Notice for Mexicans interested in studying in the UK: |
Recently the Office of Visas and Immigration of the United Kingdom (UKVI) has suspended the licence to sponsor overseas students to some British Universities. |
This area is responsible for:
The strength of the bilateral relation in areas such as education, environment and climate change. The establishments of links with universities, research centres, trust and charities that already have projects in Mexico or would like to start new ones. The promotion of scholarships, grants and fellowships programmes available in the United Kingdom for Mexican students and researchers.
EDUCATION IN MEXICO
In Mexico the education provided by the Government is secular, free and compulsory. The Mexican Government provides preschool, primary, secondary and high school education. This education is designed to develop harmoniously all the faculties of the human being and fosters in the students a love for the country and a consciousness of international solidarity.
The government education system is regulated by the Ministry of Education (Secretaría de Educación Pública, SEP). This Ministry offers and regulates public education services at the federal level, while each State has a body responsible for education at the local level. The most relevant purpose of SEP is to create the conditions that fulfill the right of education for all Mexicans.
Education system
The basic education in Mexico is composed by three levels: preschool, primary and secondary.
Age |
School Level |
School Grades |
Grades equivalent in UK* |
3 to 5 years |
Preescolar |
Nursery School |
|
5 to 11 years |
Primaria |
First to Sixth Year of Primary |
Primary School |
12 to 14 years |
Secundaria |
First to Third Year of Secondary |
Secondary School |
15 to 17 years |
Preparatoria |
First to Third Year of High School (also known as Fourth to Sixth Years) |
Sixth Form or Work-based Training |
*In the UK the Secondary School and High School are comprised of 7 years, while in Mexico it’s 6 years, therefore the equivalence is not exact.
The three compulsory basic education levels include services adjusted to the linguistic and cultural needs of indigenous groups, dispersed rural population and migrant groups.
Schools
In Mexico, there are public schools, which are free and run by the Government, and private schools.
For the 2010-2011 academic term, the total number of enrollments in the national educational system was 34.4 million students, equivalent to 31.7% of the country’s population. The 71.7% of the students attend schools managed by local governments. This high percentage is due to the federalization of basic education which started in 1992. The students attending private education are 12.9%.
Enrollments
The period of enrollments for pre-school, primary and secondary usually take place during February, normally for the school nearest to the student's home (This applies for public schools).
In order to enroll to pre-school, children should be 3 years old by the 31st of December of the previous year. Children that are 4 or 5 years of age should enroll in second or third year of pre-school.
To complete the pre-enrollment for the first year of Primary School, students must have a pre-school certificate and have 6 years of age by the 31st of December of the previous year. The only requirement for enrollment to the first year of Secondary School is to have a Primary School Certificate.
For more detailed information regarding the enrollment process, the SEP offers the following TELSEP telephone numbers (36-01-75-99 from Mexico City or 01-800-288-66-88 Free Call, only in Spanish). To locate the educational institutions nearest to your home address, visit www.snie.sep.gob.mx (National System of Educational Information, in Spanish).
For private schools, parents should contact the schools authorities.
Useful sites
For more information regarding the educational system in Mexico, please visit:
For more information regarding the quality of the basic education schools, please visit: http://www.enlace.sep.gob.mx/ (in Spanish)
EDUCATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Educational System
Education is the responsibility of each country that conforms the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, therefore there are 4 parallel educational systems. Usually, all the Primary and Secondary state schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, follow a National Curriculum.
Education is compulsory and free from students aged 5 years (In Northern Ireland is from the age of 4) and until they are 16 years old. The system is divided in the following grades:
Age |
School Level |
School Grade |
Equivalent grades in Mexico |
3 to 4/5 years |
Nursery School |
N/A |
Initial Education (Pre-school) |
4/5 to 11 years |
Primary School |
1 - 6 |
Primary Education |
12 to 16 years |
Secondary School |
7 - 11 |
Secondary Education |
17 to 18 years |
Sixth Form or Work-based Training |
12-13 |
High School |
In England, the education is divided in four Key Stages. After each stage, the students take examinations, known as Key Stage Test or STA’s, at the ages of 7, 11 and 14. When students are 16 years old, they take the General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSEs), in different subjects chosen by the student.
