The Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (; PUC-Rio) is a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

pontifical university A pontifical university or athenaeum is an ecclesiastical university established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and canon law (Catholic Church), Canon Law) and at least o ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It is the joint responsibility of the Catholic Archdiocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro and the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

History

The University was created in 1941 by the

to emphasize humanistic values in the pursuit of knowledge. PUC-Rio has 12,000

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

students, 2,500 graduate students, and 4,000

extension Extension, extend or extended may refer to: Mathematics Logic or set theory * Axiom of extensionality * Extensible cardinal * Extension (model theory) * Extension (proof theory) * Extension (predicate logic), the set of tuples of values that ...

students. In 2009 it ranked first among 2,252

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

institutions An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...

in Brazil on ENADE, a benchmark exercise run by the

ian Ministry of

Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

. In 2023, it was evaluated by

THE ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...

in several areas. In the area of

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

, PUC-Rio reached first place overall in the country, also obtaining the Brazilian leadership in the Partnership with Industry indicator. In the area of

Physical Sciences Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together is called the "physical sciences". Definition ...

, the University positioned itself as the national leader in the Partnership with Industry and Internationalization indicators, occupying the third position overall in the country. In the area of

Social Sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

, PUC-Rio achieved the leadership in Internationalization among Brazilian universities. In 2024, PUC-Rio was considered the best private institution in the country, and the 5th best overall (among public and private) by the

QS World University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...

. PUC-Rio has highly accredited faculties in

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

, and

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

. It fosters cultural diversity in its student body. It has participated in exchange programs with

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

, Notre Dame,

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

as well as

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an universities, with hundreds of students participating each year.

Location

PUC-Rio is located in Gávea in the south of Rio, at the edge of Tijuca National Forest. The campus was once a coffee farm. A creek crossed by three bridges runs through the campus. Several city bus lines pass the university, which is near the suburban neighborhoods of

Leblon Leblon () is a neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is also the name of the local beach. The neighborhood is located in the South Zone of the city, between Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, Morro Dois Irmãos and the Jardim de Alah channel, borde ...

Ipanema Ipanema () is a neighbourhood located in the South Zone (Rio de Janeiro), South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Leblon, Rio de Janeiro, Leblon and Arpoador. The beach at Ipanema became known internationally with the populari ...

, Jardim Botânico, and Lagoa. The Botanical Gardens and

beach are within walking distance to the university.

Campus

Rio de Janeiro - Pontifical Catholic University

The campus was built with donations from institutions and foundations in the early 1940s. In the early '60s the

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

through its

American Schools and Hospitals Abroad The office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) is an organizational unit within the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). ASHA is charged by t ...

program donated the building now named after President

John Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

; the grant was received during his administration. Besides the Central Library there are three specialized libraries. Solar Grandjean de Montigny (built in 1823 by the architect of the same name), PUC-Rio's Cultural Center, has year-round visual arts exhibitions. Pilotis (Kennedy building's ground floor) hosts cultural events such as political debates, shows, and fairs. The "Festa Junina" each June features folkloric food, costumes, and dance from old Brazil. There is also the "Vila dos Diretórios" (Academic Directories Village), a small cobblestone alley that used to house employees from a local factory, but which since the opening of the campus, has become a place of social interaction. Each house in the alley belongs to an academic directory, which must maintain and look after the property, and can use it for whatever it wishes. The engineering directory house, for example, is often used for studying and to heat up meals in a public microwave there located. Parties, themed or not, are often held in the village, always on Thursdays. On campus are three restaurants, five coffee-shops, a bookstore, an office supply store, copy centers, branches of

Banco Itaú Banco Itaú S.A. was a Brazilian bank that merged with Unibanco on November 4, 2008, to form Itaú Unibanco, Banco Itaú Unibanco. History Banco Itaú began in 1945 under the name ''Banco Central de Crédito'' (Central Bank of Credit) and later ...

and Banco Santander Brasil, newsstand, and ATMs. The neighborhood of the university contains more shops, banks, the Rio Planetarium, specialized bookstores, restaurants, and a mall. Most students use Rio de Janeiro's municipal bus system to get to the campus. A

metro station A metro station or subway station is a train station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the syste ...

was being built on the site of the former university parking lot as part of the construction work for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. However, due to accusations of overpricing, the work was halted and, to this day, has not been completed. PUC-Rio can be divided into four university centers, each center is made of dozens of units and supplementary organs responsible for education, research and extension in their respective areas of knowledge. * ''Center for Social Sciences (CCS)'': It consists of nine departments administration, social science, social communication, law, economy, geography and environment, history, social service and international relations. * ''Science and Technology Center (CTC):'' The CTC offers ten engineering programs (Petroleum, Control and Automation, Production, Computing, Chemical Engineering, Materials and Nanotechnology, Electrical, Mechanical, and Environmental Engineering), as well as two computer science programs (Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence), and undergraduate degrees in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.The

