About the University
Medical Internship UNESP Brazil: The university ‘UNESP’ spans the entire state of São Paulo. It represents a highly successful model for multicampus higher education worldwide. Currently, UNESP ranks as the third largest university in Brazil. The state government funds the institution directly. The university stands out for its exceptional teaching, strategic research projects, and dedicated community services.
State leaders founded the university in 1976. They unified several independent academic institutions across the region. Today, UNESP offers a wide array of theoretical and experimental sciences. Students pursue degrees in engineering, health, communications, humanities, social sciences, and the arts.
The university expanded its network significantly over time. UNESP now comprises 34 distinct campuses across 24 cities in São Paulo state. It also manages 23 additional academic centers throughout Brazil, a specialized coastal campus, and its central administrative headquarters in the capital city.
In 1989, a landmark state policy secured fixed tax-revenue funding for three major state universities. This financial structure granted UNESP complete administrative and planning autonomy. In the following years, the institution successfully decentralized responsibilities across all its incorporated faculties.
UNESP pioneered affirmative action in Brazil by launching social and racial quotas in 2014. These progressive policies allocate half of all undergraduate seats to public school graduates. The guidelines also reserve 35% of those slots for minority and indigenous applicants. UNESP fully achieved these diversity milestones by 2018. Today, it ranks among the most inclusive higher education institutions in the country.
UNESP Mission
We advance society through integrated education, scientific research, and community outreach. Our faculty fosters a free, critical, and ethical academic spirit. We champion professional training committed to human rights, technological innovation, sustainability, and social equity. Our institution generates and shares knowledge to eliminate inequalities and empower active global citizens.
Research Excellence in Tropical & Public Health
FMB-UNESP stands at the forefront of medical research in Latin America. The campus hosts cutting-edge research facilities specifically recognized for advancements in public health, tropical medicine, and infectious diseases. International students gain firsthand insight into how a major developing nation tracks, manages, and solves complex epidemiological challenges and large-scale public health initiatives.
Location
The primary university hospital campus sits in São Paulo state, roughly 225 kilometers from the capital city. You can access the campus easily via reliable long-distance bus transportation from any major regional transit hub. For example, departures from Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) run daily. The scenic highway trip takes approximately 3.5 hours.
Student Life: The City of Good Airs
Perched on a scenic mountain plateau, Botucatu is affectionately known as the “City of Good Airs” due to its excellent air quality and refreshing climate. The city is a safe, vibrant, and welcoming college town where local life revolves around the university community. Outside of clinical shifts, international students can easily explore dozens of nearby waterfalls, canyons, eco-tourism trails, and a lively local student culture.
Hospital Facts
The expansive University Hospital Campus covers a total area of 70,000 square meters. The facility serves as the premier medical provider for the surrounding population. To meet regional healthcare demands, FMB offers 417 standard hospital beds and 52 dedicated Intensive Care units. The complex features 18 modern operating rooms for planned and emergency surgical procedures across all medical specialties. Additionally, the hospital runs 198 outpatient offices, 31 specialized treatment centers, and 3 obstetric delivery suites.
Annually, the medical staff manages over 420,000 clinical consultations and treats 25,000 hospitalized inpatients. The surgical departments perform more than 12,000 operations each year. Specialized clinical services also include roughly 21,000 hemodialysis sessions, 14,000 chemotherapy cycles, and 24,000 targeted radiotherapy treatments annually.
Regional Healthcare Impact (The SUS System)
The Hospital das Clínicas (HCFMB) operates as the largest public healthcare facility managed under the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) in its regional sector. It serves as the vital tertiary referral core for over 60 neighboring municipalities. This broad network covers a catchment area of more than 2 million people. For medical rotators, this immense structural footprint guarantees direct clinical exposure to a deep, diverse range of clinical conditions and trauma cases.
The Internship in Numbers
The FMB-UNESP university hospital hosts approximately 90 international elective placements every year. The faculty trains more than 560 domestic medical students continuously. Training for domestic students follows a structured three-cycle medical curriculum:
• Basic Cycle — Years 1 and 2
• Professional Cycle — Years 3 and 4
• Clinical Internship — Years 5 and 6