Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

Lore & Background

The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro is a direct descendant of Brazil's first higher education courses. Created on September 7, 1920 by president Epitácio Pessoa through the Law Decree 14343, the institution was initially named 'University of Rio de Janeiro'. In 1937, it changed its name to the 'University of Brazil'. In 1965, under the government of general Castelo Branco, the university achieved plain financial, didactic and academic autonomy and acquired its current name. In 2000, the rectory requested to the Federal Justice that the university's name was changed back to 'University of Brazil', and the request was deferred, so it is correct to address the university by either names.

Reader's Guide

The UFRJ adopts the Roman goddess Minerva as its mascot. The university manages an ambitious program for extension courses, contributes heavily to Rio de Janeiro's public health with its nine college hospitals, and achieved a 'very good' evaluation and a maximum score in the Ministry of Education's General Index of College Courses in 2010.

Did You Know?

• The university's mascot is the Roman goddess Minerva, not an owl.
• UFRJ is responsible for seven museums, most notably the National Museum of Brazil.

Roots in Brazil's Intellectual Awakening

The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro stands as the oldest continuous higher education institution in Brazil, with its lineage stretching back to 1792. That year, under the reign of Portuguese Queen Maria I, the Royal Academy of Artillery, Fortification and Design was established—what would eventually evolve into the university's Polytechnic School. The Medicine School followed in 1808, when Dom João VI created the Academy of Medicine and Surgery, while the Law School emerged from the 1891 merger of two legal colleges. When president Epitácio Pessoa formally created the 'University of Rio de Janeiro' on September 7, 1920—Brazilian Independence Day—through Law Decree 14343, he was not founding something new but rather consolidating centuries of accumulated academic tradition. The institution also absorbed the National College of Fine Arts and the National College of Philosophy. Because of this deep-rooted history, UFRJ became the template upon which most of Brazil's subsequent universities were modeled, fulfilling an aspiration of the Brazilian intellectual elite that had persisted since the colonial era.

Forging Autonomy Through Reform

The path to UFRJ's current identity was marked by successive waves of institutional reform. In 1937, education minister Gustavo Capanema renamed the institution the 'University of Brazil,' reflecting a French-inspired model that emphasized state control and professional specialization over the German approach of academic freedom seen at the University of São Paulo. The early 1950s brought a pivotal shift as research became formally institutionalized, spawning dedicated institutes, full-time faculty positions, and partnerships with national and international funding bodies. The 150th anniversary of the Medicine School in 1958 catalyzed further structural debates, producing reform plans that set new benchmarks for national college planning and even influenced Brazilian communication industries and government decision-making. Finally, in 1965, under General Castelo Branco's government, the university secured what Brazilian law calls 'autarchy'—full financial, didactic, and academic independence—and adopted its present name. The subsequent restructuring to comply with the 1967 Law Decree was widely considered an extraordinarily bold move for a nation whose colonial heritage prized tradition and stability.

A Vast Ecosystem of Knowledge

UFRJ operates at a scale that makes it the largest federal university in Brazil and a recognized national center of excellence in both teaching and research. Its academic portfolio encompasses 157 undergraduate programs and 580 postgraduate courses, supported by hundreds of laboratories and research facilities. Beyond the classroom, the university is responsible for seven museums—including the National Museum of Brazil—nine hospitals, and forty-three libraries, creating an infrastructure that extends far beyond typical academic boundaries. While its main campus sits in Rio de Janeiro, satellite operations spread across ten additional cities, broadening its geographic and social reach. This sprawling network of institutions reflects the university's deep entanglement with Brazilian ambitions to build a modern, competitive, and just society. UFRJ also maintains an open-doors policy toward foreign scholars seeking to share or gain expertise, while offering its own teaching staff opportunities for internships and positions at external institutions. These international exchanges and partnerships generate reformist currents that typically coexist with the university's strong traditional foundations.

A Constellation of Distinguished Minds

The roll of names associated with UFRJ reads like a who's-who of Brazilian intellectual and public life. In economics, alumni include Carlos Lessa and Mário Henrique Simonsen; in law, Minister Marco Aurélio Mello; in architecture, the legendary Oscar Niemeyer; in philosophy and politics, Roberto Mangabeira Unger; in education, Anísio Teixeira; and in engineering, Benjamin Constant. The literary world owes much to the university as well, with Clarice Lispector, Jorge Amado, and Vinicius de Moraes all counted among its former students. In politics, figures such as Francisco Pereira Passos, Oswaldo Aranha, and Pedro Calmon passed through its halls. Perhaps most strikingly, the medical sciences produced three towering figures: Carlos Chagas, Oswaldo Cruz, and Vital Brazil. This extraordinary breadth—spanning the arts, sciences, law, medicine, and governance—testifies to the university's role as a crucible for Brazil's modern identity, producing minds who shaped the nation across virtually every domain of public and cultural life.

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