This article aims to analyse the challenges and perspectives of private higher education in Brazil, based on the historical context, in order to understand the dynamics, trends, and problems faced by this sector. Over the years, the expansion and improvement of higher education in the country have been shown to be structural conditions for long-lasting and consistent economic and social development. Given the importance of private higher education, this research focuses on the challenges, highlighting, among them: access and inclusion, quality of education, financing, competition, and regulation. On the other hand, the prospects primarily include expansion, innovation, and internationalisation. These challenges and prospects are fundamental to understanding the peculiarities involving private higher education in Brazil. This research is based on an inductive method of historical and bibliographic procedures, collecting data from books, journals, reports, and consulting sources online in order to present an overview of private higher education in Brazil, identify the main challenges faced by private educational institutions as a whole, and assess the prospects for the future. The study contributes to advancing knowledge in the field, among the movements of public and private policies that have promoted improving quality and access to higher education in Brazil throughout history. Keywords: Historical Context, Challenges, Prospects, Private Higher Education, Brazil