Prevalence and associated factors of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in a sample of Brazilian university students

•Brazil is among the countries with the highest estimates of child abuse.•The prevalence of ACE in Brazilian university students is little studied.•Our results, based on a sample of Brazilian university students, showed that the occurrence of at least one ACE was high.•An accumulation of ACEs was associated with low family income and self-related poor health.•Universities should foster strategies to mitigate the negative effects of ACEs previously experienced by students.