The total number of students enrolled in higher education programs in Brazil—including both on-campus and distance learning students—increased by 5.6% in 2023 compared to 2022. According to the Ministry of Education, based on the Higher Education Census, there are 9.9 million enrolled students, the highest number recorded in nine years.

The census also shows that there are currently 4.9 million enrollments in distance learning courses, representing 49% of the total. According to INEP (Anísio Teixeira National Institute for Educational Studies and Research), projections indicate that this year the number of students in so-called distance learning courses (EADs) is expected to exceed the number enrolled in in-person courses.

Today, the difference between the two categories is just 150,220 enrollments.

Distance learning

The number of distance learning courses in the country grew by 232% between 2018 and 2023. The surge in this form of education occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Private institutions account for the vast majority of students enrolled in distance learning courses: 79.3% of the total. Growth in this modality from 2022 to 2023 in the private sector stood at 7.3%. Public institutions, on the other hand, saw a 0.4% decrease in the number of enrolled students in distance learning programs, representing 20.7% of the total, during the same period.

“The total number of students enrolled in higher education has grown, which is good news for the country. This trend confirms the data from the surveys we’ve released. We’ve noticed that the number of students enrolled in distance learning courses has practically matched the number of students in on-campus courses, which has been gradually declining as a learning format,” said Celso Niskier, CEO of ABMES (Brazilian Association of Higher Education Institutions).

“Our challenge is to invest in the quality of distance learning, which is what enables the democratization of access to higher education throughout Brazil,” added the association’s leader.

Quotas

In addition, the MEC’s 2023 Census revealed that 51% of students admitted through affirmative action programs completed their degrees, a higher percentage than that of students not admitted through such programs, which stood at 41%. The survey showed that the University for All Program (Prouni) and the Student Financing Fund (Fies) contributed to the rates of students who were able to complete their programs.

Another statistic, measured for the first time in the Census, showed that among those who completed high school in 2022, 27% went on to higher education the following year. Of these, the highest percentages of students who went on to higher education were found among high school students at federal schools, at 58%. Among private-school students, 59% of the total went on to higher education.

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Source: Agência Brasil.