The University of Brasília (UnB) is a Brazilian federal public university, based in Brasilia, in the Federal District. The institution has 4 campuses, these being in the Pilot Plan (Campus Darcy Ribeiro), in Planaltina (Faculty UnB Planaltina), Gama (UnB Gama Faculty), Ceilândia (Faculty UnB Ceilândia) and Paranoá (in project). The total area [3] of the 4 campuses is 4,787,449.13 m², and its main campus (Darcy Ribeiro) has 3,950,569.07 m². Of the 67 federal universities in Brazil, maintained by the union through resources of the Ministry of Education, UnB is the university with the fourth largest budget, behind UFRJ, UFMG and UFF.
Since its inception, UnB has played an extremely important role both nationally and regionally in excellence in teaching and research. It is a reference in Brazil and abroad in courses: International Relations, Political Science, Economics, Law and Anthropology.
It is currently the largest higher education institution in Central-West Brazil and one of the most important in the country. It was evaluated by the Ministry of Education through the General Course Index as the best university in the Midwest. It is considered the fourth best Brazilian university, according to the Quacquarelli Symonds ranking. According to Times Higher Education, the University of Brasilia ranked among the top 20 universities in Latin America. In terms of internationalization, UnB obtained the first place among the Brazilian federations, fourth place in research and seventh in teaching. In 2017, it was considered the 5th best federal university in Brazil by the Student Guide.
The UnB Central Library has the largest collection of books from the Midwest and the third largest in Brazil, behind the National Library of Rio de Janeiro and the Mário de Andrade Library in São Paulo. The traditional UNB entrance examination and the Serial Assessment Program (PAS) are elaborated by Cespe, one of the largest public competition organizers in the country, known for the high level of complexity of the exams.
UnB ahead with its programs of social and racial inclusion
Excerpt from material published in UnB news. "Fifteen years ago, UnB became the first federal university to adopt racial quotas in its selective admission processes. Approved by the Council on Education, Research and Extension (Cepe) on June 6, 2003, the Plan of Goals for Social, Ethnic and Racial Integration established that 20% of university entrance exams would be destined to black candidates, of vacancies for indigenous people according to specific demand. The measure took effect the following year. The instrument of social inclusion and reparation of historical asymmetries, the quota policy aims at reducing racism and the resulting socio-economic distortions, but above all, guaranteeing access to higher education and professional qualification by the black population. "UnB has always been a university ahead of its time, and the quotas are another example of our protagonism. With affirmative action, we democratize access to the University and reiterate our commitment to overcoming inequalities and valuing diversity, "says Márcia Abrahão.
The challenges to approving the proposal were great. Precursors to the initiative at UnB, emeritus Rita Segato and Professor José Jorge de Carvalho, Department of Anthropology (DAN), faced criticism and resistance from some segments of the academic community. "I had no idea of the extent of racism in Brazil and the academic world until we made the proposal. What I saw is that the white elite defended its redoma, the nursery where it reproduces, "says Rita Segato, who was also linked to the DAN.
Among the opposing arguments, it was stated that the quotas could intensify the racial differences in the University, cause a drop in the academic level, and not only prioritize the socioeconomic cut. The polarization of the debate, however, did not demobilize teachers. It was just a case of racism, happened with a doctorate in Anthropology of the UnB, one of the reasons for the pair to stop this fight. "We put quotas for blacks as a policy to combat racism, and precisely because of this, the pioneering model of the University of Brasilia was unrestricted racial quotas," says José Jorge de Carvalho. https://noticias.unb.br/76-institucional/2319-aprovacao-das-cotas-raciais-na-unb-completa-15-anos