In this paper, we examine conflicts experienced by Brazilian and Colombian black and indigenous university students during the process of appropriation of academic literacy practices, after they were admitted to public universities through affirmative action programs in their countries. We analyze part of a doctoral research corpus concerning academic literacy. This qualitative study student uses interviews and official affirmative policy documents. From an Applied Linguistics perspective, our research draws on Bakhtin’s concept of dialogism and Street´s work on academic literacies. Conflicts that arise in the student’s path towards academic literacy not only show the (dis)agreements with the university, but also question intercultural policies from their own experience. This whole process reveals aspects of university life that remain unexamined, even in affirmative action discussions, such as interculturality and language.