclusion and student assistance policies to guarantee and magnify the access of low-income students, afro-descendants, quilombolas (Brazilian indigenous people) and persons with disabilities to the University.

UFPel has 22 academic departments and relies on 96 presential undergraduate programs, being 66 of them bachelor of science degrees, 22 teaching degrees and 8 bachelor of technology degrees, and also three distance education degrees. The University also has 26 PhD programs, 50 master degree programs, 6 professional master programs and 34 specialization courses. When it comes to research, there are 2,698 current projects, distributed among different fields of study as well as hundreds of extension projects with the purpose of inserting the UFPel in the local community.

In terms of physical structures, UFPel’s total area is reckoned at about 2 111 106,22 m². Our facilities are distributed among several places, mainly in Pelotas and Capão do Leão. Students at UFPel rely on 398 classrooms, consisting of 19 540,93 m², 9 libraries that add 3 928,96 m², 700 laboratories and workshops available for teaching practices that add up to 20 892,24 m², 15 auditoriums totalizing 1 960,98 m², 3 school restaurants occupying 1 605,34 m² and a student residence that consists of 1 943,63 m².

UFPel is expected to bring dynamism to the economy of Pelotas and help in finding solutions for historical problems that used to trouble the development of the southern region as a whole. Nowadays, the University is one of the most important institutions for the city: its budget is ranked as the second highest of the city, only below the budget of the city hall.

In terms of human resources, UFPel estimates:

In 2017, UFPel was ranked 83rd in the QS World University Rankings among Latin America universities and 170th among BRICS universities.

Foto: Kátia Helena Dias – CCS/UFPel