Brazil has reached a historic milestone in education: more than 10 million students enrolled in higher education in 2024, according to data from the Higher Education Census, released by the Anísio Teixeira National Institute for Educational Studies and Research (Inep).

The survey shows that the growth was driven primarily by the expansion of distance learning (EaD), which, for the first time, surpassed the number of enrollments in in-person courses. “We now have 10 million students, and that is a milestone worth celebrating. A significant portion of this population gained access to higher education through new technologies,” noted Inep President Manuel Palacios.

According to the Census, 50.7% of undergraduate enrollments in the country are in distance learning programs, representing a 5.6% increase between 2023 and 2024. Over the past decade, the growth of distance learning has been even more significant: a 286.7% increase between 2014 and 2024. This format has been essential for expanding access for students from different regions, especially those living in smaller cities or areas with limited in-person course offerings.

The survey also reveals Brazilians’ preferences when choosing degree programs. Education continues to top the national rankings, with 887,695 enrollments in 2024, 733,253 of which were in distance learning programs. This figure underscores the strategic role of the program in training teachers and expanding educational opportunities for future educators across the country.

Regulation and Quality of Distance Learning

The rapid growth of distance learning has brought, along with its advances, a key concern for the sector: how to ensure the quality of the programs offered? In light of this situation, the Ministry of Education (MEC) announced, in May of this year, the New Distance Learning Policy, which includes stricter rules for educational institutions.

Among the key measures is a ban on offering courses that are entirely online. Under the new guidelines, no undergraduate program may be 100% distance learning, requiring that at least 20% of the course load be completed in person—whether through activities held at the institutions’ main campuses or at off-campus locations, with professors and students physically present, or through technology-mediated synchronous classes, such as live streams.

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In addition, undergraduate programs in medicine, law, dentistry, nursing, and psychology are expected to remain exclusively in-person, due to the practical and technical nature of these fields of study. The goal is to balance the expansion of access with a commitment to ensuring minimum standards of quality and infrastructure for education.

Evaluation and New Policies for Higher Education

During the release of the Census, Manuel Palacios emphasized that 2025 will be a decisive year for the regulation and evaluation of Brazilian higher education. For the first time, Inep will administer two national exams designed to assess the quality of professional training: the National Exam for the Evaluation of Medical Training (Enamed) and the National Teacher Certification Exam (PND), which focuses on teacher training.

“These initiatives, together with the Higher Education Census, form a fundamental framework for the regulation and evaluation of higher education in Brazil,” said Palacios. The president of Inep also noted that, starting in 2026, the evaluation system will be improved, with annual analyses of the conditions under which all courses are offered and inspections of on-campus facilities, initially through sampling.

Source: Ministry of Education and G1.

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