Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul

The origins of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul date to the arrival in Brazil of the Marist Brothers, the religious congregation founded by Saint Marcellin Champagnat. In 1900 the first Marists arrived at the town of Bom Princípio (RS), following the request of Dom Cláudio José Gonçalves Ponce de Leão, bishop of Rio Grande do Sul. A number of Marists began to come from Europe and started founding schools throughout the region, culminating with the founding of the Nossa Senhora do Rosário School in Porto Alegre. That school eventually hosted college-level courses of accounting, from which the School of Political and Economic Sciences (Portuguese Faculdade de Ciências Políticas e Econômicas), which started in March 1931 with nine students, under the guidance of Brother Afonso, and expanded.

In 1940 the School of Philosophy, Sciences and Literature opened, followed by the School of Social Services in 1945, and by the School of Law in 1947. With these four schools, the Southern Brazil Union of Education and Teaching (Portuguese União Sul Brasileira de Educação e Ensino, USBEE), the civil entity of the Marist Brothers, requested recognition as a university by the Ministry of Education. On November 9, 1948, these schools became the Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul). On December 8, 1948, the Archbishop of Porto Alegre and University Chancellor, Dom Vicente Scherer, inaugurated the first administration of the university with Armando Pereira de Câmara as rector and Brother José Otão as vice-rector. The rectors that followed are Canon Alberto Etges (1951 to 1953), Brother José Otão (José Stefani) (1954 to 1978), Brother Liberato (Wilhelm Hunke), who completed Brother Otão's term from 5 February 1978, Brother Norberto Francisco Rauch (1979 to 2004), and Brother Joaquim Clotet from December 2004.

On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII, by request of the Marist Brothers and Archbishop Dom Vicente Scherer, granted the title of Pontifical to the university, signaling the Brothers' submission to the Holy See.

The university has 22 faculties. The educational system is organized in courses and programs, which are responsible for undergraduate and graduate studies, continuing education, outreach activities and research.

As of 2011 the university had 25,000 undergraduate students, 1,800 postgraduate students, 6,300 master's students, and 1,400 PhD students. 130,000 students have graduated over the years. PUCRS offers 55 courses of graduation, 23 of master's degree, 19 of doctorate level, and more than 70 specialty training courses. University facilities include over 200 laboratories for teaching and research, as well as university hospital, science and technology park, museum of sciences and technology, sports park, theater and convention center.