How to increase the rate of black students at university?

Abstract

There are different proposals to increase the number of black students at university. Aiming to assess the Impact of adopting some of these proposals for the rate of these students in college education, the ethnical and racial distribution in the Federal University of Santa Catarina was studied, based on university admission exams (vestibular) data banks and on the enrollments for the institution in 2004. The research found out that there is a very small number of black students who apply for or are approved in the university admission exam and enrolled in the referred university. Duplicatlon of the number of places and reservation of 50% of the places for applicants from public schools do not change this ethnical and racial profile, thus indicating that skin-color sensitive policies must be adopted in order to increase the rate of black students attending public universities and to contribute to the reduction of racial inequalities in Brazil. The study simulated different rates for reservations of places: 15% and 20% and 5% of black students, the latter being for those coming from public schools only. In general, the minimum grade for admission to programs of different levels of social prestige was lowered 10% or less. No sharp loss in the quality of teaching was noticed.