ASSISTÊNCIA ESTUDANTIL E SUA RELAÇÃO COM A TAXA DE SUCESSO DOS ALUNOS COTISTAS DOS CURSOS DE GRADUAÇÃO DA UFMS

Abstract

This thesis investigates the correlation between Student Assistance and academic success in undergraduate studies, focusing on quota students at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS). The research stems from the problem of unequal access and limited retention of historically excluded groups in higher education, understanding these phenomena as expressions of the social question that permeates the material and symbolic conditions of existence of these individuals. The general objective of the study is to analyze to what extent Student Assistance policies influence the graduation success rates of quota students, seeking to understand their impacts on retention in higher education and the reduction of inequalities. Grounded in Historical-Dialectical Materialism, the investigation conceives human and social development as a contradictory historical process, permeated by struggles and qualitative transformations. Methodologically, it is a descriptive and exploratory research of a quantitative-qualitative nature, developed from a bibliographic and documentary review on the trajectory of educational policies for access and retention in higher education in Brazil. This stage was complemented by the analysis of such policies in the institutional reports of UFMS (Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul), referring to the period from 2013 to 2024, and by the application of a semi-structured questionnaire to quota students benefiting from student assistance at UFMS, in order to evaluate the perception of the importance of the aid received. The results indicate that Student Assistance plays a decisive role in the retention and academic success of quota students, although challenges persist regarding the scope and effectiveness of the actions. It is concluded that such policies constitute fundamental instruments for promoting the democratization of higher education, contributing to the improvement of access and retention policies and to the advancement of a more equitable public university.