Address: Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, 70910-900 Brasília, Federal District, Brazil
Engineering, Social Sciences, Environmental Sciences
Founded in 1962, UnB is recognized for interdisciplinary education and research, especially in social sciences and engineering.
The University of Brasília was founded in 1962, two years after the capital itself, and it was planned by the educator Darcy Ribeiro and Anísio Teixeira as an experiment in interdisciplinary teaching. It has about 30,000 students and 7,000 staff. The Darcy Ribeiro campus is set in the planned city of Brasília, and its central teaching block, the long Instituto Central de Ciências nicknamed Minhocão, was designed by Oscar Niemeyer’s team.
The early years were turbulent. After the 1964 military coup, the campus was occupied, and in 1965 more than 200 professors resigned in protest, a break that took years to repair. UnB has since become known for its social sciences, politics and public policy, and in 2004 it became the first federal university in Brazil to adopt racial quotas in admissions, a policy later extended nationally. Engineering is taught at the Plano Piloto campus and at the Gama campus.
Research is shaped by the capital. Social sciences, political science, public administration and law work with ministries, Congress and the courts, while engineering and environmental sciences cover the Cerrado biome, water resources and sustainable construction. The university has agreements with Latin American and European universities and welcomes diplomats’ children and international staff from the embassies in the city.
Tuition is free. Admission is through the national ENEM and SiSU system and through PAS, a three-stage assessment spread over the years of secondary school, with seats reserved for quota groups. Teaching is in Portuguese. Federal assistance covers subsidised meals and housing for students with limited means.
Brasília is a listed UNESCO World Heritage city of broad avenues and long distances, and most students rely on buses or the metro. Internships in federal agencies are easy to find. About 90,000 people have graduated from UnB, and many are now senior officials.
Domains taught:
Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Project Management
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
International cooperation with Latin American and European universities
Research:
Research in social sciences, engineering, and environmental studies
Famous Alumnis:
N/A
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
7000
Current students***:
30000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
90000
Pros
Interdisciplinary approach, government proximity
Cons
Less emphasis on STEM compared to other federal universities
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of ecology and sustainability and engineering can consider Federal University of Santa Catarina, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
In terms of fields, Federal University of Espírito Santo is the nearest neighbour, with ecology and sustainability and engineering again at the core; it is smaller, enrolling about 20,000 students against roughly 30,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Federal Institute of Brasília shares the core fields of this institution, namely engineering; it also offers diploma programmes and covers computer vision and telecommunications as well.
Think of Rio de Janeiro State University when project management and engineering is the priority: it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers life sciences as well.
Federal University of Sergipe offers a comparable education in ecology and sustainability and engineering: it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers life sciences as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
For a study option in Denmark with a comparable spread of project management, ecology and sustainability and engineering, Aalborg University is the reference point: it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
If this university is on your list for project management and engineering, University of Seoul in South Korea deserves a comparison, because it covers civil engineering as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 12,000 students against roughly 30,000 here.
On content, University of California, Santa Barbara in the United States and this institution are close, as both teach ecology and sustainability and engineering; it is slightly smaller, at about 26,100 students against roughly 30,000 here, and is also a public institution.
The closest overseas parallel on ecology and sustainability and engineering is University of Newcastle Australia, located in Australia; it covers finance and civil engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 36,244 students against roughly 30,000 here.
Kyungpook National University in South Korea shares the engineering orientation of this university, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is UnB?
The main Darcy Ribeiro campus is in the Asa Norte area of Brasília, Federal District.
When was UnB founded?
In 1962, two years after the capital, as an experiment in interdisciplinary education.
How large is UnB?
About 30,000 students and 7,000 staff.
Is UnB free?
Yes. It is a federal university and undergraduate study is free of tuition.
How do you apply?
Through the national ENEM and SiSU system and through PAS, a three-stage assessment taken during secondary school, with seats reserved for quota groups.
What language is used for teaching?
Portuguese.
What is UnB known for?
Social sciences, political science and public policy, plus engineering, environmental sciences and law, with close ties to federal institutions.
Did UnB introduce racial quotas?
In 2004 UnB became the first federal university in Brazil to adopt racial quotas for admission.
Where is engineering taught?
At the main campus and at the Gama campus, among other units.
What is the Minhocão?
It is the nickname of the Instituto Central de Ciências, the long main teaching building on the Darcy Ribeiro campus.
Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Impact, Environmental Technologies, Research and Development, Sustainable Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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