Please do not contact this university directly.
For all enquiries please contact the Exchange Office at exchange@otago.ac.nz.
Last updated June, 2013
Academic Information
Language of Instruction
Portuguese and a limited number of courses in English.
Course Information
Courses taught in English have a content based on Brazilian and Latin American aspects, such as: culture, literature, business, design, civilization and history, among others. International students taking courses in English must also attend Portuguese as a Second Language.
Course descriptions are available at:
- Courses in English
- Courses in Portuguese
- Portuguese as a Second Language (not free to exchange students. Please refer to fees for exchange students for details and information on how to pay).
Students willing to take papers offered in Portuguese will be required to complete an online placement test as part of their application.
1 academic credit is equivalent to 1 class-hour (50 minutes) of lecture class in a 15 weeks semester.
Semester Dates
- Academic Year: February - December
- Fall Term: February/March - July
- Winter Term: July/August - December
Course Load and Minimum Unit Requirements
At PUC Rio international students must take 2 courses as a minimum and 6 courses as a maximum per semester, including Portuguese classes.
Accommodation & the Cost of Living
Accommodation
Estimated cost of Living
Additional Information
Student Visa & Insurance
Information on Student Visas & Insurance for students going on exchange can be found elsewhere on this website.
Exchange Experiences
- 2008 S1 BA EURO TK (56K PDF format)
- 2007 S2 BA COMS GC (258K PDF format)
The University, City & Region
The University
Recognized worldwide as one of the most important doctoral research centres in the country, the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) is a private non-profit Catholic University, was founded in 1940 with the objective of developing knowledge based on humanistic values. The university now has 20,000 students who come from a variety of religious, ethnic and social backgrounds.
PUC-Rio is located in Gávea, a charming neighbourhood near the forest and beaches of the Zona Sul area of Rio de Janeiro. Its campus is beautifully situated within a tropical forest, surrounded by lush trees and with a small stream running through it. Visitors and students can often see small monkeys and squirrels jumping among the trees.
The City of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is is an exciting city perfectly situated between a lush tropical forest and the Atlantic Ocean. Rio provides its residents and visitors alike a majestic realm of colours, sounds and smells. Rio is famous for its breathtaking landscape, its laidback beach culture and its annual carnival. Even the well-travelled individuals will love what the city has to offer.
The harbour of Rio de Janeiro is comprised of a unique entry from the ocean that makes it appear as the mouth of a river. Additionally, the harbour is surrounded by spectacular geographic features including Sugar Loaf Mountain at 395 m (1,296 feet), Corcovado Peak at 704 m (2,310 feet), and the hills of Tijuca at 1,021 m (3,350 feet).
Although joie de vivre is a French invention (as is the bikini), it's the Cariocas (Rio dwellers) who've made it their own. How else to explain the life-lusting zeal with which the city's inhabitants celebrate their days? There are countless occasions for revelry – Saturday at Ipanema Beach, a festa (party) in Lapa, soccer at Maracanã, or an impromptu roda de samba (samba circle) on the sidewalks of Leblon, Copacabana or any other corner of the city.
Further Information
For further information about Otago Global Student Exchange please email exchange@otago.ac.nz
