The University

SUNY Oswego offers a semester or academic year program in Brazil at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, (PUC-SP). Situated in a residential district of São Paulo, PUC-SP was founded in 1908 with three faculties: philosophy, sciences, and letters. The university greatly expanded after the Second World War during which time it added additional faculties and received official recognition by Pope Pius XII in 1946. Since then, PUC-SP has become one of Brazil’s major institutions of higher learning. Despite its connection to the Catholic Church, PUC-SP is a secular university that accepts students from all faiths.

The Program

Students on this program will take classes alongside Brazilian students, they will be separately enrolled in at least one Portuguese language course and one Brazilian culture course.

Program Dates

• Fall - July to December
• Spring - February to June

Housing and Food                                                  

Students are responsible for arranging and paying for their own housing with assistance from the SUNY Oswego resident director in Brazil. A list of housing options will be provided. Students typically live in boarding houses, apartments, and rooms in private residences close to the university. Students will eat their meals with other students in the boarding houses and private homes, or cook for themselves in their apartments. Inexpensive meals are also available from the canteen on the PUC-SP campus. There are also many inexpensive restaurants in Perdizes, the area of São Paulo where the university is located.  All housing and meal costs are paid by the students directly in Brazil.

Resident Director

SUNY Oswego has a full-time resident director in São Paulo, Professor Maria Helena Maier.  Our director provides airport pick-up and return, an orientation program, housing placement assistance, and she teaches the required course in Brazilian Culture. Through this course students take part in various cultural events during the semester.