Belo Horizonte

Belo Horizonte is the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, and the third largest metropolitan area in Brazil with a population of almost 5 million. Belo Horizonte stands out for its architectural treasures, its rich artistic and cultural offerings and its central location in the state of Minas Gerais with the Mangabeiras Park, Praça da Liberdade Circuit and Pampulha architectural ensemble elected in 2016 as a cultural patrimony of humanity recognized by Unesco.

Less than 200km from Belo Horizonte, one can witness the apex of the artistic heritage of Brazil's colonial period in the nearby cities of Ouro Preto, Mariana, Congonhas, Tiradentes and São João del-Rei on the Estrada Real Road. Also, there are several options for ecotourism stand in the highlands such as Serra do Caraça, Serra do Cipó, Peter Lund Caves Routes and Inhotim Institute. The city is also known for its mild weather, with an average temperature of 27 degrees Celsius.

Belo Horizonte has a developed industrial sector, being traditionally a hub of the Brazilian metallurgical and mining industries. The city is also one of the major centers for the biotech, the automotive and the software industry in Brazil. Multinational companies like FIAT, ArcelorMittal, and Toshiba have subsidiaries in the region. Among the companies headquartered in the city we can list steelmaker Gerdau Açominas; Usiminas; Belgo-Mineira (held by ArcelorMittal); Acesita (partially held by ArcelorMittal); mobile communications Vivo; and Telecom Italia Mobile, as well as the NYSE-listed electrical company CEMIG.

The city also detained the Technology Park of Belo Horizonte (BH-TEC), a non-profit, private law, civil association of a scientific, technological, educational and cultural nature. BH-TEC functions as a business center for companies that are dedicated to researching and producing new technologies and hosts public and private research and development centers. Created in 2005, BH-TEC is the result of a partnership among its five founding members: Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), the government of the state of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte City Hall, the Brazilian Service of Support for Micro and Small Enterprises of Minas Gerais (SEBRAE Minas) and the Federation of Industries of Minas Gerais (FIEMG). It also counts on the Foundation for Support of Research and Development of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) and on the Brazilian Innovation Agency (FINEP).

For more information about the city of Belo Horizonte, click here.

Living Expenses in Belo Horizonte

The monthly cost of living in Belo Horizonte is around R$ 1.000,00 for one person.

The foreign student at UFMG may live, among other options, with a family, in a hotel or apartment. The cost of living with a family, including breakfast and private room, is about US$60 per week. Those interested should contact the Office for International Relations (DRI).

The most common form of housing is the traditional "republica", which is a house or an apartment rented by one student who then sublets rooms to other students, so that a total of 4 to 6 people share the living expenses.

Meals at Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG)

UFMG maintains 8 restaurants. The menu is varied and available at prices starting from US$3. Other alternatives on campus are the 25 cafeterias with a large number of choices in dishes and sandwiches.

Transportation in Belo Horizonte city

Three internal bus lines operate on the UFMG campus. A number of buses to downtown and the campus neighborhoods is available at regular intervals (lines 5102, 9502, 9550, 50). The nearest neighborhoods to UFMG Campus are: Liberdade, Jaraguá, Indaiá, Ouro Preto, São Luiz and São Francisco.

Airports in Belo Horizonte

Belo Horizonte is served by two commercial airports, Pampulha's Airport and Tancredo Neves/Confins International Airport, dedicated to domestic and international traffic, respectively. The international airport is located in the municipalities of Lagoa Santa and Confins, 38 km (23 miles) from the center of Belo Horizonte.

Medical and Hospital Assistance

UFMG requires that foreigners arrive in the country with a health plan that covers them abroad, including ambulatory treatment.

However, the UFMG’s students have several support from the university and the Brazilian government, such as:

- Fundação Mendes Pimentel (Fump) – UFMG

Fump, UFMG’s student assistance foundation, offers the Program of Students Health (PSE), which includes medical, dental, nutritional and psychological care in a partnership with UFMG, SUS and Municipal Health Secretary. This program is available to students classified in Fump assistance levels I, II and III, monday-Friday, 8:00 to 11:30 and 12:30 to 17:00. Link.

- Department for Worker Health Care (DAST) – UFMG

DAST is responsible for activities related to worker health, including regular exams. DAST also provide medical care for small gravity cases occurred inside UFMG. Link.

- Psychology aid

College of Philosophy and Humans Sciences (Fafich) offers psychological care to the community in SPA - Applied Psychology Service. Link.

- Odontological assistance

College of Odontology offers free odontological treatment to patients of SUS. Link.

- Others supports for student wellbeing

UFMG provides activities in several sections of the society through extension projects. Some of these projects are focused in the wellbeing of the community, and are available at low cost.

The University’s Sport Center (CEU) is a club with large area for sports and entertainment. UFMG students have a membership that may be renewed every semester after the fee payment. For more information, click here.

School of Physical Education (EEFFTO) at UFMG offers sport activities as swimming and gym. Besides sports, EEFFTO also has physiotherapy sector. For more information, click here.