Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UERJ Speciality : Engineering
programme: School of Engineering/Technology

UERJ is arguably the best university in Rio de Janeiro. Its faculty is highly qualified, its outreach programs are top-tier and diverse, and everything is neatly integrated into an easily accessible campus served by numerous bus routes connecting various neighborhoods, a dedicated subway station, and more. Despite its relatively compact footprint, the campus layout is remarkably efficient.
In my view, UERJ’s only real drawback lies in its architecture and the toll it takes on the people who study there. Its brutalist, gray aesthetic, dominated by endless stairwells and drab, colorless corridors often weighs on my well-being. The environment can feel sterile and industrial, almost as if you are moving through the gears of a massive machine.
Ultimately, there is a striking contrast between the university’s vibrant intellectual life and its cold physical shell. While the concrete walls may feel oppressive, it is the community within that breathes knowledge and humanity into its corridors.