The Federal University of Santa Maria (in Portuguese, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria; UFSM) is a Brazilian public university located in Santa Maria, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, funded by the federal government of Brazil. It was founded on December 14, 1960, by Professor José Mariano da Rocha Filho. Its presence in the municipality of Santa Maria is one of the main reasons why the city is sometimes called "university city" or "culture city". Santa Maria is located in western Rio Grande do Sul, approximately 290 km far from the capital city of the state, Porto Alegre. Set in the heart of the pampas of Brazil, the city thrives with gaúcho culture. UFSM is a public, free university, and students do not have to pay any tuition fees. It is the oldest federal university not located in a Brazilian state capital city, and the largest in number of undergraduate courses offered in Rio Grande do Sul state. Like most other Brazilian higher education institutions, the admission for undergraduate courses in UFSM is mainly based on an annual open concourse called vestibular. The only request to be filled in order to apply for it is to have a complete high school course.