Academic Persistence and Retention

a trajectory analysis of incoming students at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul after the implementation of the Affirmative Action Law

Abstract

This article examines the academic persistence of undergraduate students at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul during the first ten years of Brazil’s Affirmative Action Law. Grounded in Pierre Bourdieu’s dispositional sociology and the concept of educational trajectories, the study analyzes the academic paths of students who remain enrolled, comparing them by mode of admission. An exploratory quantitative methodology is employed, including descriptive analyses based on simple cross-tabulations and basic measures of association, in order to identify patterns related to seat allocation and academic outcomes, with particular attention to credit completion. The findings suggest that, when grouped under the general category of “quota students” the academic trajectories of those admitted through affirmative action policies do not significantly differ from those of traditionally admitted students. However, further stratification of the data reveals three distinct clusters of trajectories, underscoring the depth and complexity of underlying inequalities and pointing to the need for a more nuanced understanding of student heterogeneity within affirmative action cohorts.