Lua programming language Lua is a lightweight, high-level, multi-paradigm programming language designed mainly for embedded use in applications. Lua is cross-platform software, since the interpreter of compiled bytecode is written in ANSI C, and Lua has a relativel ...

was created at the Tecgraf Institute, which is part of the CTC. * ''Center of Theology and Human Sciences (CTCH)'': It consists of seven departments, eight undergraduate courses, eight graduate programs, In addition to the departments of architecture and urbanism, arts and design, education, philosophy, letters, psychology and theology. The Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities (IEAHu) and the Carlo Maria Martini Chair are part of the deanery. *''Center for Biological and Health Sciences (CCBS)'': it encompasses several departments, including the Department of Biology, Department of Medicine (House of Medicine), and the Department of Nutrition. While the university does not yet offer an undergraduate Medicine program, it provides postgraduate courses through the School of Medical Postgraduate Studies within the House of Medicine, located near the main campus. Plans for an undergraduate Medicine course are in development but have no set release date.

Admission

For undergraduate admission to PUC-Rio two exams are used: ENEM and its own

vestibular The Vestibular (from , "entrance hall") is a competitive examination and is the primary and widespread entrance system used by Brazilian universities to select the students admitted. The Vestibular usually takes place from November to January, ...

test. The results of these tests are used in determining the distribution of academic scholarships to students. PUC-RIO accepte
12%
of applicants for the class of 2022 making it a very selective institution.

Research

As mentioned before, the Lua

programming language A programming language is a system of notation for writing computer programs. Programming languages are described in terms of their Syntax (programming languages), syntax (form) and semantics (computer science), semantics (meaning), usually def ...

was developed by Roberto Ierusalimschy, Luiz Henrique de Figueiredo, and Waldemar Celes, members of the Computer Graphics Technology Group at PUC-Rio, beginning in 1993. The Tecgraf Institute for Technical and Scientific Software Development, founded in 1987, was created as a laboratory of the PUC-Rio Department of Information Technology, the result of a partnership between PUC-Rio and

Petrobras Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., better known by and Trade name, trading as the portmanteau Petrobras (), is a Brazilian state-owned enterprise, majority state-owned multinational corporation in the petroleum industry headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. ...

, with the goal of developing computer graphics projects. Over the course of its development, the Institute has consolidated its work by expanding its operations to all areas of

, including seismic, reservoir, automation, environment and logistics. In 2013, Tecgraf became an institute of PUC-Rio. The institute currently has over 400 collaborators, including students and professors. Many of the technologies and methodologies implemented in the systems developed are the result of theses and dissertations and various academic works from the institution itself. Tecgraf/PUC-Rio currently develops around 40 computer systems and several core technologies such as frameworks, libraries and APIs. The Institute's main areas of expertise are: Digital Interactivity; Modeling and Simulation; and

Data Analytics Analytics is the systematic computational analysis of data or statistics. It is used for the discovery, interpretation, and communication of meaningful patterns in data, which also falls under and directly relates to the umbrella term, data sci ...

. Tecgraf develops most of its projects in cooperation with several departments at PUC-Rio, especially the Department of Computer Science, encouraging the academic production of its professors and collaborators. The Institute receives master's and doctoral students who are assigned to positions that are close to their research projects. Currently, in addition to Petrobras, it has as partners the

Brazilian Navy The Brazilian Navy () is the navy, naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval warfare, naval operations. The navy was involved in War of Independence of Brazil#Naval action, Brazil's war of independence ...

and the

Federal University of Maranhão The Federal University of Maranhão (, UFMA) is a federal university in the northeastern state of Maranhão, Brazil. See also *List of federal universities of Brazil This is a list of federal University, universities in Brazil. * Universi ...

(UFMA).

Notable alumni

* Alex Behring, co-founder

3G Capital 3G Capital is a private equity investment firm. Founded in 2004, 3G Capital evolved from the Brazilian investment office of Jorge Paulo Lemann, Carlos Alberto Sicupira, and Marcel Herrmann Telles. 3G Capital is led by Alex Behring, Co-Founder ...

Arminio Fraga Armínio Fraga Neto (born 20 July 1957, in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian economist who was president of the Central Bank of Brazil from 1999 to 2003. From 1993 until his appointment to the Central Bank, he was Managing Director of Soros Fund Ma ...

Arnaldo Jabor Arnaldo Jabor (12 December 1940 – 15 February 2022) was a Brazilian film director and producer, screenwriter, writer, journalist and political pundit for Brazilian television network Rede Globo. Biography He was of Jewish Lebanese descent an ...

* Adriana Ferreyr *

Beny Parnes Beny Parnes (born May 24, 1959) is a Brazilian economist, former Director for International Affairs of the Central Bank of Brazil. He was married to Patrícia Carlos de Andrade, with whom he had three children. Academic life Parnes graduated ...

Bernardo Rezende Bernardo Rocha de Rezende (born 25 August 1959), known as Bernardo Rezende and nicknamed Bernardinho, is a Brazilian volleyball coach and former player. He is the current coach of the female volleyball team Rio de Janeiro Vôlei Clube. Rezende ...

