Academic Mobility at UFCSPA
On this page, you will find information on how to apply for UFCSPA’s academic mobility opportunities.
About UFCSPA
You can learn about the history of our University here.
If you wish to learn about our undergraduate programs, you can access information here.
Information on our graduate programs is available here.
What opportunities are offered by UFCSPA?
International students can come to UFCSPA for academic mobility during a semester, for an internship, or for an elective medical rotation (exclusive for students in Medical programs), through three main types of opportunities:
- Academic Mobility Programs (each program has its specific rules and conditions)
- Student exchange agreements between UFCSPA and a foreign institution
- Free mover (except for academic mobility during a semester)
Free movers intending to undertake academic mobility during a semester must contact Este endereço de email está sendo protegido de spambots. Você precisa do JavaScript ativado para vê-lo. for information on how to proceed.
Click here to access our Fact Sheet 2026.
How do I apply for academic mobility for a semester in an undergraduate program?
To start an application, the undergraduate student must follow the instructions below within the deadlines.
Application process
The academic mobility application must be sent by the home university to the Academic Mobility Coordination at UFCSPA’s Internationalization Office by email (Este endereço de email está sendo protegido de spambots. Você precisa do JavaScript ativado para vê-lo.), including the following documents:
- Cover letter from the home university;
- Application form and statement of commitment (a document in which prospective students agree to UFCSPA’s codes and the conditions for exchange, as set by the programs or agreements their mobility may be linked to);
- Passport copy;
- Transcript of records signed by the home university;
- Student motivation letter;
- 3x4 photo.
Deadlines for submitting applications
- May 31st (2nd academic semester, usually starting in August);
- October 31st (1st academic semester of the following year, usually starting in March).
How do I apply for academic mobility in a graduate program?
Please contact the Academic Mobility Coordination at UFCSPA’s Internationalization Office by email (Este endereço de email está sendo protegido de spambots. Você precisa do JavaScript ativado para vê-lo.) stating your program of interest and the period in which you would like to study at UFCSPA.
The Internationalization Office will then contact professors and programs to check the availability to receive the applicant.
How do I apply for an internship?
Please contact the Academic Mobility Coordination at UFCSPA’s Internationalization Office by email (Este endereço de email está sendo protegido de spambots. Você precisa do JavaScript ativado para vê-lo.) stating your program/laboratory of interest and the period in which you would like to develop your internship at UFCSPA.
The Internationalization Office will then contact professors and programs to check the availability to receive the applicant.
I'm an international student. How do I apply for an elective medical rotation?
Most of the rotations take place at UFCSPA's teaching hospital, Santa Casa de Misericórdia. The inquiry form can be found here. Students from universities that have an agreement with UFCSPA or that participate in mobility programs of which UFCSPA is a member are eligible. Students from institutions that do not have an agreement with UFCSPA and do not participate in mobility programs to which UFCSPA is part must consult internship vacancies directly with Hospital Santa Casa de Misericórdia by accessing and registering on the website https://sge.santacasa.org.br/sign-in. Students from partner institutions who cannot get vacancies through UFCSPA can also try internships directly with Santa Casa.
How to submit your inquiry:
1) Inform your specialty and period of preference for the elective, filling and sending the form at least three months in advance.
2) You will receive information regarding vacancy availability, via email, up to two months before the start of the internship.
3) After confirming your interest in the vacancy, the Internationalization Office will send you the application instructions, as well as the necessary documents to be forwarded.
4) The elective will be confirmed only when the acceptance letter is sent to the student.
The internship will last a minimum of one and a maximum of six months. In general, the rotation in each internship area lasts for one month.
Contacts
Academic Mobility Coordinator and Internationalization Office Vice-Coordinator: Prof. Marilene Porawski Garrido, PhD
Academic Mobility Vice-Coordinator: Prof. Bruna Santos da Silva, PhD
Internationalization Office Coordinator: Isabela Beraldi Esperandio
International Cooperation Coordinator: Sthefanny Saldanha de Oliveira
Coordinator of Internationalization at Home: Ana Luiza Pires de Freitas
Institutional Development Fellow: Luiza Sarmento Divino
Intern: Larissa Ceratti da Rosa
Intern: Yasmin Menezes Silva de Britto
Phone number: +55 51 3303-8863
Email: Este endereço de email está sendo protegido de spambots. Você precisa do JavaScript ativado para vê-lo.
