Abstract
The theme of academic achievement has attracted the interest of researchers, especially in Brazil, where studies are scarce on this topic. According to the literature, multiple factors may be related to performance and hold an influence on it, such as socioeconomic, identification, academic, and other factors related to individual higher institutions and their courses in Brazil. This study aims to analyze the factors that influence the academic achievement of undergraduate students in public administration in Brazil, through the National Student Performance Exam (Enade) held in 2015, the year in which the students of the public administration courses were evaluated by the first time. The quantitative approach is based on the use of statistical techniques of bivariate correlation and univariate analysis. It was reported that the higher the family income and the parents’ schooling, the better the performance by public administration students in Enade. Other factors refer to male students who obtained the best results, as they are white, under 32 years old and who were funded (with a scholarship). It was also noted that the students’ who dedicated more than three weekly hours to study contributed to a good performance, added to twenty or more working hours a week. Public administration courses in the Southeast region delivered by private higher education institutions had a positive influence on Enade’s performance.
Academic achievement; Enade; Higher education; Public administration