Secretaria de Relações Internacionais | Office of International Relations

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.

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

UFSC hosts event to welcome and integrate new international students

On Monday, 10 March, the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) will welcome its international community for the first semester of 2025. The event, “UFSC International Community Welcome Day”, is organized by the Office of International Relations (SINTER/UFSC) with support from the Institutional Program for Educational Support to Students (PIAPE) of the Prorectorate for Undergraduate Studies and Basic Education (PROGRAD), the outreach project “SINTEGRA: International Student Paths: support and integration”, and members of the Association of Angolans in Florianópolis (ASSAF).

The event is especially dedicated to international students arriving at UFSC this semester, including both degree-seeking and exchange students. The study buddies of exchange students are also invited to participate.

This semester, UFSC expects to welcome 88 exchange students from 15 countries into its undergraduate programs. Among them, 69 students are part of the Incoming Program, coming from partner universities in France (24), Portugal (9), Italy (7), and other countries. The remaining students are part of Association of Montevideo Group Universities (AUGM)  Escala Estudiantes de Grado Program, arriving from Argentina (6) and Uruguay (2).

Additionally, 15 international degree-seeking students will be joining UFSC through the Programa de Estudantes-Convênio de Graduação (PEC-G). Among them, eight will be studying at the Florianópolis campus: five from Angola (Chemical Engineering, Social Work, Administration, Accounting and Electrical Engineering); one from Paraguay (Medicine); one from Cape Verde (Medicine); and one from Guinea-Bissau (International Relations).

Four PEC-G students will be attending the Joinville campus: one from Mozambique (Railway and Metro Engineering); one from Honduras (Aerospace Engineering); one from Angola (Naval Engineering); and one from Equatorial Guinea (Aerospace Engineering). Likewise, three PEC-G students will be attending the Araranguá campus: one from Angola (Computer Engineering); one from Mozambique (Energy Engineering); and one from Equatorial Guinea (Medicine).

In addition to these students, UFSC is also welcoming international degree-students students admitted through different pathways, such as the university entrance exam or external transfer.

The illustrations below provide an overview of the new international students at UFSC:

About the Welcome Day schedule:

The event will take place at the School of Philosophy and Human Sciences (CFH) on the Trindade campus (Florianópolis).

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Students and staff present at the UFSC 2024.2 International Student Welcome Session. Photo by Maria Fernanda Honório/SINTER

On 22 August, 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) – held a welcome session for international students arriving at UFSC in the second semester 2024. The event took place in the School of Philosophy and Human Sciences (CFH) Building E – Annex Auditorium, on the Trindade campus.

The session was attended by eighteen students arriving at UFSC through the Incoming Exchange Program and the Association of Montevideo Group Universities (AUGM) Escala Estudiantes de Grado Program, in addition to eleven students admitted to UFSC through the Programa de Estudantes-Convênio de Graduação (PEC-G) and through the special selection process for refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian visa holders. Eleven international students’ study buddies – participating in the SINTER Study Buddy Program – also joined the event.

International students walk on campus during the “SINTEGRA around UFSC” tour. Photo by Maria Fernanda Honório/SINTER

In the morning, the Director of International Relations, Dr. Fernanda Leal, and the International Programs Coordinator, Guilherme Costa, delivered their welcome speeches and introduced SINTER and the main institutional information about UFSC. This was followed by a coffee break with Brazilian food and drinks, where participants had the opportunity to interact with each other. Also in the morning, the students went on a guided tour around campus – called “SINTEGRA around UFSC” – to get to know the main university facilities in Florianópolis. The tour was guided by the Internationalization Agents Eduardo Schiller, from the School of Biological Sciences (CCB), and Thiago Cabral, from the School of Socio-Economic Sciences (CSE).

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