The aim of this study is to address the student assistance in a federal institution of higher education - UFRJ. It is based on the understanding that the student assistance is an important tool for ensuring the right to free and quality public higher education, once the democratization of access, by itself, does not provide, especially when referring to a particular segment of students who suffer the consequences of social inequalities present in our society. The current policy to restructure the universities led the student assistance to a new dimension, extending its actions and targeting, more effectively, the priority to students whose socioeconomic status often prevents their permanence at university. The acts of student assistance have been implemented for decades by the UFRJ and have not changed its format over that time, despite changes in the context of higher education, especially in federal universities. This research aimed at identifying how the student scholarship assistance contributes to the permanence of the scholarship student from UFRJ. To assess this, semi-structured interviews were performed with students selected for one of the types of scholarships for student assistance. The study also intends to provide support so that the aid offered by the scholarship program of student assistance implemented by the UFRJ may be aligned to the needs of students and may achieve the objectives pursued by the student assistance - the permanence and conclusion of the course with a great academic achievement.