a universidade veiga de almeida, or uva, as it is commonly known in portuguese, is a brazilian accredited private university located in the city of rio de janeiro - the university offers courses for undergraduates and graduate students, as well as extension courses.

there are five campuses, located in the neighborhoods of tijuca, barra marapendi, barra downtown, centro, and nearby city cabo frio.

founded in 1971, the school has in recent years received recognition for its academic rigor, with the latest evaluations from the ministry of education demonstrating the school's academic growth over the years. 

uva gained a ranking of four in the 2012 ministry of education's general course index, within a range between one and five.