Facebook: Escritório de Internacionalização da Ufcspa
Instagram: @einter.ufcspa
The Internationalization Office is dedicated to the implementation of UFCSPA’s internationalization policy. The Office engages in the establishment of agreements, research collaboration and international student exchange, and in encouraging student participation in exchange programs promoted by networks and associations.
UFCSPA's Institutional Plan for Internationalization has four goals:
You can access the full Institutional Plan for Internationalization in Portuguese here.
Internationalization Office team
Coordinator: Isabela Beraldi Esperandio
Vice-Coordinator and Student Mobility Coordinator: Prof. Marilene Porawski Garrido, PhD
Student Mobility Vice-Coordinator: Prof. Bruna Santos da Silva, PhD
International Cooperation Coordinator: Sthefanny Saldanha de Oliveira
Coordinator of Internationalization at Home: Ana Luiza Pires de Freitas
Institutional Development Fellow: Luiza Sarmento Divino
Intern: Larissa Ceratti da Rosa
Intern: Yasmin Menezes Silva de Britto
Contact us
Phone number: +55 51 3303-8863
Email: Este endereço de email está sendo protegido de spambots. Você precisa do JavaScript ativado para vê-lo.
Facebook: Escritório de Internacionalização da Ufcspa
Instagram: @einter.ufcspa
Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre
245 Sarmento Leite Street, building 1, room 600C
Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
ZIP code 90050-170
UFCSPA’s undergraduate programs ensure high quality higher education and enable students to work in the health care area chosen upon graduation. In these programs the student will acquire knowledge and capacity for self-directed learning, as well as develop attitudes and skills that enable competent, critical and ethical professional performance based on a humanistic perspective, on multidisciplinary team work and on the current health system organization in Brazil.
The undergraduate programs’ curricula consist of compulsory courses (theoretical, theoretical-practical, and practical), elective courses, compulsory internships and extracurricular activities.
UFCSPA currently offers undergraduate programs in:
It is important to notice that all undergraduate programs are taught in Portuguese. However, some elective programs might be taught in English.
Admission
National Unified Selection System (SiSU)
Exchange Program for Undergraduate Students (PEC-G)
The Exchange Program for Undergraduate Students (PEC-G) is a program by the federal government that offers higher education opportunities to citizens of developing countries with which Brazil has educational and cultural agreements. The program annually selects foreigners between 18 and 23 years old with a high school diploma to carry out undergraduate studies in Brazil. Information on submission, deadlines, and participating countries can be found directly on the Program page.
Student Mobility
UFCSPA may host students from other institutions wishing to complement their academic studies. Mobility programs provide academic exchange experience and interactions with other cultures, fostering learning qualifications. For more information on student mobility, click here.
Located in Porto Alegre, capital city of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA) is a Federal Institute of Higher Education, in operation since March 1961, when it was founded under the title of Faculdade Católica de Medicina de Porto Alegre (Catholic College of Medicine of Porto Alegre). Federalized in 1980, by the Law N. 6891, it was named Fundação Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto Alegre (Federal College Foundation of Medical Sciences of Porto Alegre). In January 2008, it obtained the status of university, being re-named as Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre - UFCSPA).
To date, UFCSPA is the only federal higher education institution specialized in Health Sciences. Its mission is to produce and share knowledge and educate professionals in the fields of Health Sciences with humanistic values and social responsibility. To reach its mission, UFCSPA cooperates with healthcare institutions in the city of Porto Alegre, such as the Santa Casa Hospital Complex, Hospital of Medical Emergencies, and the Conceição Hospital Group. On the north side of the city, the University operates in a Teaching and Healthcare District to deliver healthcare through community engagement, teaching, and research activities. Such partnerships provide students and faculty members with settings for practices in Primary Care in the real context of the Brazilian Public Health System. UFCSPA also advises the municipal and state governments on issues of health policy, as has been the case with the COVID-19 emergency.