Bianca Comparato Bianca de Souza Mendes Comparato (born 19 November 1985) is a Brazilian actress. She has starred in '' Como Esquecer'' in 2010, as well as ''A Menina sem Qualidades'' and '' Somos tão Jovens'', both in 2013, the latter for which she won the Gra ...

* Carlos Alberto Menezes Direito *

Carlos Diegues Carlos Diegues (also known as Cacá Diegues; 19 May 1940 – 14 February 2025) was a Brazilian film director, best known as a member of the Cinema Novo movement. He was popularly known for his unconventional, yet intriguing film techniques among ...

* Cecília Malan * Cristiane Murray * Clarisse de Souza *

Eduardo Paes Eduardo da Costa Paes (, born 14 November 1969) is a Brazilian politician who became the mayor of Rio de Janeiro from 2009 to 2012, reelected for a second term from 2013 to 2016 and a third in 2021. He is the city's 13th mayor. On 12 August, ...

* Fernanda Abreu * Gregorio Duvivier * Gustavo Franco * Jaques Wagner *

João Clemente Baena Soares João Clemente Baena Soares (14 May 1931 – 7 June 2023) was a Brazilian diplomat. Soares was born in Belém. He worked at the Brazilian Ministry of External Relations for 31 years before being elected to serve as Secretary General of the O ...

* João Moreira Salles * Jorge Sá Earp *

Marcelo Adnet Marcelo França Adnet (born September 5, 1981, in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian actor, comedian and former VJ. He has been on many TV shows such as ''Adnet viaja'' ("Adnet travels") (2012), ''Adnet ao vivo'' ("Adnet live") (2011) and ''Comédia ...

Marcelo Camelo Marcelo de Souza Camelo (Rio de Janeiro, February 4, 1978) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, and poet. He is best known as composer and lead guitarist of the Brazilian band Los Hermanos. Since the end of the band, he continues composing ...

Marcelo Gleiser Marcelo Gleiser (born 19 March 1959) is a Brazilian-American physicist and astronomer. He is the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and a professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth College. Education Gleiser received his bachelor's ...

* Marielle Franco *

Nara Leão Nara Lofego Leão (; January 19, 1942 – June 7, 1989) was a Brazilian bossa nova and MPB (popular Brazilian music) singer and occasional actress. Leão was married twice, to Ruy Guerra and subsequently Carlos Diegues, both film directors. ...

* Patrícia Carlos de Andrade *

Pedro Bial Pedro Bial (born March 29, 1958) is a Brazilian television producer, producer, television director, director, writer, journalist and a TV presenter. He is best known for hosting the variety show ''Fantástico'', and the reality show ''Big Brother ...

* Pedro Malan *

Renata Vasconcellos Renata Fernandes Vasconcellos (born June 10, 1972) is a Brazilian newscaster and journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to t ...

* Roberto Ierusalimschy, co-creator

Lua (programming language) Lua is a lightweight, high-level, multi-paradigm programming language designed mainly for embedded use in applications. Lua is cross-platform software, since the interpreter of compiled bytecode is written in ANSI C, and Lua has a relati ...

Rodrigo Amarante Rodrigo Amarante de Castro Neves (born 6 September 1976) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger. He is part of the bands Los Hermanos, Orquestra Imperial, and Little Joy, and released his first solo rec ...

* Rodrigo Constantino *

Rodrigo Santoro Rodrigo Junqueira Reis Santoro (; born 22 August 1975) is a Brazilian actor. He is known in Brazil for his appearance on local telenovelas and internationally for his portrayal of Persian King Xerxes I of Persia, Xerxes in the film ''300 (film), ...

* Suely Druck *

Walter Salles Walter Moreira Salles Júnior (; ; born 12 April 1956) is a Brazilian filmmaker. A major figure of the Resumption Cinema in Brazil, Salles is widely regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian filmmakers of all time. His List of awards and nomina ...

* Rodrigo R. Soares,

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

economist

Faculty

The following are a partial list of professors from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. *

Affonso Romano de Sant'Anna Affonso Romano de Sant'Anna (27 March 1937 – 4 March 2025) was a Brazilian poet, essayist and academic. Background Sant'Anna was a professor of Brazilian literature at UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public l ...

* Alceu Amoroso Lima * Alessandro Molon * Ana Maria Machado * Carlos Alberto Menezes Direito * Everardo Rocha * Nancy D. Erbe (in 2015) * Flávio Carneiro * Gustavo Franco * Ivo Pitanguy * João Moreira Salles * Marcílio Marques Moreira * Pedro Bloch * Pedro Malan *

Roberto DaMatta Roberto DaMatta (born July 29, 1936) is a Brazilian anthropologist. He is an emeritus professor of anthropology at the University of Notre Dame.

* Roberto Ierusalimschy

References

External links

PUC-Rio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pontificia Universidade Catolica Do Rio De Janeiro Universities and colleges established in 1940 Schools of international relations 1940 establishments in Brazil Pontifical universities in Brazil