This study investigated the Brazilian classification system for research and graduate education. The motivations behind the system design were examined, as well as some central factors in its evolution and expansion. From this, it was possible to identify that the current system became somewhat peculiar in its distinctions from international classification systems such as OECD’s Fields of Research and Development (FORD) and the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). In particular, the misalignment among the evaluation and broad areas of the Brazilian system and their corresponding levels in the analysed alternatives is significant, especially in the SSH profiles.