The aim of this article is to show a synthesis of the Brazilian higher education reality in the present time, based on its legal, historical and contextual aspects, in order to instrumentalize researches that focus on this educational level. The bibliographical research was carried out based on a referring to the legislation related to the subject, as well as the authors who debate the theme in order to condense data that allowed to delineate the contemporary configuration . It was verified the formulation of a notably privatized structure, historically consolidated, and strengthened by the new demands and governmental strategies to give opportunity to this stage of teaching, converged with a neoliberal economic model.
Key words:
Higher education; Educacion model; Neoliberal expansion