Studying in Mexico

What a year costs

Tuition. Mexico has no national fee schedule for international degree students. Each university sets its own fees, and public and private institutions differ sharply. The one official foreign-student figure we found at UNAM, the largest public university, is for visiting students outside an exchange agreement: US$250 for registration and US$275 per course. UNAM does not publish a fee for full-degree international students on the pages we checked, so ask the admissions office in writing. Private universities publish their own fee tables; check each one directly.

Living costs. No government body publishes an official student budget for Mexico, and we have not found a university estimate we could verify. Rent in Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara is far higher than in smaller university cities such as Puebla, Querétaro or Mérida. Build your budget from real listings in the neighbourhood you will live in and add health insurance, which your residence card does not include.

The visa

You need a temporary resident student visa (visa de residente temporal estudiante) for any course longer than 180 days. You apply at a Mexican embassy or consulate, then enter Mexico and exchange the visa for a temporary resident card at the National Migration Institute (INM) within 30 days of arrival.

The money. The Embassy of Mexico in Romania, on a page updated 19 August 2026, sets out two options, each covering the last three months:

• Monthly income (from employment, pension or scholarship) above 220 days of UMA, which it gives as about €1,254
• An average monthly balance in savings or investments of 2,290 days of UMA, about €13,053

The UMA is Mexico's official unit for fees and thresholds. From 1 February 2026 it is MXN 117.31 a day (INEGI), so the requirements are MXN 25,808.20 a month in income or MXN 268,639.90 in average balance. The Consulate General in Barcelona gives the same UMA multiples, converted as about €1,293 and €13,466.

Not every consulate applies these thresholds to students in the same way. The Embassy of Mexico in Honduras, for example, states that solvency can be shown by the student, their parents or guardians, through a scholarship or a letter from a financial institution, and gives no amount. Use the page of the consulate where you will apply, and treat the UMA figures as the standard to meet unless it tells you otherwise.

The fee. The 2026 Federal Fees Law extract published by the Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City lists US$56 for ordinary visas in foreign passports, which the Consulate in Mumbai also charges. In September 2026 the government proposed raising visa fees for 2027 as part of its budget package; the proposal needs Congress's approval and the current fee applies until then.

Processing. The Consulate in Mumbai and the Barcelona consulate both give a maximum of ten working days for a decision after your appointment. Getting the appointment itself can take longer, depending on the consulate.

Working while you study

Article 52 of the Migration Law allows temporary resident students to obtain permission to do paid work when studying at higher education, postgraduate or research level. You must apply to the INM for this permission; it is not automatic. The law sets no weekly hour limit, but the permission is tied to your studies and your institution, so ask your international office what the INM currently requires, such as a letter from the university and a job related to your field.

Working without INM permission can cost you your residence status.

After you graduate

Mexico has no post-study job-search permit. Your student residence lasts for the length of your course and ends with it. To stay, you would need to qualify for another residence category, most commonly temporary residence based on a job offer from a Mexican employer, which has its own requirements and fees. Plan your exit or your next permit before your card expires.

Language

Most degree programmes are taught in Spanish. UNAM asks international mobility students for an official Spanish certificate at at least B2 under the Common European Framework, and full-degree applicants should expect similar or higher expectations. A small number of private universities and specific master's programmes teach in English; check the language of instruction for each course, not just the university.

You do not need Spanish for the visa, but the INM, banks, landlords and any job will be in Spanish.

When to apply

There is no national application system for international students. Each university runs its own admissions, entrance exams and calendar, and Mexican public universities often use a competitive entrance examination. Admission also generally depends on having your previous studies recognised, a process called revalidación.

Work backwards from the visa: you need an admission letter before you can book a consular appointment, and you must reach Mexico and start the INM exchange within 30 days of entry. Allow at least three to four months between your admission letter and your start date.

What to watch out for

The 30-day deadline after arrival. You must start the exchange of your visa for a residence card at the INM within 30 days of entering Mexico. Missing it creates a problem that is hard to fix from inside the country.

The visa is not the card. Your visa gets you in; the INM card is what lets you stay. The card has its own fee, which the INM publishes each year in its table of migration fees. Budget for it separately.

Money requirements vary by consulate. Two consulates can publish different local-currency figures for the same UMA multiple, and some accept a scholarship letter with no amount. Follow the page of your own consulate and keep three months of statements ready.

Visa fees may rise in 2027. The 2027 budget proposal would raise several visa fees. Pay the fee in force on the day of your appointment and check the consulate page shortly before you go.

No automatic right to work. Take a job only after the INM has granted permission to work. Informal work is common in Mexico, but it is a risk to your status.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure above carries the date we checked it. Check the official source before you rely on it. We could not verify an official figure for full-degree tuition at public universities, the INM residence card fee or student living costs, and the proposed 2027 visa fee increase had not been approved when we checked.