Brazilian higher education system at the crossroads: the undergraduate student mental health crisis.

Abstract

In a diverse and developing country, higher education is often viewed as a critical pathway to social mobility and national development. Although universities worldwide are facing a student mental health crisis, Brazil and other countries from the Global South present unique structural and cultural features that add layers of complexity to this growing concern. In this Personal View, we examine the landscape of undergraduate student mental health in Brazil by tracing its roots in the country's higher education history and its contemporary consequences. We focus on the opposing dynamics of sector expansion and democratization of access since the 2000s, followed by intensified underfunding from the mid-2010s. We discuss how academic migration, growing ethnic/racial and socioeconomic diversity, financial and human resource constraints, and generational shifts have created demands that exceed institutional capacities. We identify key research gaps and conclude with a call to strengthen research, address structural determinants, and promote student mental health.