Brazil medical course expansion driven by judicial rulings

A report from the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC) reveals that judicial decisions have been a primary driver in the expansion of medical courses in Brazil since 2015. Between 2010 and 2024, the total number of medical courses in the country grew by 158%, rising from 181 to 467. While federal universities saw a 74.5% increase, for-profit private institutions experienced a 550% surge, growing from 30 to 195 courses.

Data from the 2025 National Exam for the Evaluation of Medical Training (Enamed) indicates that courses established through judicial mandates often underperform. Currently, 125 medical programs—representing 9,320 student spots—operate solely due to court orders. Only 30.8% of these judicially authorized private courses achieved a satisfactory result in the Enamed evaluation, compared to 41.6% for other for-profit private institutions. In contrast, federal and state universities maintained high performance rates of 95% and 97%, respectively.

The rapid expansion has impacted the educational market, leading to lower tuition fees as institutions compete for students. Additionally, the MEC noted that the growth has pressured public resources, leading to the cancellation of a Mais Médicos program edition due to a lack of available public hospital beds for practical training.