Centralized Admissions, Affirmative Action, and Access of Low-Income Students to Higher Education

I analyze how two reforms, introduced to expand college access in Brazil, impacted enrollments of low-SES students. The first policy centralized applications a nationwide platform (SISU), and the second expanded affirmative action quotas (AA) uniform share 50 percent vacancies offered by degree. Results show that SISU changes enrollment decisions high-SES students, crowding out groups from least competitive degrees disproportionately. In contrast, AA increases individuals not only mechanically but also through behavioral responses. Finally, their interaction creates complementary effect, protecting crowding-out centralization. (JEL I23, I24, I28, O15)