The present article consists of a case study and aims to establish important parameters to situate the phenomenon of higher education evasion from the analysis of the microdata and synopses of the Higher Education Census (BRAZIL, MEC / INEP, 2002-2016), focusing on the context of the state of Paraíba, involving public and private higher education institutions. For that, the theoretical basis was understood as the understanding of the evasion category made by Silva Filho; Motejunas; Hipolito; Lobo, 2007; Almeida; Veloso, 2002; Baggi; Lopes, 2011; Castelo Branco; Jezine; Nakamura, 2015. The data were systematized and presented in the form of tables and graphs, analyzed in the light of the theoretical reference. The results point to important indicators of circumvention in both the public and private contexts, in Paraíba, through reflections on data on dropout rate and course completion.