Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, locally known as PUC or the Catholic University (Universidade Católica), is a private and non-profit Catholic university. It is one of the largest and most prestigious Brazilian universities. It is maintained by the Catholic Archdiocese of São Paulo.
Most of the scientific production in PUC-SP can be found in the areas of Law, Philosophy, Social Sciences, Economics, Education, Social Service and Communication, and, in these areas, it is considered one of the most important universities in Latin America, and internationally recognized by the issues and research in disorders of human communication, political economics, semiotics and psychology.
The main campus of PUC-SP and its administrative headquarters are located in Perdizes in the west side of São Paulo City. The School of Exact Sciences and Technology is located near the city centre (Consolação Campus) while Business and Economy courses are also offered in the north side of São Paulo