EXPANSION, ACCESS, AND RETENTION IN FEDERAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF ALAGOAS: ANALYSIS OF STUDENT TRAJECTORIES IN THE POST-REUNI CONTEXT (2020–2024)

Abstract

The expansion of Brazilian federal public higher education, intensified since the 2000s, has redefined university access, particularly in regions historically marked by socioeconomic inequalities, such as the state of Alagoas. In this context, the Program for the Support of Restructuring and Expansion Plans of Federal Universities (REUNI) represented a landmark in access democratization policies by promoting the expansion of vacancies, institutional interiorization, and academic reorganization. This article analyzes the dynamics of access, retention, and dropout in federal public higher education in Alagoas during the post-REUNI period (2020–2024), based on data from the Higher Education Census conducted by the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (INEP). The study adopts a quantitative, descriptive approach, with a comparative analysis of student trajectory indicators from the Federal University of Alagoas (UFALl) and the Federal Institute of Alagoas (IFAL). The findings indicate that, although access expansion is consolidated, high accumulated dropout rates and structurally low graduation rates persist, revealing weaknesses in student retention policies. The study concludes that the effective democratization of public higher education in Alagoas requires the strengthening of integrated retention policies capable of addressing socioeconomic inequalities and ensuring complete academic trajectories.