Universidade de São Paulo (USP) is the largest University in Brazil and one of the most prestigious higher education and research institutions in Latin America. Its first school, the Law School was established in 1827 and the University was founded in 1934 upon the unification of several pre-existing schools. USP is located in the state of São Paulo, the richest and most developed region of Brazil, with campuses distributed over eight cities: Bauru, Lorena, Piracicaba, Pirassununga, Ribeirão Preto, São Carlos, Santos and São Paulo. Its academic structure is organized into 42 schools, 6 specialized institutes, and four important museums. USP has quickly achieved a leading role in many different fields as a research centre and is responsible for around 20% of all Brazilian academic output. At the same time, undergraduate and graduate courses have always improved their quality and attracted the best students. As a public university, USP does not charge its students for tuition, and receives over 11,000 new students per year in the undergraduate courses, selected among over than 130,000 applicants. USP has over 90,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, 5,900 faculty members, 87% of which have a full-time job contract.
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