ABSTRACT
Aims: The aim of the present study was to analyze the socioeconomic profile and academic performance of students of three courses on Campus VIII of the State University of Paraíba. Study Design: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study with an inductive approach was carried out involving students in the courses of dentistry, civil engineering and natural science on Campus VIII of the State University of Paraíba (northeastern Brazil) in 2013. Methodology: A total of 321 students were enrolled, and the sample was made up of 238 participants who answered a semi-structured questionnaire addressing socioeconomic characteristics and academic performance. Results: Most students were female and beneficiaries of the quota system, had a family income of more than two times the Brazilian minimum monthly wage and had a academic performance coefficient (APC) greater than 7.0. The best academic performance was found among the students of the dentistry course, in which non-beneficiaries achieved a statistically higher mean APC in comparison to beneficiaries of the quota system (P=.004). Although higher mean coefficients were also found among the non-beneficiaries in the other courses analyzed, the differences did not achieve statistical significance. The students of the civil engineering course had the worst academic performance among the three courses analyzed. A greater frequency of failures was found among the beneficiaries of the quota system in comparison to non-beneficiaries for the campus as a whole (P=.010) as well as for the dentistry course (P=.004). Conclusion: The present findings suggest flaws in the quota system as a strategy for promoting social inclusion and underscore the importance of strengthening elementary and high school education in Brazil.