ABSTRACT
This article brings analyzes and reflections based on initial results of research carried out by the author at the University of Texas at Austin, USA (UT-Austin) during the first semester of 2020, when she was at the institution as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar. It aims to know and analyze the main policies for student access and retention currently developed by that institution, with special interest on admission policies, particularly the so-called “Top 10%” plan, which allocates a percentage of seats to the best performing students from all high schools in Texas. We also highlight the data and analysis on the so-called “academic engagement and success” programs developed by the university. The analysis of these experiences also aimed to subsidize reflections on current access and retention policies in Brazilian higher education, mainly in federal universities.
Keywords:
Student retention; Access to higher education; University of Texas-Austin; Academic engagement; Academic success