Expansion of higher education and the regional distribution of Brazilian universities

Abstract

This study discusses the process of reorganization of Brazil’s university education, given the policy of expansion and interiorization, and seeks to understand the territorial configuration of enrollment in undergraduate courses over the years. Using the emerging hotspot method, we investigated the spatio-temporal agglomeration patterns of higher education between 2003 and 2019. The results show that the interiorization expanded the spatial distribution of access to higher education, especially in the Northeast region, and significantly increased the number of enrollments for the municipalities in the countryside, mainly in the private education network. Despite the expansion the trend of concentration remains significant among the regions of the country, especially in large centers and in certain areas of courses such as education and social sciences, business and law. Therefore, it is understood that the expansion had positive results, and now requires a reassessment to better evaluate the local levels of demand and the profile of the courses offered.

Keywords:
Brazilian higher education; Expansion; Internalization; Emerging Hotspot