Access and Permanence in Higher Education:

a Comparative Analysis Argentina-Brazil

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the differences in the public policies of access and permanence in the university systems of Argentina and Brazil. We start from the premise that the conformation of both university models resulted in different logics of expansion, as well as in specific mechanisms aimed at greater access and permanence in the university system. Considering the complexity of the higher education systems of both countries, composed of a diversity of institutions, the focus of this article will be only on the university. This is justified by the characteristic of teaching, research and extension that differentiates these institutions from other higher education institutions. The methodology adopted in this study is descriptive, in which it seeks to draw a comparative picture between the two countries with respect to the ways in which they organize their access and permanence policies, given their historical characteristics. As an empirical basis, we start with secondary data from official sources, mainly from various international organizations. In closing, the article proposes a synchronic and situated analysis of these policies that allows us to see the policies that reach inequalities in higher education and the differentiated compensatory policies in each country.