THE REGULATION OF BLENDED TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMMES AND ITS IMPACT ON THE BRAZILIAN HIGHER EDUCATION MARKET

Abstract

This article analysed the impact of the new regulation of blended teacher education programmes on the Brazilian higher education market. The study is characterised as documentary research with a quantitative-descriptive approach, based on official and sectoral sources: federal legislation enacted between 2024 and 2026, aggregated data from the 2024 Higher Education Census, results of the 2025 National Student Performance Examination for teacher education programmes and of the National Teaching Examination, as well as reports from private sector representative bodies. The results indicate that 68.5% of teacher education enrolments were in the distance modality in 2024, equivalent to approximately 1.18 million students in a delivery format subsequently prohibited; that 53.1% of graduates from this modality achieved insufficient performance in the national assessment, compared with 73.9% proficiency among graduates of on-campus programmes; and that, in the first admission cycle conducted under the new rule, demand for distance programmes fell between 14% and 73% in the six largest publicly listed education groups, with simultaneous growth of the blended format. It is concluded that the rule repositions physical infrastructure as a competitive asset and shifts relative advantage towards institutions with consolidated territorial presence, although it imposes access risks in municipalities where distance provision was the only available option.