PERCEPTIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY REGARDING ADMISSION TO HIGHER EDUCATION THROUGH MEDALS IN SCIENTIFIC OLYMPIADS

Abstract This study focuses on the Scientific Olympiad admission program at the University of Campinas (Unicamp), Brazil, which offers access to higher education through awards obtained in academic competitions. The article explores the perceptions of incoming students, professors, and program coordinators regarding this admission pathway. To this end, an exploratory qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews, analyzed through the Collective Subject Discourse (CSD) method. The findings indicate a favorable evaluation of both the program and its participants, suggesting promising prospects in this direction. The originality of this study lies in the contemporaneity of the investigated facts, which is what makes the results relevant for planning institutional actions.