Top Universities in Mexico: UNAM vs ITESM

Consistently the two highest-ranked universities in their country, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) will be at the top of your list if you want to study in Mexico.

Both universities feature within the global top 200 and are in the top 10 for Latin America according to the most recent QS University Rankings: Latin America. Rankings aren’t the only way to choose a university though, so here’s a closer look at the strengths and weaknesses of both of these top Mexican universities.

 *Based on the broad subject areas of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017.

QS World University Rankings® 2018

As you can see, UNAM ranks 77 places higher than ITESM in the latest QS World University Rankings®. When you take a closer look (using the indicators used to compile the rankings), UNAM is the clear leader both for its reputation among graduate employers and academics, with positions in the top 100 for both. However, ITESM is not too far behind UNAM for its reputation among graduate employers, ranked 81^st while UNAM is 62^nd.

ITESM does beat UNAM in two of the indicators – faculty/student ratio (in which ITESM places in the global top 150, and percentage of international faculty members, in which it ranks 71^st while UNAM is in the 401+ range. The former is particularly notable as it suggests students enjoy smaller class sizes and more individual contact time with tutors. Both universities score 401+ for percentage of international students, suggesting improvements could still be made in terms of recruiting talented students from other countries.

Subject strengths

If you’re still unsure as to which one of these top universities in Mexico gets your vote, the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017 can be a useful reference point, showing you which institution out-ranks the other for your chosen area of study. Looking firstly at the five broad subject areas covered in the ranking, UNAM is the leader in each one, achieving its highest score (joint 81^st) for arts and humanities. ITESM meanwhile is ranked in the global top 300 for engineering and technology and social sciences and management, achieving a stronger score in the latter.

The table below shows how UNAM and ITESM are ranked in this year’s ranking:

Location

UNAM is located in the capital city of Mexico, Mexico City, which was ranked 51^st in the latest QS Best Student Cities index. The city is ranked as one of the top 10 most affordable cities for students, benefiting from low average tuition fees and living costs.

As well as being affordable, Mexico City is known for its grand colonial-era architecture, delicious street food, vibrant carnivals, and interesting historical sites. UNAM’s campus is itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for its masterpieces of architecture and modern art, having been built as a collaborative architectural design project in the 1950s.

As well as the large Ciudad Universitaria (University City) main campus, UNAM maintains several other campuses in the Mexico City metropolitan area and elsewhere in Mexico, including a Center of Teaching for Foreigners in the small city of Taxco, 170 kilometres (106 miles) southwest of Mexico City.

Another one of the most affordable cities for students in the Best Student Cities index is Monterrey, where Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM)'s main campus is based. Living costs in Monterrey are generally lower than Mexico City, but tuition fees are slightly higher on average. The third-largest city in Mexico (with around half the population of Mexico City), Monterrey is a booming industrial city, known for its modern outlook. 

However, Monterrey is more than just a commercial hub, and students will find many interesting attractions to explore in their spare time, such as the city’s famous Museum of Contemporary Art. If you’re not swayed by either location then don’t worry: both UNAM and ITESM maintain a large number of satellite campuses across Mexico (with ITESM running a total of 31 campuses in 25 cities), so you’re by no means limited to studying in Mexico City or Monterrey.

Student community

UNAM has a significantly larger student community than ITESM, hosting a whopping 349,539 students in 2016/17, most of which are at high school or undergraduate level. ITESM is much smaller, but is still a large university, with around 95,000 students enrolled. According to ITESM, 300 international students arrive every semester, while at UNAM there are 6,935 international students currently enrolled.

Tuition fees & funding

Tuition fees vary at both universities, although ITESM’s status as a private institution means it has higher tuition fees than those at UNAM, with an undergraduate degree costing roughly US$1,800 per year while postgraduate tuition fees are around US$3,800 per year. At UNAM, you’ll generally be able to study an undergraduate degree for less than US$1,000 per year, while postgraduate tuition fees range between US$1,000-2,500 per year. You’ll also need to pay registration fees.

Living costs in Mexico are low, with most students needing around US$270-350 per month for accommodation. However, if you need help with funding, there a number of options available, including scholarships from the Mexican government, which aim to help foreign students study in Mexico. For example, there’s a government scholarship available to study a bachelor’s degree at UNAM. To be eligible, students must be less than 26 years old, have an interest in the dissemination of science, and have at least the minimum grade and percentage of academic credits.

Scholarships are also available at postgraduate level at UNAM, with master’s and doctoral students (with a grade average of at least 8.5) eligible to apply for scholarships in the form of monthly maintenance grants.

ITESM also offers various scholarships, including the Socioeconomic Support scholarship, aimed at students with a grade average of 85/100 who require financial aid. They also offer Cocurricular Talent scholarships, for students with an outstanding performance in cultural, sports and leadership activities, and Distinction to Academic Talent scholarships, which are aimed at students of any nationality or economic background who have excelled at high school.

Which of these top universities in Mexico gets your vote? Tell us in the comments below, and let us know which universities you’d like to see compared next!