Other name UNESP Budget R$1.496 billion Administrative staff 7,138 Founded 30 January 1976 | Established 1976 Academic staff 3,316 Total enrollment 46,634 (2013) Rector Julio Cezar Durigan | |
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Type Public university system Headquarters São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Affiliation Compostela Group of Universities Notable alumni Ana Maria Braga, Fernando da Costa Novaes, Fernando Dias de Avila Pires Similar University of Campinas, University of São Paulo, Federal University of São Pa, Federal University of São Ca, Universidade Estadual de Londri Profiles | ||
São Paulo State University (Portuguese: Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", UNESP) is one of the six public universities of the Brazilian state of São Paulo, with USP, FATEC, UNICAMP UFABC, UNIFESP and UFSCar. It is part of the state’s higher education system.
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UNESP has a combined student body of almost 40,000 spread among its 23 campuses. The first of them is the Araraquara Pharmacy and Odontology Faculty, founded in 1923 and incorporated by the state of São Paulo in 1956. Before the university’s official foundation in 1976, its original 12 campuses were public independent faculties.
UNESP has 33 faculties or institutes, 30 libraries, two hospitals, three animal hospitals, five farms and seven complementary units.
São Paulo State University is considered the sixth most important university in Brazil, according to the Ranking Universitário Folha, ninth most important university in the QS Latin American University Rankings. It is ranked amongst the 300 best universities in the world as of the "Academic Ranking of World Universities - 2012" and third best in the QS World University Ranking#Brics 2014.
History
Universities in Brazil are a recent phenomenon, compared to other Latin American countries. It was in 1808 that the first one was created (Rio de Janeiro Medicine Faculty). Before the 20th century, there was not a single university in the country. All of them were public or church-maintained higher education independent institutes.
Rio de Janeiro Federal University was the first one, containing every faculty inside Rio de Janeiro city in 1926. São Paulo’s first university was USP, founded in 1933. By the 1950s, countryside people had to move toward capitals for undergraduate study. There were few higher education institutes outside Brazilian metropolises then. São Paulo state government created many colleges outside the capital in the 1950s and 1960s. Preeminent cities in the state received these isolated institutes, known as “Faculdade de Filosofia”.
In the 1970s, discussions were made within state government on how to coordinate the separate institutes. One idea was to join the 14 institutes in a federation or a single university. The decision would be the latter.
Inspired by the University of California multi-campus system, UNESP was founded in 1976. The original campuses were in Araçatuba, Araraquara, Assis, Botucatu, Franca, Guaratinguetá, Ilha Solteira, Jaboticabal, Marília, Presidente Prudente, Rio Claro, São José dos Campos, São José do Rio Preto and São Paulo. Bauru campus was incorporated in 1988.
Governance
UNESP is governed by a rector, appointed by the state governor who chose one in a list of three nominees. These nominees are indicated by elections among university’s academics held every four years. Usually, the governor selects the winner of those elections.
The rector presides over the University Council, comprised by directors of every institute in the system and academic representatives. There are ten students representatives. Council takes most decisions that affect the university.
Each institute (there are campus with more than one) has one director and a council who rules with a degree of autonomy.
UNESP rectors
Campuses
São Paulo State University has 23 campuses and 33 institutes:
Complementary units
Admissions
Admissions to UNESP are made through an exam, known as vestibular. For architecture, arts and design undergraduate courses, a specific exam is also required.
Prepared by VUNESP, an institution specialized in exams organization, UNESP vestibular are held on three days, separated in two phases. The first phase consists of 90 questions in the following disciplines: philosophy, Portuguese, mathematics, chemistry, biology, geography, history, physics and English or Spanish. The second phase of exams, separated in two days, is made up of specific questions in Humane and Natural Sciences on the first day. The second day of the second phase consists of specific questions in Languages (Portuguese and English or Spanish) and a writing exam.
A student can only apply for a single course in the São Paulo State University system. For example, a student cannot simultaneously apply for History in Franca and Geography in Presidente Prudente, São Paulo|Presidente Prudente.