← Back to STEM Dashboard

Mexico — International Student Mobility

Mexican students studying abroad and in the US — enrollment, fields, and destinations
Sources: IIE Open Doors · DHS SEVP SEVIS · UNESCO UIS
17,851
Active SEVIS Records (Mar 2026)
15,474
In US (Open Doors 2023/24)
36,922
Total Students Abroad (UNESCO 2022)
8,104
STEM Students in US

Mexican Students in the US

Peaked at 17K in 2014/15, declined through pandemic, recovering to 15.5K. Mexico ranks 11th among source countries.

Source: IIE Open Doors (partial series)

Mexican Students Abroad — All Destinations

36,922 Mexicans studying abroad (UNESCO 2022). US and Canada dominate, but Spain and Germany are significant.

Source: UNESCO UIS 2022

Study Level in the US (SEVIS Mar 2026)

Bachelor's is the largest category (7,034), followed by Master's (3,361) and Doctorate (1,841).

Top US States (SEVIS Mar 2026)

Nearly half of Mexican students in the US are in border states Texas and California.

Context: Mexico's college-age population grew from ~2 million in 2000 to 4 million in 2025, yet outbound student mobility remains low relative to population. The former CONACYT international scholarship program has been largely eliminated under the current administration's reorganization into SECIHTI (2024-25). Mexico does not systematically report inbound international student data to OECD; the most recent ANUIES Patlani survey (~2014/15) counted ~15,600 international students studying in Mexico.