Almost half (49%) of the students who enrolled in higher education in 2010 has dropped out of the chosen course. Data are part of a survey conducted by the Ministry of Education that monitored the path of students from public and private universities for four years. They have monitored students who remained at the course they had enrolled on between 2010 and 2014.
In the evaluation of the Higher Education Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Paulo Barone, the high dropout rate for higher education may have been caused by the outdated models used by courses offered
In the evaluation of the Higher Education Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Paulo Barone, the high dropout rate for higher education may have been caused by the outdated models used by courses offered and also by the lack of flexibility for students to change their courses within institutions.
"It is clear that the courses offered in higher education have not matched the students' interests," said Barone.
"The system of choices for Brazilian students is very strict. After the student passes the entrance exam with a crazy marathon to enroll on a course, they have an enormous difficulty in migrating to another [course]. Flexible alternatives could overcome great part of this difficulty. "
The dropout rate is slightly higher in private universities, where the rate reached 52.7%.
Translated by Amarílis Anchieta