Affirmative Action in the Quality of Higher Education: the voices of graduates of the University for All program

ABSTRACT This article is an overview of a doctoral dissertation which presents statements from graduates of the University for All Program (PROUNI) from a non-profit Brazilian university, who were admitted to university through this program. The methodology used was qualitative with a focus on textual analysis. The objective is to identify the outcomes brought about by the PROUNI graduates and to determine the importance of student engagement to improved learning and overcoming difficulties. The results are established in the dimensions of the quality of higher education: admission, process and result. In the admission dimension, the possibility of access to university education is highlighted through the affirmative action program PROUNI. In the process dimension, there is student engagement, the difficulties faced along the way and the retention of this student profile in the teaching institution. In the result dimension, the impacts on society are pointed out – namely, inclusion and the impacts on higher education institutions. The impacts on institutions are related to their social responsibility regarding social inclusion and to student performance, among other aspects. The impacts on society are in the context of employability, satisfaction and the motivational effect that the graduates have on the people around them. The quality of teaching in higher education needs to go beyond that of ensuring the quality o