8.4 – The university as a tool for internationalization

The University of Brasilia – UnB, founded in 1962, is also a powerful internationalization instrument for the federal capital. With 51,162 regular students in 2018, UnB was considered the eighth best college education in Brazil and the fifth among the federal universities, according to the 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) ranking. The institution highlights itself by the high level of faculty qualification, as well as the extensive international research network strengthened by bilateral agreements for research and exchange development. In 2018, UnB had over 600 international students, most of which were Columbian, Peruvian, Argentine, Cuban, French and students born in the United States. In relation to outside research collaboration, UnB published 5,428 co-authored articles between 2012 and 2016 with international institutions from Europe (788), Asia (454), North America (456) and South America (254), beside the Middle East (80) and Africa (76).

By understanding the importance of preparing its students and professors to become international citizens, developing new abilities to face complex world problems, in 2018 the University of Brasilia published its first Internationalization Plan to plan new strategies for student and faculty mobility and to consolidate the institution in international academic circles, in a multi and interdisciplinary education network.