Secretaria de Relações Internacionais | Office of International Relations

The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), through its Office of International Relations (SINTER), will hold the International Community Welcome Day on 6 March for international students who will be studying at the University in the first semester of 2026.

The event will begin at 8 a.m. in the Rectorate Building Auditorium and will feature a program of institutional presentations, specific orientation sessions, and cultural integration activities. Additional activities will take place during the month of March.

The day’s program will start with student registration, followed by a cultural presentation and the official opening ceremony, including a welcome speech by Rector Irineu Manoel de Souza. Next, there will be an institutional presentation of UFSC and SINTER, delivered by the Secretary for International Relations, Fernanda Leal, and the Director of International Relations, Guilherme Carlos da Costa.

In the morning, students will also participate in orientation sessions based on their affiliation with the University. These include undergraduate exchange students from the UFSC Incoming Program and the Escala Grado Program of the Association of Montevideo Group Universities (AUGM), undergraduate degree-seeking students enrolled through the Programa Estudantes-Convênio de Graduação (PEC-G), and undergraduate degree-seeking students admitted to UFSC through different pathways.

In the afternoon, the program will be dedicated to cultural integration activities, which require prior registration.

In addition to the activities scheduled for 6 March, a complementary program will be offered throughout the month, featuring guided tours and cultural visits, a conversation circle, and a sports tournament.

⚠️ To view the full schedule and access the registration links for the welcome ceremony and the cultural activities, click here.

The International Community Welcome Day is a strategic institutional initiative aimed at promoting the academic, social, and cultural integration of UFSC’s international community. In recent years, SINTER has worked to make the event increasingly comprehensive and inclusive, with the support of several university units, including the Office of Culture, Arts and Sports (SeCArtE), the School of Sports (CDS), the Department of Psychology at the School of Philosophy and Human Sciences (CFH), the Undergraduate Program in Performing Arts, as well as of the Association of Angolans in Florianópolis (ASSAF), the Association of Guinean Students in Santa Catarina (AEGUISI) and Cape Verdean students at UFSC.

The Office of International Relations (SINTER/UFSC) took part in the national meeting organized by the Ministry of Education (MEC) to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Programa de Estudantes-Convênio de Graduação (PEC-G). The event, held on 8 and 9 December, brought together approximately 150 PEC-G coordinators at the CAPES auditorium in Brasília (DF). UFSC was represented by Luana Priscilla Leite, staff member responsible for SINTER’s finance matters, who attended on behalf of the PEC-G coordinator at UFSC, Elisa Schemes, and followed  discussions on funding, scholarships, and the sustainability of the program.

The celebration comes at a historic moment for PEC-G, which has registered the highest number of international applications in six decades of existence. For the 2026 selection process, the program saw an increase of nearly 1,200%, reaching 3,291 applications from students of 55 nationalities interested in pursuing tuition-free undergraduate studies at Brazilian institutions. In total, the PEC-G currently includes 104 participating higher education institutions, receiving students from 52 countries, and maintains partnerships with 73 nations.

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This post is available in Brazilian Portuguese only. Please access the website in Portuguese to read it.

This post is available in Brazilian Portuguese only. Please access the website in Portuguese to read it.

This post is available in Brazilian Portuguese only. Please access the website in Portuguese to read it.

International Community Welcome Day marks start of semester for students from 20 countries

On Friday, 8 August, the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) will hold its traditional International Community Welcome Day, marking the start of the second semester of 2025 and welcoming all international students arriving at UFSC. The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Shared Building (EFI) Auditorium, Trindade Campus, Florianópolis.

The initiative is promoted by the Office of International Relations (SINTER), in partnership with the Prorectorate for Undergraduate Studies and Basic Education (PROGRAD), through the Institutional Program for Educational Support to Students (PIAPE) and the “UFSC Without Borders” project, with additional support from the SINTEGRA Program, a collaboration between SINTER and the UFSC Department of Psychology.

The event aims to foster the integration of international undergraduate and graduate students—both degree-seeking and exchange students—into university life and the city where they will live and study. The study buddies who support international students are also invited.

This semester, UFSC will welcome around 127 international undergraduate students from 20 countries. Among them, 120 are participants in the Incoming Exchange Program, coming from countries such as Germany, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Spain, the United States, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Peru, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Russia and Switzerland. Additionally, seven students will be welcomed through the Escala Estudiantes de Grado Program of the Association of Montevideo Group Universities (AUGM), coming from Argentina and Uruguay. Another four students will be joining UFSC through the Programa de Estudantes-Convênio de Graduação (PEC-G), coming from Angola, Cape Verde, Chile, and East Timor. One of them will be studying in Joinville (Science and Technology program) and the others in Florianópolis (Law, Nursing, and Medicine programs).

The morning session will open with an official welcome ceremony, attended by UFSC’s Rector, Professor Irineu Manoel de Souza. Following his welcome speech, UFSC’s Secretary of International Relations, Professor Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho, will present essential information about the structure and services offered by SINTER and the University. The session will also include a coffee break and cultural performances, featuring a Kuduro dance and a presentation by the Devassa Percussion Band, from the Medicine Student Athletic Association (AAAMEDUFSC). Students will then attend specific orientation sessions for the Incoming, AUGM, and PEC-G programs, as well as for undergraduate degree-seeking students*.

In the afternoon, cultural and social activities will include visits to the São José da Ponta Grossa Fortress and the UFSC Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (MArquE), a guided tour on the Trindade Campus (promoted by the SINTEGRA program), and cultural workshops on Kuduro dance (with members of the Association of Angolans in Florianópolis), Samba dance (with the Samba Manezinho group), and Capoeira (with Mestre Daniel).

Participation in both the morning and afternoon sessions requires prior registration and is open to all international students, including graduate students and refugee, asylum-seeking and humanitarian visa-holding students.

👉 Click here to access the full schedule and register.

*Note: International graduate students should contact the Protectorate for Graduate Studies (PROPG) directly for specific guidance.