Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG)

About: 

The Federal University of Minas Gerais  (UFMG) was founded in 1927 and is noted for it's academic excellence in Brazil and across the world. The university offers 6,000 undergraduate places each year in over twenty departments over three campuses.  The university is recognised internationally as a pioneer of outreach work, especially when it comes to integrating this work with research and teaching. UFMG's outreach has impacted the lives of over 17 million people, often through helping and empowering the most vulnerable people in the Minas Gerais region. 

Highlights:

Since the university was founded in 1927, the University has had a strong reputation. The university itself is a cultural hub with many different museums on campus and hosts winter and summer festivals. 

Location: 

Belo Horizonte is the first wholly planned city in Brazil, founded in 1897. It has a population of over two million people and has easy access across Brazil through road and air. The city is famous for its architectural beauty and natural wonders nearby. The city has a moderate climate with dry winters and wet summers. 

Courses / Modules: 

The course catalogue with a list of classes is available here.

Credit (Full-time Load per semester): 

York students must take 20 UFMG credits per semester or 40 to equal 120 York credits for the year.

Teaching Periods: 

The academic year at UFMG is divided into 2 semesters:

Semester 1: March – July

Semester 2: August – December

York students will be studying 2 semesters over 2 academic years at UFMG, which is semester 2 and follow by semester 1 (August to July).  This means that York students will begin in semester 1 and then return to complete semester 2 the following March.

Language: 

Courses are taught predominantly in Portuguese but also Spanish or English, this course would suit 3+1 students and those fluent in Portuguese or Spanish would be better suited for this exchange as there will be more course options available to you. 

Accommodation: 

York students may stay with a host family, in a hotel/hostel or flat. 

For students who wish to live with a family, the DRI (International Relations Directorate) can indicate a host family for their first two weeks in Belo Horizonte. As from the third week, students decide whether they wish to continue living with the family.

The weekly cost is approximately 150 reais (£20 approx), which includes a separate room and breakfast. If you are interested, you should contact DRI and ask for a form for accommodation with a family. This option is subject to the availability of families.

For more information, please look at UFMG's website. 

Orientation / Welcome week:  

In the first week of lessons, you will take part in the Semana de Recepção ao Intercambista Estrangeiro (Foreign Exchange Students Reception Week). This week is for international exchange students and is intended to help you settle into the new social, cultural and academic environment. During this week you will get to know the University, its academic system and the various Faculties, and you will take part in cultural activities and get to know students from UFMG and other foreign institutions. In this week, you will meet with the teachers who are responsible for each course/programme, in order to discuss their study plans.

Support Services: 

Disability and Inclusion

Mental Health Support

Visas: 

Students should take time to research their own visa status, as this can vary from person to person. 

Health insurance: 

Insurance must cover emergency medical expenses, accidents and coverage before diseases. It must also cover expenses for health repatriation. It is recommended that York students take out additional health policy so they could access private medical help in Santiago, if needed. The public health sector isn’t always consistent. 

Travel insurance:  

If you are approved by the University of York to participate in this program, you will be covered by the University's Travel Insurance Policy. This is a complimentary policy to cover you for the duration of your University of York mobility experience. Please refer to the Insurance website for all travel insurance queries.  You may be required to obtain health insurance valid during your exchange. 

Unfortunately, as this is a new exchange, we do not have any previous student stories of UFMG or Brazil. Be one of the first to go on this new and exciting exchange. 

You might like to read the student stories for our other Latin American exchange Universidad de las Americas, Puebla, Mexico.

• UFMG International Students Webpage

• Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Brazil information

• Numbeo - cost of living comparison site

• Expatistan - cost of living comparison site

If you find any broken links, please email us at global-opportunities@york.ac.uk

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