The affirmative action policy “Argument of Inclusion” as a form of access to the public university: the case of Rio Grande do Norte Federal University

Abstract

Before the approval of the Law n. 12.711/2012, which constitutionally institutes affirmative action in the access to federal universities in Brazil, different models of inclusion were discussed and applied in public institutions of Higher Education. This study analyzes and discusses the Argument of Inclusion (AI) — the affirmative action policy that provides additional scoring for applicants from public schools — that took place in the Rio Grande do Norte Federal University (UFRN) between the years of 2006-12. From an extensive database, the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) technique was used as well as a Quantile Regression, considering as the variables of personal, socioeconomic and educational characteristics of the candidates from the Brazilian Vestibular exam 2010 of UFRN. The results show the relevance of the system of additional scoring as an incentive for inclusive access to universities, and points out new evidences around the variables that affect positively and negatively such access.