Two different lists could exist, creating admission uncertainty
Uma decisão judicial federal em Pernambuco suspendeu um bônus regional de 5% que a UFPE aplicava às notas do Enem de estudantes formados no ensino médio do estado, lançando o processo seletivo de Medicina — um dos mais concorridos do Brasil — em um estado de incerteza institucional. O juiz entendeu que o benefício criava distinções entre brasileiros vedadas pela Constituição, e o sistema nacional Sisu ainda não reflete essa mudança. No intervalo entre a norma suspensa e a tecnologia que ainda não a acompanhou, dezenas de estudantes aguardam saber se a vaga que acreditam ter conquistado de fato lhes pertence.
- A Justiça Federal suspendeu o bônus regional da UFPE às vésperas da divulgação dos resultados do Sisu, comprimindo em dias uma decisão com impacto sobre 70 vagas de Medicina.
- O Sisu ainda exibe notas de corte calculadas com o bônus incluído — 825,10 pontos para as vagas de ampla concorrência regional —, criando um abismo entre o que o sistema mostra e o que a lei agora determina.
- Se o Ministério da Educação não atualizar o sistema até 28 de fevereiro, a UFPE terá de recalcular manualmente as notas de todos os candidatos beneficiados e produzir uma lista própria, paralela à oficial.
- Estudantes pernambucanos que concluíram o ensino médio no estado enfrentam uma dupla incerteza: podem aparecer como classificados no Sisu e ser excluídos na lista da universidade, ou vice-versa.
- A UFPE tentou reverter a decisão argumentando ilegitimidade do autor da ação popular, mas o tribunal rejeitou os pedidos e manteve a suspensão do benefício.
A Justiça Federal de Pernambuco suspendeu o bônus de 5% que a Universidade Federal de Pernambuco aplicava às notas do Enem de candidatos que cursaram todo o ensino médio em escolas pernambucanas. A medida afeta diretamente as 70 vagas de ampla concorrência do curso de Medicina da UFPE no Recife — as únicas às quais o benefício se aplicava.
O bônus havia sido criado em 2020 com o objetivo de ampliar a presença de estudantes locais no curso: antes de sua adoção, apenas 46% das vagas eram ocupadas por pernambucanos. Inicialmente fixado em 10%, o benefício foi reduzido a 7% e, neste ciclo, a 5%. O juiz Francisco Antonio de Barros e Silva Neto o anulou ao final de 2022, por meio de ação popular, entendendo que a vantagem baseada no local de formação escolar criava distinções entre brasileiros expressamente proibidas pela Constituição. O magistrado destacou ainda a incoerência de o bônus incidir apenas sobre Medicina em Recife, prejudicando candidatos de outros estados do Nordeste em situação análoga.
O problema imediato é técnico e urgente: o Sisu ainda calcula as notas de corte com o bônus embutido. Para as vagas regionais, o ponto de corte aparece como 825,10 — um número que pode mudar completamente após o recálculo. As inscrições no sistema ocorrem entre 16 e 24 de fevereiro, em pleno Carnaval, e os resultados estão previstos para o dia 28.
O tribunal concedeu ao Ministério da Educação prazo para atualizar o Sisu antes da divulgação dos resultados. Se isso não ocorrer, a UFPE deverá recalcular manualmente as notas de todos os candidatos que receberam o bônus e divulgar uma lista própria, separada do ranking oficial do Ministério. A universidade confirmou a suspensão do benefício, mas aguarda a resposta do governo federal. Enquanto isso, estudantes pernambucanos que contavam com o bônus vivem uma incerteza concreta: podem estar classificados em um sistema e excluídos em outro, sem saber sua real situação até que o recálculo seja concluído.
A federal court in Pernambuco has thrown the admissions process for one of Brazil's most competitive medical programs into legal limbo. The Federal Justice of Pernambuco suspended a 5% bonus that UFPE—the Federal University of Pernambuco—had been applying to the entrance exam scores of students who completed their entire secondary education in Pernambuco schools. The consequence is stark: if the national unified selection system, known as Sisu, is not updated in time, the university will have to manually recalculate the scores of affected applicants and produce its own separate admission list, one that will diverge from the official Sisu rankings released by the Education Ministry.
