TheFederal University of Bahia (Portuguese:Universidade Federal da Bahia,UFBA) is apublic university located mainly in the city ofSalvador. It is the largest university in the state ofBahia.
Students can study there without paying tuition fees, as it is a public university. To join the university they must pass an annualexamination, known as the "ENEM" (National High School Exam).
UFBA was created on April 8, 1946, throughDecree-Law 9155. Earlier, the Federal University of Bahia was formed by theSchool of Medicine and their associated schools,Dentistry andPharmacy, and the schools ofPhilosophy,Economics,Law beyond the Polytechnic School. The actual installation of the university took place on July 2, 1946, the oldest center ofhigher education in the country, the School ofMedicine at the Shrine of Jesus.
Four years later, the Federal University of Bahia was federalized. On December 4, 1950, the government enacted the 2234 law setting theFederalSystem of Higher Education. Since then, the university has been called the Federal University of Bahia. Thehistory of higher education in the state dates back to 1808 when, for determination of thePortuguesecourt, the first school of medical education in the country was established: the Medical School of Bahia. This was followed by the Faculty of Pharmacy (1832), School ofFine Arts (1877), School of Law (1891), Polytechnique School (1897), School of Economics (1905), School of Philosophy,Sciences andLetters (1943), School ofLibrarianship (1942) that formed part of others since 1946.[4]
The university has 57undergraduate courses, 82post-graduate courses and more than 100 postgraduate courses. UFBA is one of the firstuniversities in Brazil, having locations throughout the capital of Bahia and one inside, inVitória da Conquista (south-west).[5]
In 2008, there were threecampuses. The candidates pervacancy average was 6.2.[6] The UFBA'sCooperationAgreements has 32 countries (such as the United States, Sweden, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, and others).[7]
