An exploratory analysis of admission and inclusion in Brazilian Higher Education: from inherited to relative merit

Abstract This article aims to conduct an exploratory analysis of the meanings of merit in inclusion policies in Brazilian higher education. Higher education admission processes are a fertile field for thinking about the issue of merit in our society due to the decisive role education plays in organizing social inequality. The analysis focuses on the National College Entry Exam (ENEM), the most comprehensive selection process in the country, the Unified Selection System (SISU), a mechanism used by most public institutions, the 2012 Quota Law and the Program for Inclusion based on Merit in Public Higher Education in São Paulo (PIMESP) of the São Paulo State Universities. Assuming merit as a value, the text begins by discussing this concept based on classical and contemporary work. It then addresses the process of educational expansion seen in the 20th century and how this movement led to changes in the organizing principles of admission policies and access to education, shifting from universal merit to relative merit. The third part of the text considers the work of Brazilian authors in discussing several institutional actions that combined ENEM, the Quotas Law of 2012, and SISU as examples of interconnection between universal and relative merit in higher education admissions, despite the problems identified concerning retention policies. By abolishing criteria connected to relational merit, PIMESP became the target of criticism. Considering the positive effects generated from the combination of the quota law, ENEM and SISU, the article stresses the need for revising the Law, slated for 2022, to preserve this critical inclusion mechanism. In conclusion, we suggest that expanding enrollment in higher education also implies challenges regarding retention and graduation policies. Therefore, such policies should consider the relative dimension of merit.