[citation needed] The name "Universidade Estadual Paulista" was suggested by the first rector of Unesp, Professor Luiz Ferreira Martins.

The homage to Júlio de Mesquita Filho [pt] (a journalist) was suggested by Prof. Dr. Moacyr Expedito Marret Vaz Guimarães, then President of the State Council of Education (EEC).

[additional citation(s) needed] The rector presides over the University Council, composed of directors of every institute in the system and academic representatives.

[additional citation(s) needed] Each institute (there are campuses with more than one) has one director and a council who rules with a degree of autonomy.

The university provides 171 options for undergraduate courses in 62 higher education professions, with a total of over 45,000 students, of which 5,600 new professionals are trained annually by Unesp.

The academic year at Unesp follows a two-semester schedule, with slight differences depending on the courses and programs chosen.

[13] In the recent decade Brazil has generally become more widely recognized as a good academic environment (developing alongside the rest of the countries economy).

[14] But with the economic crisis some universities in Brazil have struggled in the last years; the number of publications authored and co-authored from UNESP however, has continually risen since 2012.

Prepared by VUNESP, an institution specialized in exams organization, Unesp vestibular are held on three days, separated in two phases.

A student can only apply for a single course in the São Paulo State University system, preventing a simultaneous application for e.g. History and Geography.

The main exchange countries for Unesp are currently Argentina, Canada, China, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Russia, the United States and Scotland.

The program comprised four different areas initially: Agricultural Sciences, Alternative Energy, Dentistry and Literature and Linguistics.