The bonus was designed as a regional incentive, meant to encourage students educated within the state to apply to UFPE's Medicine program in Recife. Before the bonus existed, only 46 percent of the available spots went to Pernambuco students. The university introduced the measure in 2020, initially offering a 10% boost to qualifying applicants' Enem scores. It was reduced to 7% the following year, then to 5% for this cycle. The 70 open-competition spots in Medicine were the only positions where the bonus applied.
But in late 2022, a federal judge named Francisco Antonio de Barros e Silva Neto annulled the bonus through a popular action lawsuit. His reasoning was constitutional: he found that granting advantages based on where students attended secondary school violated the principle of equal treatment enshrined in Brazil's Constitution. The judge wrote that the bonus created "distinctions between Brazilians" that the Constitution explicitly forbids. He noted the contradiction was especially glaring because the bonus applied only to Medicine in Recife, not to other courses or campuses, and because it disadvantaged students from other northeastern states who had attended secondary school in similar circumstances.
When UFPE learned of the suspension, it asked the court to reconsider, arguing that the judge's ruling targeted a general institutional policy and that the plaintiff had no standing because he was not even participating in the current selection process. The court rejected both arguments. It also declined to bring the federal government into the case as a defendant, which would have required the Education Ministry to explain why Sisu had not been updated to reflect the bonus suspension.
As of mid-February, Sisu was still displaying cut-off scores calculated with the bonus included. For the 70 regional-preference spots, the cut-off stood at 825.10 points. This creates a dangerous gap: students might see themselves ranked as admitted based on Sisu's numbers, only to discover later that their actual standing changes once the bonus is removed. The court gave the Education Ministry a deadline to update the system before the official results were scheduled to be released on February 28.
If that update does not happen, the court has ordered UFPE to take matters into its own hands. The university must recalculate the scores of every student who received the bonus, then generate a separate ranking. The judge's written decision stated that if timely correction of Sisu proves impossible, "it will fall to the University the burden of manually recalculating the scores of registered applicants who obtained the benefit, something to be done at an opportune moment." This means two different lists could exist: one from Sisu showing who qualified under the old rules, and one from UFPE showing who actually gets in under the new ones.
The timeline is tight. Sisu registration runs from February 16 to 24, during Carnival. Results are due February 28. UFPE has confirmed the bonus suspension but is still waiting to see whether the Education Ministry will update its system in time. If it does not, the university faces the logistical and legal complexity of recalculating thousands of scores and potentially overturning Sisu's official rankings for its Medicine program. For students in Pernambuco who completed their secondary education in the state, the uncertainty is real: they may not know their true admission status until the university completes its manual review.
Citações Notáveis
The bonus created distinctions between Brazilians that the Constitution explicitly forbids, especially because it applied only to Medicine in Recife and disadvantaged students from other northeastern states in similar circumstances.— Federal Judge Francisco Antonio de Barros e Silva Neto
If timely correction of Sisu proves impossible, it will fall to the University the burden of manually recalculating the scores of registered applicants who obtained the bonus.— Court decision
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did the court decide the bonus was unconstitutional in the first place?
The judge saw it as creating unfair distinctions between Brazilians based on geography. The Constitution says you can't do that. He also thought it was odd that only Medicine in Recife got the bonus—not other courses, not other campuses—which made it look less like a genuine regional development policy and more like favoritism.
But didn't the bonus actually work? Didn't it bring more local students into the program?
Yes. Before it existed, only 46 percent of spots went to Pernambuco students. The bonus was clearly effective at that. But the court's view was that effectiveness doesn't override constitutional equality. You can't solve an access problem by treating people differently based on where they went to high school.
So what happens to students right now, in the middle of this process?
They're in a strange position. Sisu is still showing them ranked with the bonus included. But that ranking might not be real. If the Education Ministry doesn't update the system by February 28, UFPE has to recalculate everything manually and produce its own list. Some students might think they're admitted when they're not.
Could UFPE have just accepted the court's decision and moved on?
They tried to fight it. They argued the judge had no authority to overturn a general university policy, and that the plaintiff wasn't even in the current selection process. The court said no to both arguments. At that point, UFPE had to comply.
What's the worst-case scenario here?
The Education Ministry doesn't update Sisu in time. UFPE has to manually recalculate hundreds of scores. Two different admission lists exist. Students see one ranking from the government and a different one from the university. It's a mess, legally and practically.
Is there any chance the bonus comes back?
Not in the short term. The court's decision is based on constitutional grounds, which are hard to overturn. UFPE could appeal, but that would take time. For now, the bonus is gone.