Once completed the compulsory education, students may opt to continue with one of the following two choices, both for a period of approximately two years:
- A levels - For those who will like to continue further education in Universities.
- Vocational - For those interested in starting to work as soon as they finish school. Nevertheless if they obtain good grades in their exams (Advances GNVQs or BTEC National Diploma), they are able to enroll at a University.
At 18 years, the children who carry on studying ,will take their Exams, known as Advanced GCE levels (AGCEs) or A Levels.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the degrees more commonly studied are Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Sciences (B.Sc.). The most common postgraduate studies are Master in Arts (M.A.) or Master in Sciences (M.Sc.) or Doctor on Philosophy (Ph.D.). To apply for most of the postgraduate studies, international students require a degree from a well known institution and a good level of English.
For more detailed information regarding the equivalences between the British and the Mexican Educational Systems, please visit:
http://www.dgb.sep.gob.mx/tramites/revalidacion/estruc_sist_edu/estud-gran_bretana.pdf (in Spanish)
Schools
In the United Kingdom, you can choose between public schools and private ones (independent schools).
Public or Free Schools
For state schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it is compulsory to follow the national curriculum. Fees are free. The access to state or public schools depends on the students address. The enrollment is not automatic and in some schools the vacancies are limited. The Local Education Authorities (LEA) http://www.schoolswebdirectory.co.uk/localauthorities.php should be contacted for more information on this matter.
Private or Independent Schools
These institutions have no obligation to follow the National Curriculum. Nevertheless, they should be registered at the Department for Education and Skills and have periodic official inspections. The Independent Schools Information Service offers information about these schools, including the requirements for enrollment. There is a big difference among the costs of private schools.
Faith Schools
These are secular schools, they can either be public or private. Normally they are linked to a religious institution. The most common faith-based schools are: the Church of England, Catholics, Jewish and Muslims.
Enrollment
The age for starting school varies depending on each region, but usually, children begin school at the beginning of the trimester when they are going to be 5 years old. There is a higher tendency to receive students at the beginning of the school term.
In order to transfer students from a Mexican educational system to a British one, it is important to should consider the following:
The British Educational System and its National Curriculum is very different from the Mexican, so it can be difficult for a school to accept new students once the school year has begun. The procedure for enrollment in the public schools begins with months in advance and the vacancies can be limited, so the admission is not guarantee (even if the student lives within the catchment area of the school).
Public services in England mostly depend on the place of residence, so the chosen school will depend on the address of the student. To ask for enrollment in a public school, it is important to have a proof of address to show that the student lives in the catchment area. It is also important to contact in advance the British Embassy in Mexico, in order to apply for the relevant visas.
Links of interest
You can consult more information regarding the educational system in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland in the following links:
http://www.education.gov.uk/ England
http://www.bis.gov.uk Northern Irland
http://www.deni.gov.uk/ Wales
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/?lang=en Scotland
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/
- For more information regarding education in the United Kingdom, please visit the following links:
http://www.dgb.sep.gob.mx/tramites/revalidacion/estruc_sist_edu/estud-gran_bretana.pdf (in spanish)
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/index.htm
- For more information regarding the schools quality reports, please visit:
- For more information regarding degrees and post doctorate studies, please visit:
http://www.educationuk.org/mexico
- For more information regarding equivalences in the United Kingdom of qualifications obtain in Mexico, please visit:
GENERAL
Scholarships offered by Mexican Institutions to study in the United Kingdom:
- National Council on Science and Technology
- Ministry of Public Education
- Chevening Scholarship Programme
- National Fund for Cultures and Arts – National Council for Culture and Arts (FONCA –CONACULTA)
- Fund for Human Resources Development (Bank of Mexico)
- Mexican Foundation for Education, Science and Technology
- Mexican Academy of Sciences
- Magdalena O. Vda. de Brockmann Scholarship Programme
- Lumni
- Scholarship Foundation A.C.
- Beca Desafíos
- El Banco Mundial
- The Chancellor's International Scholarships
- Chevening Scholarships
- British Academy Research Funding
- Research Councils UK and Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Awards
- The Wellcome Trust. International Programmes for the research of the most common diseases that affect low and middle income countries.
