Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)

The Federal University of Rio Grande do Su(Portuguese: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, UFRGS; known as Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul, URGS, between 1947 and 1950) is one of the largest federal universities in Brazil. It is almost completely located in Porto Alegre, with four campuses (Campus Centro, Campus Saúde, Campus Olímpico and Campus do Vale), a few off-campus buildings (e.g. the Business School and the Institute of Arts) and some units in other cities. UFRGS is among the most highly rated Brazilian universities, and has one of the highest numbers of scientific publications. UFRGS has over 27,000 undergraduate students, over 9,300 graduate students, and more than 2,500 professors. As a public federal institution, students do not have to pay tuition fees to enroll in the courses offered by the university. To be admitted to one of the courses offered by UFRGS, a candidate must be approved in a yearly competitive exam, called vestibular. The institute also has a profound political history. Between 1964 and 1969, during the worst years of the military dictatorship, 33 professors were eliminated, as well as a good number of students[citation needed]. Many high-ranking officials, including three presidents - Getúlio Vargas and João Goulart - as well as the majority of the history, philosophy and social sciences teachers in smaller universities throughout the state were educated in the institution. The climate of intellectual debate and analysis of public issues has also been important in training students (often with scholarships and/or student apprenticeships) to work for non-governmental and governmental organisations which contribute to the critical reflection and planning of development programs.