PERFIL DOS INGRESSANTES NOS CURSOS DE ENGENHARIA DO CENTRO DE TECNOLOGIA DA UFRN ENTRE 2013 E 2025: SUBSÍDIOS PARA AÇÕES DE PERMANÊNCIA COM QUALIDADE DE ESTUDANTES

Abstract

: This study aims to analyze the profile of undergraduate students and the factors associated with student attrition in the Engineering programs of the Technology Center at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (CT/UFRN), based on institutional data covering the period from 2013 to 2025. This paper is part of a broader research project aimed at developing an action plan to reduce attrition rates in CT/UFRN Engineering programs. The theoretical framework is grounded in the multidimensional nature of student attrition and in the need for institutional initiatives focused on student support, integration, and engagement to promote successful academic persistence. The study adopts a documentary, descriptive, and quantitative research design, using data obtained from the UFRN Open Data Portal and processed by the Applied Statistics Laboratory (LEA). The findings indicate that the Engineering student population at CT/UFRN is predominantly male (67%) and self-identified as White or Brown (89%), highlighting the persistence of gender imbalance in the field and the low representation of Black students (7%). Higher withdrawal rates were observed among programs with exclusively direct admission through the Unified Selection System (SiSU). In contrast, programs that admit students through a second-cycle pathway after completion of the Bachelor of Science and Technology program exhibited lower attrition rates. This finding suggests either that attrition tends to occur during the first-cycle program or that the previous academic experience contributes to greater academic maturity and a more consolidated professional choice. As a conclusion, student attrition is influenced by institutional and social conditions, requiring integrated academic, psychosocial, and financial support policies and actions, such as those developed by the Interdisciplinary Student Support Center (NISE), aiming at the mitigation of inequalities in student persistence.