The Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) traces its origins back to February 18, 1808, when Portuguese Royal established the School of Surgery of Bahia, Brazil's first university course. In the 19th century, the institution expanded its offerings to include courses in Pharmacy (1832), Dentistry (1864), the Academy of Fine Arts (1877), Law (1891), and Polytechnic studies (1896). In the 20th century, the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences, and Letters was founded (1941).

In 1950, it became the UFBA, integrating isolated schools and implementing other courses. The Federal University of Bahia comprises a total of 31 academic units, which are divided into schools, faculties, and university institutes. Currently, UFBA offers 102 programs, including 94 undergraduate courses at the Salvador campus. At the graduate level, UFBA offers a total of 140 programs, including 65 Master's degrees, 16 Professional Master's degrees, and 59 Doctoral programs, covering a wide range of knowledge fields.

In 2023, the RUF (Ranking Universitário Folha) ranked UFBA 16th in Brazil and first in the state of Bahia. In the QS World University Rankings 2025, UFBA was ranked 60th in Latin America, 17th in Brazil, and 2nd in the Northeast region.

In 2024, UFBA achieved a score of 4.0593 in the IGC (general rating), earning it a rating of 5. This evaluation, conducted by the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (Inep), an agency affiliated with the Ministry of Education (MEC), considers the performance of undergraduate and graduate programs. 

According to Capes evaluation data, UFBA has a total of 67 graduate programs) rated 4 and 5, classified as regular and good, respectively. At the level of international excellence, UFBA has six programs rated 6 and one program rated 7.