- Kew Programme –Latin America Scholarships for Botanical Research
- The Gates Cambridge Scholarships
- Darwin Initiative
By Universities
- University of Birmingham
- University of Newcastle
- University of Southampton
- University of East Anglia
- University of Sussex
- University of Westminster
- University of Reading
- Queen Mary Scholarships
- University of Hull
- Cardiff University
Durham University
King’s College London
London School of Economics
London School of Economics
University College London
University of Bath
University of Bristol
University of Edinburgh
University of Glasgow
University of Kent
University of Oxford
By British Institutions
Other British Institutions that offer scholarships for studying in the United Kingdom:
- Erasmus Mundus
- Alban Program
- Abbey-Santander Scholarships: These scholarships are offered through each university. For more information you should also visit the universities scholarship section on their own websites.
- Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program
- Joint Japan World bank Graduate Scholarships Program
- Scholarships for Sustainable Energy Development Studies
- Venngage Student Startup Scholarship
If you know of another scholarship not mentioned above, please send us an This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.to let us know.
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) invites all international students interested in completing in Mexico a specialization, master’s degree or doctorate, conducting graduate or postdoctoral research, or taking part in an undergraduate or graduate-level academic mobility program, to participate in the 2018 Mexican Government Scholarship Program for International Students.
For more information, please PRESS HERE
English Courses
The United Kingdom has a long tradition on teaching English to foreigners; this is why there is a wide range of schools with experience in teaching international students. There are courses of English language available for all levels.
Many British Universities also offer excellent programmes of English language that will help their international students to achieve a good knowledge of the language.
Before you decide to study an English course in the United Kingdom, it is very important to review the quality of the institution you will attend. The chosen school should comply with all the requirements established by the British authorities, particularly in regard to their status as 'Highly Trusted Sponsor', granted by the UK Borders Agency (UKBA). This status allows foreign students to apply for a student visa to attend the institution.
For more information regarding English courses please visit the British Council website and the International English Language Testing System
Learning Spanish as a foreign language continues to be on an increase. Nowadays, Spanish is the 2nd most spoken language in the world, with 472 million native speakers worldwide and 73 million speakers as a second language. Please find below information on Spanish courses in Mexico:
National Autonomous University of Mexico –UNAM at the Centro de Enseñanza para Extranjeros (CEPE)
• Spanish and Mexican Culture Programme.- This programme includes the teaching of speaking, grammar, reading comprehension, writing and listening. For each level the student has the option to take up to 2 additional subjects related to art, history and literature of Mexico. For further information, including programme structure, duration, registration and calendar, please visit the following link: http://www.cepe.unam.mx/cursos_intensivos_espanol.php
University of Guadalajara
• Spanish Program for Foreigners 2017 (PEPE –Programa de Español para Extranjeros).- This is Spanish Summer course will be held from 23rd June to 23rd July, 2017 and it consists of 100 hours of course, including workshops and cultural activities. Detailed information regarding this programme can be found on the following link: www.cgci.udg.mx/pepe2017
Please find below sites that are independent to the Embassy of Mexico in the United Kingdom, but you might find useful.
OPEN LEARN FOR FREE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES OF THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
This site is intended for foreign research students who are interested in improving their academic skills in the digital world. This site guides students on how to find information online, how to quote and avoid plagiarism and how to make presentations using multimedia.
This website offers information about scholarships available on specialized subjects. The data is organized by nationality and country of choice to study.
If you are interested in requesting a visa to study in the United Kingdom, it is advisable to review the following video:
CERTIFICATE OF STUDIES ISSUE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
You can consult here the list of educational institutions and British universities authorized to issue officially recognized certificates in the United Kingdom.
APOSTILLE
In order for the certificates of studies issued by academic institutions in the United Kingdom to have validity in Mexico, they should be apostille by the Legalization Office of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), which is responsible for the legalization of documents issued in the United Kingdom. Through the apostille stamp, the FCO certifies the authenticity of the documents. It is advisable to complete this procedure before travelling back to Mexico.
This process is done via post. For information about the documents that can be legalized and the process, please visit the FCO website:
- http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/services-we-deliver/legal-services/Legalisation/
- http://www.mexterior.sep.gob.mx/docs/recmeext.pdf
IMPORTANT NOTICE Starting on June 16, 2015, the Apostille on school certificates to apply for primary and secondary schools in Mexico has been removed. More information (in Spanish) http://goo.gl/Uc6kD8