Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte

The Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (UERN) is a public higher-education institution in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte, headquartered in Mossoró. It was created on 28 September 1968 as the Fundação Universidade Regional do Rio Grande do Norte (FURRN) by Municipal Law No. 20/68, sanctioned by Mossoró mayor Raimundo Soares de Souza, with the stated objective of progressively establishing and maintaining the Universidade Regional do Rio Grande do Norte (URRN). State Decree No. 5,025 of 14 November 1968 allowed it to operate as a higher-education institution. Over the following decades it expanded beyond Mossoró, opening campuses in Assú (1974), Pau dos Ferros, Patu, Natal and Caicó. Today UERN is maintained by the state government and offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs across its campuses. Its academic and outreach activities include research projects, extension programs and institutional campaigns, such as the Setembro Amarelo conversation circle on valuing the lives of the LGBTQIAPN+ community organized by its Diretoria de Ações Afirmativas e Diversidade (Diaad). UERN also competes for and wins national research funding; a project on digital cervical-cancer screening coordinated by a UERN researcher took first place in a CNPq call and was financed with R$ 1,185,840. The university communicates in Portuguese and also provides English and Spanish versions of its portal.

UERN's origins lie in the Fundação Universidade Regional do Rio Grande do Norte (FURRN), created by Municipal Law No. 20/68 of 28 September 1968, sanctioned by Mossoró mayor Raimundo Soares de Souza. The law's stated purpose was to progressively establish and maintain the Universidade Regional do Rio Grande do Norte (URRN). State Decree No. 5,025 of 14 November 1968 enabled it to function as a higher-education institution. Expansion beyond Mossoró began with the creation of the Campus Avançado de Assú; its operations started on 25 March 1974, its creation was formalized by Executive Act No. 007/74-GP/FURRN of 2 September 1974, and it was inaugurated on 16 October 1974 with courses in History, Pedagogy, Economics and Letters. Further campuses were established in Pau dos Ferros, Patu, Natal and Caicó, giving the institution a multi-campus presence across Rio Grande do Norte. The institution is now known as the Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (UERN) and is maintained by the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Its portal presents institutional history, academic life, research and innovation, and culture and society sections, and is available in Portuguese, English and Spanish. In the 2020s UERN continued to pursue research funding and community engagement, including a first-place finish in a CNPq call for innovative women's health research and affirmative-action programming such as the Setembro Amarelo conversation circle.

• 2026

  UERN project on digital cervical-cancer screening takes first place in CNPq/Decit/SCTIE/MS Call No. 32/2025, financed with R$ 1,185,840.

• 2026

  UERN's Diaad announces the online conversation circle 'Setembro Amarelo: Valuing the Life of the LGBTQIAPN+ Community'.

• 1974

  Campus Avançado de Assú begins operations.

• 1974

  Creation of the Campus Avançado de Assú formalized by Executive Act No. 007/74-GP/FURRN.

• 1974

  Campus Avançado de Assú inaugurated with courses in History, Pedagogy, Economics and Letters.

• 1968

  Creation of the Fundação Universidade Regional do Rio Grande do Norte (FURRN) by Municipal Law No. 20/68, sanctioned by Mossoró mayor Raimundo Soares de Souza.

• 1968

  State Decree No. 5,025 allows FURRN to operate as a higher-education institution.

A state-funded public university serving the interior and multiple regions of Rio Grande do Norte, combining teaching, research and community outreach.

• Undergraduate programs across campuses

  Degree courses offered at Mossoró, Assú, Pau dos Ferros, Patu, Natal and Caicó.

• Research and innovation projects

  Includes funded projects such as the digital cervical-cancer screening platform for the SUS.

• Extension and community outreach

  Activities such as the Setembro Amarelo conversation circle on valuing the lives of the LGBTQIAPN+ community.

1. 1UERN – Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (official website)portal.uern.br
2. 2Roda de conversa debate sobre valorização da vida da comunidade LGBTQIAPN+ – UERNportal.uern.br
3. 3Pesquisa sobre rastreamento do câncer do colo do útero conquista primeiro lugar em edital do CNPq – UERNportal.uern.br
4. 4Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte – Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org