University of Sao Paulo

University of Sao Paulo

The University of São PauloUniversidade de São Paulo (USP), is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest higher education and research institution in Brazil and the country's most prestigious university.  Founded in 1934, according to reports by the Ministry of Science and Technology, more than 25% of scientific papers published by Brazilian researchers in high quality conferences and journals are produced at the University of São Paulo.

Academic highlights

Regularly ranked in the world’s top 100 universities and among the top handful of Latin American universities, USP has a broad remit across all academic fields of endeavour. It has about 90,000 students enrolled across its 48 schools.

Location

It has eleven campuses, four of them in São Paulo (the main campus is called Campus Armando de Salles Oliveira, with an area of nearly 7.5 km²). The other campuses are in the cities of Bauru, Lorena, Piracicaba, Pirassununga, Ribeirao Preto and two in São Carlos. USP is involved in teaching, research and university extension in all areas of knowledge.

Did you know?

The São Paulo metropolis has the largest economy by GDP among Latin American and Brazilian cities. The City's motto, is Non ducor, duco, which translates as “I am not led, I lead.”

Language of Instruction

English (limited in some areas), Portuguese

Program Duration

1 semester, 2 semesters

Academic Level

Undergraduate, Postgraduate

Minimum Result Required60% WAM
Previous Round Cut-off (WAM % or GPA)60% WAM

Anticipated Places in Semester 1, 2027

2-5 places

Exchange Availability

Green

Agreement Scope

All Faculties

Handbook/Catalogue

See USP's unit catalogue here (on the left menu bar). Note that most undergraduate units are taught in Portuguese.  There are more units taught in English at the postgraduate level. See the unit catalogue here.  There is also what is described as the University of São Paulo Catalogue available to download from the homepage of the Internatonal Cooperation Office.  In English, it provides a list of disciplines at the different campuses.

Refer to USP's exchange website for information on special requirements and course restrictions.

Full-time Credit Load Equivalents

Semester

Min. 18 Monash points

Max. 24 Monash points

12 USP credits

16 USP credits

Year

Min. 36 Monash points

Max. 48 Monash points

24 USP credits

32 USP credits

Academic Calendar

USP First Semester (Monash Semester 1): February to June
USP Second Semester (Monash Semester 2): August to December

See USP's academic calendar here.

Accounting

Agriculture

Anthropology

Architecture

Astronomy

Biochemistry

Biological sciences

Biomedical science

Chemistry

Classical studies

Communication

Design

Economics

Education

Engineering - chemical

Engineering - civil

Engineering - electrical and computer

Engineering - environmental

Engineering - materials

Engineering - manufacturing

Engineering - mechanical

Engineering - mechatronics

Enginering Phyics

Environmental studies

Finance

Food science

Forestry

Geography

Geosciences

History

Information technology

International relations

Latin American studies

Law

Linguistics

Literary studies

Management

Marine Biology

Marketing

Mathematics and statistics

Music

Nursing

Oceanography

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Pharmacy

Philosphy

Physical education

Physics

Political Science

Portuguese

Psychology

Public health

Sociology

Spanish

Tourism

Translation studies

Urbanism

   

Note

  • The listed disciplines are not necessarily exhaustive and other fields of study might also be available at the institution.
  • Approval to study particular subjects at any institution is always at the discretion of the departmental/discipline and faculty advisers in your managing faculty(ies) and subject to available places at the host.

Accommodation

USP does not provide on-campus accommodation. It offers a listing of accommodation places offered by families and students. They do offer some advice on how to search for and secure accommodation, which can be found here.

Visa

As a general rule, a student visa is required to study in Brazil. USP will send a letter of acceptance that will enable you to obtain a visa at the Embassy of Brazil in Canberra.  For more information refer to the Embassy's website here.  USP also provide some advice on visas, which can be found here.

Health and insurance

You are obliged to provide proof of health Insurance cover for the duration of your stay in Brazil.  USP offers advice on international health insurance here. When travelling on a Monash Abroad approved program, however, you are automatically covered under the Monash University Student Travel Insurance policy. Check with USP to ensure that you are covered appropriately.

Orientation and extra-curricular 

USP’s International Cooperation Office runs the USP iFriends volunteer program, a buddy system which will pair you with a USP undergraduate.

Funding 

Students taking Portuguese language courses may be eligible for the Walter Mangold Study Abroad Scholarship.

Important notes

Language requirements

Most classes at USP are taught in Portuguese. No formal certificate of language proficiency is required, however, you must have an intermediate level of Portuguese (at least B1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or a proficiency certificate in the Portuguese language for foreigners (CELPE-BRAS)).

For information on the availability of study options taught in English, refer to the international offices operating at the faculty level. Exchange students can also attend an intensive Portuguese course.

To begin your application and study plan, click the button below.

Apply here

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