UFCSPA holds undergraduate programs, stricto (master's and doctorate) and lato sensu (specialization) graduate programs, as well as medical residency programs. Example of excellence in education, 97% of the university’s faculty staff hold master’s and doctorate degrees. According to the last Times Higher Education rankings, UFCSPA is among the best universities in the world and in emerging economies, as well as the 72nd best university in Latin America. Considering the last QS Rankings by Subjects, it is among the 550 best institutions in Medicine. In the last Times Higher Education impact ranking, which is related to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, UFCSPA is among the top 600 institutions in the world in the general ranking, and is among the 200th best-positioned institutions regarding SDG 3, “Health and Well-Being”, and SDG 5, "Gender Equality".
History
Under the name of Catholic College of Medicine of Porto Alegre, it was founded on December 8th, 1953, by a decree of the Archbishop of Porto Alegre, Dom Vicente Scherer. Activities began after an authorization that came through Decree No. 50165 on January 28th, 1961, and Decree No. 54234 officially recognized the college on September 2nd, 1964. On August 22nd, 1969, the college was authorized to operate as a "foundation governed by private law" under Decree-Law No. 781, under the name of Catholic College of Medicine of Porto Alegre.
The main feature of this institution, in addition to its high scientific-technical level, is the fact that it started as an “isolated” Medical School. Although this characteristic could initially appear to be a hindrance, it served to consolidate the university instead. Under that interpretation, in 1980, the college was once again accredited and then federalized by the Ministry of Education. On December 11th of that same year, Law No. 6891 changed the college’s name to Federal College Foundation of Medical Sciences of Porto Alegre (FFFCMPA). In 1987, under Law No. 7596, of April 10th, the institution was acknowledged as a Public Foundation. On January 11th, 2008, under Law No. 11.641, the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre – UFCSPA – was set up to replace the former Federal College Foundation of Medical Sciences of Porto Alegre.
Initially, the institution offered a single undergraduate program: Medicine. In 1964, with the implementation of the Medical Residency program, the strong ideal of pursuing the highest qualification in medical education was demonstrated. This essential goal kept guiding the university’s actions when in 1968 it implemented its first specialization program. This added experience enabled the institution to, from 1988 onwards, begin offering graduate programs at the Master’s level, followed later on by Doctorate.
Continuing to expand the range of actions within the realms of education and research, in 2004, with the consolidation of its graduate programs, UFCSPA broadened its activities beyond the circumscribed medical field and started to engage in health sciences on a broader scope. That was when the University started to offer two new undergraduate programs: Nutrition and Biomedical Sciences. In 2007, the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences program welcomed its first incoming class. In 2008, the Psychology program was added to UFCSPA’s list of undergraduate program options, strengthening its potential for growth and development.
In the following years, programs in Nursing and Physical Therapy (2009), Pharmacy (2010), Gastronomy and Analytical Toxicology (2012), Medical Physics, Health Management and Food Technology (2014), Biomedical Informatics (2015), and Medicinal Chemistry (2016) were integrated to the undergraduate catalog.
Today, in addition to the 16 undergraduate programs, we offer 64 medical residency programs, 4 multi-professional residency programs, 9 specialization programs, and 12 graduate programs.
This expansion exemplifies UFCSPA’s pursuit of being a highly specialized educational institution in the health segment, having its origin and competence in the medical field driving its doings. For such reasons, UFCSPA has been sparing no efforts to qualify and expand its scope of action, within every field of health care.
Infrastructure
UFCSPA’s quality infrastructure meets the needs of students and faculty demands alike. The laboratories are a perfect example of such attention, equipped with first-line material and state-of-the art technology. All rooms display a comfortable environment and a complete infrastructure at the professors’ needs.
The university has four auditoriums with different capacities, the largest holding 672 seats. There is also a room exclusively used for video conferencing that allows real-time transmission and reception of classes and lectures from and to other locations.
UFCSPA's library offers a collection of more than 40,000 copies of works on health as well as consultation terminals, research portals, and study rooms with Internet access.
