Academic and diversity consequences of affirmative action in Brazil

Abstract

Since 2001, Brazilian universities have been implementing affirmative-action policies to correct the racial, social and ethnic disparities in university admissions. An examination of the social-inclusion policies at three public universities in Brazil – the University of Brasilia, the Federal University of Bahia and the State University of Campinas – was undertaken to analyse: (1) the impact of affirmative-action policies on campus diversity, (2) the academic performance of quota and non-quota students and (3) the predictive validity of the college entrance exam as a selection criterion. Using institutional enrolment, course grades in several academic programmes and retention indicators, the study finds that quota students do reasonably well and thus do not diminish the quality of their institutions. Academic performance varies by programme of study but, in general, variation is surprisingly slight. This latter finding suggests that the predictive validity of the college entrance exam is weak.