The Mexican government has been left trying to find funds for graduate scholarships it offered. The amount of Mexican students studying abroad has increased in the past few years and it seems Mexican students are becoming more aware of the scholarships that are available to them from the government.
According to the Council of Science and Technology, only 30% of applications for the government backed scholarships are being met, despite the relatively low grants. This year grants stand at monthly payments of between MXN 5,400 pesos (£265) over 12 months and MXN 8,500 pesos (£417) over 36 months depending on the type of degree. Although the payments are low, the grants are becoming highly sought after, but as the demand continues to grow, government funds are running lower. Jorge Villega Rodriguez, director of the Council’s human resources and scientific innovation support, said “we are making more effort to offer more scholarships, but there aren’t enough funds to cope.”
It is thought that the demand for these scholarships has rocketed due to the ever increasing numbers of Mexicans studying abroad. Around 30,000 Mexican students are thought to be currently studying abroad and the latest available figures show an increase of 1,500 students each year.
The USA is still the number one destination for Mexican students but UK seems to be slipping down the list as students opt to study in mainland Europe instead. See the table below for the top five destinations and total number of students from Mexico studying internationally.
| Destination | Number of Students | |
| 1 | United States | 14,606 |
| 2 | Spain | 2,880 |
| 3 | France | 1,836 |
| 4 | Germany | 1,482 |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 1,327 |
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2011). Global Education Digest 2011. Montreal, Quebec: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
The Council of Science and Technology is reviewing applications at the moment to determine which students best meet the prerequisites.
Get more information on scholarships in our detailed study abroad scholarship and funding section.
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