The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ, an educational, research and extension institution, with its headquarters in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in the State of Rio de Janeiro, created by Decree 14.343 of September 7, Rio de Janeiro, reorganized by Law 452 of July 5, 1937, under the name of the University of Brazil, which was granted autonomy by Decree-Law no. December 17, 1945, renamed the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro by Law No. 4,831, dated November 5, 1965, currently constituted in accordance with the Restructuring Plan approved by Decree No. 60.455-A, of March 13, 1967, is a legal entity governed by public law, structured in the form of an autarchy of a special nature, endowed with didactic-scientific, administrative,disciplinary and financial and patrimonial management.

The didactic-scientific autonomy consists of the faculty of: 
I - establishing its teaching and research policy, its plans, programs and projects of scientific research, artistic production and extension activities; 
II - to create, organize, modify and extinguish courses, observing the current legislation and the requirements of the social, economic and cultural environment; 
III - to establish the curricula of its courses, observing the pertinent general guidelines; 
IV - to establish its school and didactic regime, under the terms of the current legislation; 
V - to establish criteria for selection, admission, promotion and habilitation of students, respecting the legal provisions; 
VI - confer degrees, diplomas, degrees and other university dignities; and

The University aims to complete the integral education of the student, the search and expansion of knowledge and the preservation and diffusion of culture.VII - to determine the number of places according to the institutional capacity and the requirements of its environment.

Mission

The purpose that justifies the existence of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and that aims at its strategic objectives is to provide Brazilian society with the means to dominate, expand, cultivate, apply and disseminate the universal patrimony of human knowledge, enabling all its members to act as a transforming force. More specifically, the university aims to complete the student's comprehensive education by preparing him / her to: 

• pursue higher-level professions; 
• to value the multiple forms of knowledge and expression, technical and scientific, artistic and cultural; 
• exercise citizenship; 
• reflect critically on the society in which he lives; 
• participate in efforts to overcome social and regional inequalities;
• Commit to the construction of a society that is socially just, environmentally responsible, respectful of diversity and free from all forms of oppression or discrimination of class, gender, ethnicity or nationality; 
• strive for the universalization of citizenship and the consolidation of democracy; 
• contribute to national and international solidarity.