Inclusion Policies in the Brazilian System of Higher Education - The Public and the Private Sectors - Analysis of affirmative action and inclusion

Sep 7, 2026

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In Brazil, income, education, racial, and regional inequalities have historically limited equal opportunities and contributed to exclusion in higher education and the broader job market. Against this background, inclusion policies—often labeled affirmative action—aim to support groups historically unprivileged. The paper examines how these transitory governmental and institutional actions operate in both public and private higher education, encouraging student diversity and expanding access for poor people, Black students, natives, and people with disability, while shaping public debate on combating poverty and racism.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Inclusion Policies in the Brazilian System of Higher Education

Public and Private Sectors

Background: Inequality and discrimination in higher education

Legal and admission structure (free public basic education, vestibular/ENEM)

Public sector affirmative action and quotas

Private sector characteristics and outcomes

Journal of US-China Public Administration, ISSN 1548-6591 November 2012, Vol. 9, No. 11, 1302-1310 D DAVID PUBLISHING Inclusion Policies in the Brazilian System of Higher Education: The Public and the Private Sectors ∗ Arabela Campos Oliven Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Brazil’s experience with affirmative action policies in higher education started in the year of 2003. This paper analyzes inclusion policies in both the public and the private sectors of higher education which differ a lot in the country. It shows how these policies have encouraged increased diversity among students, welcoming groups that have been virtually absent from higher education: poor, blacks, natives, and people with disability thus benefiting those that have been historically unprivileged in Brazilian society. Being a country of immense inequalities, Brazil through these policies will benefit from a set of professionals, whose life experiences are closer to that of the population. An important consequence of the implementation of affirmative action policies at universities has been the public debate on how to combat poverty and racism in a society that used to see itself as a racial democracy. Keywords: Brazilian higher education, affirmative action, inclusion policies, diversity Today as the sixth world economy, Brazil is a country of significant income, educational, racial, and regional inequalities. These have historically translated into fewer opportunities in the job market and denial of full enjoyment of constitutional citizens’ rights for some, thus reinforcing a vicious cycle of exclusion. A new international atmosphere conducible to the protection of human rights and to the struggle for material and not just formal equality between citizens has led to critiques to its higher education system that discriminates against certain segments of the population—blacks, native people, the poor, and the disabled people—while favoring an economically privileged white elite. This paper analyzes inclusion policies in both the public and the private sectors of higher education system in Brazil, looking at how they have encouraged increased diversity among university students. These policies, also referred to as affirmative action, are transitory. They comprise a series of governmental or institutional actions and orientations aimed at benefiting groups that have been historically unprivileged. From this perspective, the underrepresentation of certain groups in power and prestige positions in society can be seen asan effect of discrimination (Oliven, 2007) . In Brazil, according to the Federal Constitution, public education is free of charge at all levels. Elementary school (eight year of schooling) is compulsory. Once a student has finished elementary school, he/she can start middle school without any process of selection. But not all young Brazilians complete either elementary or ∗ The author thanks Demétrius Ricco Ávila, Social Sciences student at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), for his collaboration in collecting ProUni data. Corresponding author: Arabela Campos Oliven, Ph.D., professor, Graduate Program on Education, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS); member of the Research Project “Observatory of Education” sponsored by CAPES (Brazilian Agency for the Improvement of Higher Education); visiting scholar at the University of California (Berkeley) and Brown University; research fields: university, race, affirmative action, inclusion policies, Brazil, United States. E-mail: [aoliven@uol.com.br](aoliven@uol.com.br). INCLUSION POLICIES IN THE BRAZILIAN SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION 1303 middle school. Higher education is selective mainly in the public sector and the process of selection is based on what is called Vestibular, a multiple choice question exam and a written essay based on a theme presented during the examination. The students must choose a prof

FAQs

What is the central focus of the paper on Brazilian higher education?

The paper analyzes inclusion policies in both the public and private sectors, showing how these policies promote greater diversity among university students.

Which groups does the paper say are supported by affirmative action and inclusion policies?

The paper describes support for groups that have been historically unprivileged in higher education, including poor people, Black students, natives, and people with disability.

What role do admission systems like Vestibular and ENEM play in university selection?

Higher education selection is described as mainly occurring in the public sector using Vestibular exams; ENEM performance has also been introduced and used either alongside or instead of Vestibular in many universities.

Sep 7, 2026

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