Brazilian universities dominate the top-universities in South America

Author: John Paget
The ARWU is produced by the Institute of Higher Education at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University and several indicators of academic or research performance are used to establish the ranking, these include highly cited researchers, articles indexed in major citation indices and staff winning Nobel Prizes.

There are nine South American universities in the Word’s Top-500 universities (2008). Six are located in Brazil, two in Chile and one in Argentina. The Top-5 universities located in South America are: 1. University of Sao Paulo (ranked 101-151 in the world); 2. University of Beunos Aires (ranked 152-200); 3. University Estadual Campinas (ranked 201-302); 4. and the University Federal Minas Gerais (jointly ranked 303-401).

The University of Sao Paulo has been the best university in South America in every year since 2003 according to the ARWU. Brazilian universities dominate the top-universities in South America: four of the Top-5 universities in South America are located in in Brazil.

The University of São Paulo (USP) is the largest higher education and research institution in Brazil. It is a public and free university, with open access for students selected by the vestibular (the Brazilian entrance exam for universities). USP was established in 1934 (it started with some already existing schools, the earliest of which was established in 1827).

USP has seven campuses (four of which are located in the City of Sao Paulo), five hospitals and five museums. The total number of students is 86,187 (53.5% male): 54,361 undergraduates and 31,826 postgraduates (graduate students). USP has a faculty of 5,434 and employs 15,221 persons. For more details about the USP.