Private Higher Education in Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-57652026v31id300635

Keywords:

higher education; private sector; Brazil.

Abstract

This study analyzes the rise of private higher education in Brazil. It notes that the country has one of the highest shares of students in the private sector (79.3% in 2023). It examines typologies of private institutions—identity-based, elite and demand‑absorbing—and contrasts the official classification with data‑driven typologies. The work reviews the 1968 university reform and subsequent expansions, legislative changes that allowed for-profit institutions, and government programmes such as PROUNI and FIES that supported private enrolment. It discusses the impact of the 2015 economic crisis, compares public versus private sectors across admissions, institutional size, fields of study, degree types and teaching modalities, and evaluates quality, equity and efficiency indicators. It also addresses recent policies to regulate the impact of private higher education on teacher training, medical education and distance education. The study concludes that Brazil is nearing the end of an expansion cycle and that new regulations may curtail private growth, raising concerns about affordability and access.

Author Biography

  • Simon Schwartzman, Instituto de Estudos de Politica Economica

    Simon Schwartzman is a sociologist and political scientist, graduated from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, with a master’s degree from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences in Santiago, Chile (FLACSO), and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

    He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, and was a member of the National Council for the Evaluation of Higher Education (CONAES) between 2017 and 2019. He served as president of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) (1994–1998), and worked as a professor and researcher at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, the University Institute of Research of Rio de Janeiro, the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, and the University of São Paulo.

    He is a research associate at the Institute for Economic Policy Research (Casa das Garças) and a retired professor of the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters at the Federal University of Minas Gerais.

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Published

2026-06-10

Issue

Vol. 31 (2026)

Section

Artigo

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Simon Schwartzman

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How to Cite

Private Higher Education in Brazil. Avaliação: Revista da Avaliação da Educação Superior, Campinas; Sorocaba, SP, v. 31, p. e026004, 2026. DOI: 10.1590/1982-57652026v31id300635. Disponível em: https://submission.scielo.br/index.php/aval/article/view/300635. Acesso em: 9 nov. 2026.