The Federal University of Alagoas (or the Universidade Federal de Alagoas in Portuguese or UFAL) is a federal institution of higher education founded in 1961.
Located in the city of Maceió, in the coastal state of Alagoas, the Federal University of Alagoas is one of the main research centers in the Brazilian north eastern region (which is one of the five regions of Brazil).
UFAL has around 26,000 students enrolled in 84 degree courses and employs 1,700 technical and administrative staff and 1,400 teachers, of whom 690 have doctoral degrees. It has a total of 258 research groups, 1,125 lines of research and 3,646 researchers among the teachers, technicians and students.
The main teaching languages are Portuguese and English. The University has 50 international agreements with higher education institutions around the world, with participation in partnerships including Erasmus Mundus, Rede Galileu and Science without Borders.
The university is located near the city’s airport, Zumbi dos Palmares International, which operates both national and international flights.
Maceió is the capital city of the state of Alagoas, which is on the east coast of Brazil. The name "Maceió" is an Indigenous term for a spring. Known for its beauty, it is a picturesque combination of palm trees, mangroves and bright green sea, with a historical centre of pastel-coloured colonial houses and a 19th Century cathedral. Its vibrant culture is reflected in its arts and crafts, cuisine and customs and like, many locations in northeastern Brazil, it is largely built upon the boom of the sugar industry in the 16th Century.
