This article discusses the growth of neoliberal student activism in Brazilian higher education, considering the role of organisations called neoliberal think tanks. The following questions are addressed: why and how do these think tanks operate in the field of higher education? How do they articulate and promote student activism? The study provides a historical and contextual review of the origin and performance of the neoliberal think tanks in Brazil, identifying organisations that significantly operate in the higher education field. The case of Students For Liberty Brasil is examined in detail. The results of our study indicate that these think tanks seek to challenge hegemony in the teaching, research and higher education policy agendas and consider students as an important source of neoliberal political leaders.