ANALYSIS OF THE QUOTA POLICY IN FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract Since its inception, the policy of reserved seats in higher education has sparked criticism. One of these criticisms, known as the incompatibility hypothesis, argues that quota students, potentially less academically prepared, face additional challenges in keeping up with their coursework, which would result in higher dropout rates and lower graduation rates. To examine this hypothesis in a comprehensive context, an analysis was conducted across the entire federal higher education network in Brazil. The probabilities of dropout and graduation for quota and non-quota students were compared using a multinomial logistic model. Additionally, the time taken to complete the degree was estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model. No support was found for the incompatibility hypothesis.