The Impact of Educational Policy on Racial Demographics of Tertiary Education in Brazil

Brazil faces low levels of educational achievement at the tertiary level. Historically, higher education institutions in Brazil are predominately attended by wealthier individuals. Two educational initiatives, Prouni, a scholarship program for private tertiary institutions, and Lei de Cotas 2012, an affirmative action law for public institutions, have been implemented to assist students coming from low income backgrounds. The majority of individuals in low income brackets in Brazil tend to be people of color, so inadvertently these policies may have an effect on racial minorities. This study explores the effect of the aforementioned policies on racial minority groups in higher education by reviewing previous studies and analyzing racial demographic data of higher education institutions, and concludes that the Lei de Cotas is most effective for students from racial minority backgrounds