Plans aplenty in Mexico

Mexico's new national strategy aims to overhaul a massive higher education ‘sector plagued by uneven access and quality.

Deep regional disparities and "garage universities” persist despite record-high public trust and world-class institutional performance.

Future growth depends on hybrid learning models and global partnerships to bridge divides and standardise academic quality.

It probably won't surprise you to learn that, like most other countries, Mexico likes to publish higher education strategies. These have included the Programa Sectorial de Educacién in 2020, the Programa Nacional de Educacién Superior (PRONES) in 2023, and, published earlier this year, the latest PRONES, this time covering the period 2026- 2030.

However, there are signs that this PRONES may finally offer some of the solutions that the country has been searching for.

By one count, Mexico has one of the largest higher education sectors in the world. There are an estimated 4,300 higher education institutions in the country ~ a figure roughly ‘equivalent to the number in the United States. But while the United States has around 19milion young people enrolled in higher education, Mexico has just 5.5 million

This misalignment speaks to Mexico's persistent challenges in higher education: lagging enrolment rates, lack of access and a lack of quality control. Firstly, quality control. Although on the face of things, Mexico has a similar number of

hhigher education institutions to the US, the quality of many of those schools leaves a lot

to be desired, That's partly down to the huge growth of private universities in the

country, which now make up the majority of all institutions.

This has come about as a result of increasing student demand, a lack of investment in the public sector and a lack of places at low-cost public schools.

"Public higher education is very low cost, almost free. You can attend a public school for

‘around $300 per semester," explains David Garza, President of the Tecnolégico de Monterrey Education Group. The group of universities he presides over covers 31 ‘campuses across 25 cities and includes some of the country’s top-ranked institutions. “But in the private sector, they can be up to $9,000, The [lack of] funding is mainly affecting the public system, and the effect is not enough places for students. There are

also students who can't attend a private univer

¥y because of location and/or finances.”

‘Another issue is that of so-called “garage universities”: a Latin American phenomenon of tiny universities often operating out of commercial properties akin to garages. They have sprouted up in recent years to meet surging demand across the country, but their

‘educational quality is often called into question,

“The growth of the private sector has been good in catering to the increased demand but has been bad in terms of the disproportionate quality,” says Garza, One of the key aims of PRONES is to regulate the quality of both public and private universities to censure students are getting the same quality education whether they study at a garaje or at Tec de Monterrey.

Another challenge is enrolment. At 45%, the current enrolment rate among young people is below the average of 59% across Latin America, However, that number masks regional inequalities. Mexico is a huge country, and the figure is distorted by the northern states such as Mexico City, Nuevo Leén and Sinaloa, where enrolment rates, already exceed the stated national target of 55%, Down south, however, it’s a different story.

“In the northern states of the country, the access rate is almost double that of the

” says Garza. “Even though in the past two decades, we have almost doubled the number of people who enrol in higher education, the gap [between regions] is still big”

southern states

‘And the numbers outlined in the PRONES report add weight to his argument. In Guerrero and Oaxaca, enrolment rates are less than 25%. In Chiapas, they dip below 20%,

PRONES makes a specific point of addressing these regional inequalities — and one possible solution outlined in the report is a renewed focus on hybrid and remote programmes. Ina vast country, which has long had a significant north/south divide, an initiative ike this may help to level the playing field

“The growth that we've been having — and perhaps the growth we will be having — has hhad to do with flexible teaching models; hybrid, online,” says Garza. “That's where the

growth has been for the past 6-7 years, and it seemsit will be towards the future.”

Despite the challenges facing the country, Mexican higher education still has plenty to shout about. According to one study, universities are the most-trusted public institution in Mexico, with around 7 in 10 Mexicans having confidence in them. Itis one of the highest levels of trust in the world, only surpassed by some northern European nations and india. It means that any designs for future growth are unlikely to be held back by public perception,

Though trust in universities remains high, their perceived value may be slipping for some, According to Garza, the earnings gap between graduates and non-graduates was previously around 4:1. "The gap is still there, and it's stl significant, but it has been closing in the past six years," he says.

“The lowest salaries in Mexico have been increasing dramatically due to public policies, ‘Which is good, but the graduate salaries haven't been increasing at the same rate” This

makes the appeal of a degree slightly less alluring for some Mexicans.

‘Access to higher education can be unequal across the country, but the quality of Mexico's top universities is beyond question. According to the latest @S World. University Rankings, the Universidad Nacional Auténoma de México (UNAM) is the 4th- ranked university in Latin America and amongst the top 150 in the world. That alone is ‘good news for the country, UNAM has more than 300,000 students, making it one of the largest university systems in the world.

Beyond UNAM, other Mexican universities also excel. Tecnolégico de Monterrey is ranked 28th in the world for social sciences, and its business school EGADE sits just ‘outside the top 50 MBAs in the world, according to the latest QS Global MBA Ranking

Tec de Monterrey also ranks 48th in the world for engineering, which happens to be another of Mexico's strong areas: it is among the leading producers of engineers in the world, and according to Garza, if Tec De Monterrey were in the United States, it would be the largest engineering school in the country.

‘So where does the country go from here? For many emerging study destinations, the answer rolls off the tongue: internationalisation, internationalisation, internationalisation. ‘And Mexico is no different. The PRONES report outlines a number of ways that the ‘country’s higher education sector could intemnationalise, including forming more international partnerships, incorporating international accreditation standards and benchmarking local universities against global standards.

But curiously, the report doesn't explicitly mention the recruitment of international students as a source for growth. Garza says that just a "handful" of Mexican universities prioritise it. "It's not a national strategy,” he adds, despite the fact that he is seeing more

international student interest in Mexico amidst the tightening restrictions on foreign

students in the US. With high-quality universities and low-cost tuition, it's easy to see why Mexico would be an easy sell for international students ~ should the government choose to go down that route.

Itremains to be seen whether international student recruitment becomes a priority in the government's next higher education strategy. If we're sticking to the new global

timeline, we should probably see it sometime in..2026?