Universidade de São Paulo : Rankings, Fees & Courses Details | Top Universities
Ranking

# 92QS World University Rankings

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173Undergraduate programs

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471Postgraduate programs

International

1540International students

About Universidade de São Paulo

Founded in 1934, University of São Paulo, is the largest institution of higher education and research in Brazil. In fact, it accounts for a significant proportion of the country’s master’s and doctoral degrees. USP is known in Brazil for its pursuit of excellence in teaching and research and for its contribution to advances in science and technology. Proof of this is its performance in academic rankings. USP is a public, state-operated university and does not charge tuition fees. The campuses are distributed in eight cities in the State of São Paulo: Bauru, Lorena, Piracicaba, Pirassununga, Ribeirão Preto, Santos, São Carlos and São Paulo, which is the State Capital.  

The university, which is also known simply as USP, consists of 42 schools, six specialized institutes, four hospitals, four museums, 67 libraries and a considerable number of well-equipped laboratories. This structure serves approximately 59,000 undergraduate and 30,000 graduate students. The faculty consists of about 5,600 professors, backed up by a staff of 13,700 people. Internationalisation is one of USP’s major features. Since its earliest days, the university has welcomed people from all over the world, and continues to do so through partnerships and networks. In 2018, about 3,000 international students were received in its undergraduate and graduate programs. USP’s International Cooperation Office handles the University’s initiatives in internationalization, including undergraduate and graduate exchange programs.  

Find out more about life at the Universidade de São Paulo via its social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn

About Universidade de São Paulo

Founded in 1934, University of São Paulo, is the largest institution of higher education and research in Brazil. In fact, it accounts for a significant proportion of the country’s master’s and doctoral degrees. USP is known in Brazil for its pursuit of excellence in teaching and research and for its contribution to advances in science and technology. Proof of this is its performance in academic rankings. USP is a public, state-operated university and does not charge tuition fees. The campuses are distributed in eight cities in the State of São Paulo: Bauru, Lorena, Piracicaba, Pirassununga, Ribeirão Preto, Santos, São Carlos and São Paulo, which is the State Capital.  

The university, which is also known simply as USP, consists of 42 schools, six specialized institutes, four hospitals, four museums, 67 libraries and a considerable number of well-equipped laboratories. This structure serves approximately 59,000 undergraduate and 30,000 graduate students. The faculty consists of about 5,600 professors, backed up by a staff of 13,700 people. Internationalisation is one of USP’s major features. Since its earliest days, the university has welcomed people from all over the world, and continues to do so through partnerships and networks. In 2018, about 3,000 international students were received in its undergraduate and graduate programs. USP’s International Cooperation Office handles the University’s initiatives in internationalization, including undergraduate and graduate exchange programs.  

Find out more about life at the Universidade de São Paulo via its social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn

Available programs

USP offers more than 180 undergraduate programs in all contemporary areas of knowledge: agricult ral sciences, biological sciences, health sciences, exact and earth sciences, humanities, applied social sciences, engineering, linguistics, literature and arts, as well as multidisciplinary courses. The undergraduate programs allow students to organize their studies according to their educational goals.

You can see all the courses offered by USP on our website or in the catalog provided by the USP Office of International Relations.

University of São Paulo is also a traditional leader in graduate education in Brazil, with almost 270 graduate programs (courses). USP’s experience in graduate education is an important feature in its history and has made a solid contribution to the country’s scientific and technological development. 

You can see all the courses offered by USP on our website or in the catalog provided by the USP Office of International Relations.

University information

UNDERGRADUATE COURSES 

The University of São Paulo offers undergraduate courses in all areas of knowledge. All are free of charge and last from four to six years. It is worth remembering that most of USP activities are carried out in Portuguese. Students from all over the world interested in applying to take undergraduate courses may take part in the USP entrance test (called “vestibular”), which is organized by Fuvest (https://www.fuvest.br/). All the exams are held in Portuguese, and in Brazil. Transfer from other higher education institutions (either Brazilian or foreign) is only possible when unfilled places are available. The admission process takes place via pre-selection and specific examinations, both also applied by Fuvest (https://www.fuvest.br/). The Program for Partner Undergraduate Students (PEC-G, the Portuguese acronym) is a cooperation program between Brazil and countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. A pre-selection is carried out by the Brazilian Embassy in the candidate’s home country. The selection of students is based on their High School résumé or equivalent and on their financial conditions.

