Expansion of undergraduate Nursing courses: distance education scenario, interests, and challenges

Objective: To analyze the expansion of undergraduate Nursing courses in Brazil, especially those in the distance education modality. Methods: Exploratory, descriptive, analytical, and documentary study that used the Statistical Overview of Higher Education - Undergraduate Courses, of the Brazilian National Institute for Educational Studies and Research "Anisio Teixeira", which is part of the Ministry of Education and Culture, as a source of secondary data for the period between 2009 and 2018. Results: There was a growth in the number of undergraduate Nursing courses and new seats in the distance education modality. However, only 8.89% of these seats were occupied and 3.39% of the enrolled students completed the course, which accounted for 0.30% of the new seats. Conclusion: The expansion of undergraduate Nursing courses is aligned with the general trends in higher education. This scenario exposes the interests of capital in education, which emphasizes the need for collective development of strategies to guarantee the right to education that is public, free and has social quality.