For more information, access the program website.

The University offers a number of exchange places for students from partner universities from all around the globe. For more information. access the website of the USP Office of International Relations (AUCANI).

GRADUATE COURSES (MASTER AND DOCTORATE)

A foreign student interested in undertaking graduate studies at USP as regular student must get in touch directly with the Graduate Section of the School where they wish to study. For information on existing Graduate Programs, please access the Office of the Provost for Graduate Programs website.

The Program for Partner Graduate Students (PEC-PG) is a cooperation program with countries from Africa, Asia, Oceania, Latin America, the Middle East and the Caribbean. Foreign students interested in applying to a graduate program via PEC-PG must get in touch directly with the School where they wish to study, in order to be informed of the necessary documents and procedures for that specific School.

For more information, visit the USP Office of International Relations website. 

Foreign students interested in doing part of their graduate studies at USP under the exchange program must get in touch directly with the Graduate Section of the School where they wish to study. For information on existing Graduate Programs, please access the Office of the Provost for Graduate Programs website.

The University of São Paulo operates across eight campuses, which are: 

  • São Paulo Campus
  • Bauru Campus
  • Lorraine Campus 
  • Piracicaba Campus
  • Campus of Pirassununga
  • Ribeirao Preto Campus
  • Saints Campus
  • San Carlos Campus 


The majority of faculties are based at the São Paulo campus, whilst the satellite campuses offer a range of specialist faculties.

USP offers several online study options through e-Aulas, its online study platform for video lessons. All content on the portal is free and open to the general public. Any professor at USP can make their classes, courses and lectures available on the platform. e-Aulas contains more than1,400 hours of videos.  

65,722
56%
44%
1,540
14%
86%
5,904
94%
6%

Student life

USP students can enjoy a range of cultural activities during their time at university, including USP Theatre, Orchestra, Choir, Cinema and Publisher. 

Sports facilities at the University of São Paulo include the USP Sport Practices Center, whilst further athletics centres are at the São Carlos and Ribeirão Preto campuses. 

USP offers more than 180 undergraduate programs in all contemporary areas of knowledge: agricult ral sciences, biological sciences, health sciences, exact and earth sciences, humanities, applied social sciences, engineering, linguistics, literature and arts, as well as multidisciplinary courses. The undergraduate programs allow students to organize their studies according to their educational goals.

University of São Paulo is also a traditional leader in graduate education in Brazil, with almost 270 graduate programs (courses). USP’s experience in graduate education is an important feature in its history and has made a solid contribution to the country’s scientific and technological development. 
You can see all the courses offered by USP on our website or in the catalog provided by the USP Office of International Relations.

Tuition fee and scholarships

Domestic Students

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International Students

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One of the important factors when considering a master's degree is the cost of study. Luckily, there are many options available to help students fund their master's programme. Download your copy of the Scholarship Guide to find out which scholarships from around the world could be available to you, and how to apply for them.

In this guide you will find:
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How to apply to scholarships relevant to you

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A list of available scholarships around the world

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USP is a public and free university (no fees or tuitions), financed mainly by the government of the State of São Paulo. Furthermore, USP maintains other important sources of funding, such as partnerships with companies and support from national (FAPESP, CAPES, CNPq) and international research funding agencies. Recently, USP also created its endowment policy, aiming to expand the resources available for its investment in teaching, research, extension and innovation. All USP financial income and expenses are available with transparency and public access.

Rankings & ratings

Universidade de São Paulo is one of the top public universities in São Paulo, Brazil. It is ranked #92 in QS World University Rankings 2025.

QS World University Rankings

  • 2012
    #139
  • 2014
    #127
  • 2015
    #=132
  • 2016
    #=143
  • 2017
    #120
  • 2018
    #121
  • 2019
    #118
  • 2020
    #116
  • 2021
    #115
  • 2022
    #=121
  • 2023
    #115
  • 2024
    #=85
  • 2025
    #92

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FAQs

USP is a public and free university (no fees or tuitions), financed mainly by the government of the State of São Paulo. Furthermore, USP maintains other important sources of funding, such as partnerships with companies and support from national (FAPESP, CAPES, CNPq) and international research funding agencies. Recently, USP also created its endowment policy, aiming to expand the resources available for its investment in teaching, research, extension and innovation. All USP financial income and expenses are available with transparency and public access.
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