El Colegio de México
El Colegio de México, A.C.
A small, research-focused social sciences institution in Mexico City that admits undergraduates only every two years.
- Tuition
- Free
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1940
- QS World Ranking
- 801-850
- 2027 edition
- Campus
- Urban
About Colmex
El Colegio de México grew out of La Casa de España en México (1938-1940), a refuge for Spanish Republican intellectuals set up under President Lázaro Cárdenas and led by the writer Alfonso Reyes. From October 1940 it became El Colegio de México. Its research centres followed: history in 1941, languages and literature in 1948, international studies in 1960, and later economics, demography, sociology, Asian and African studies and gender studies. Since 1976 it has occupied its building on the Camino al Ajusco in southern Mexico City.
Colmex is primarily a research and graduate institution, but it runs three small undergraduate programmes: International Relations and Politics and Public Administration (both nine semesters, taught by the Centro de Estudios Internacionales) and Economics (eight semesters, Centro de Estudios Económicos). Each starts only every two years, and the economics centre aims for groups of about 25 students.
Classes are small and taught by full-time researchers; the international studies centre says 90% of its faculty hold doctorates. Admission is by a demanding multi-stage exam, and accepted students study full time; tuition is waived for Mexican students and for all students in the international studies programmes. It suits academically ambitious students who want an intensive, research-led social sciences degree in Spanish and are ready to wait for the next intake.
Why students choose Colmex
All admitted students in International Relations and Politics and Public Administration receive a full tuition scholarship, including foreign students, and can apply for a living-costs grant.
Very small cohorts taught by researchers, with anonymous written stages in admission and three interviews with faculty.
A semester abroad for most students (the sixth semester for international studies, the eighth for Economics), with financial support subject to available funds.
Alumni include a foreign minister and UN climate chief (Patricia Espinosa), an ambassador to the United States (Arturo Sarukhán) and political scientist Denise Dresser.
Admissions
No 2027 undergraduate intake; next intake expected 2028 (the 2026 intake calls have closed; programmes start every two years)
Selectivity
Colmex does not publish an admit rate. Each undergraduate programme starts only every two years with a small cohort (the Centro de Estudios Económicos aims for groups of about 25), chosen through a multi-stage competitive exam.
Typical entry requirements
| Mexican bachillerato or foreign equivalent | Completed (or finishing) secondary school with an overall average of at least 8.0/10, a commitment to full-time study, academic recommendation letters (one for international studies, three for Economics) and the online application at admision.colmex.mx. Mexican and foreign nationals, living in Mexico or abroad, may apply. |
|---|---|
| English language | No English test is required for admission. English proficiency is a graduation requirement: Economics requires TOEFL iBT 100 or equivalent, and Colmex offers free English and other language courses. |
Deadlines
- International Relations / Politics and Public Administration (2026 intake, closed) Non-binding Passed28 February 2026, 23:59 Mexico City time
Previous cycle: call 24 November 2025 to 28 February 2026; online first stage 14 March, essays 11 April, interviews 18-20 May, admitted list 8 June 2026, preparatory course June-July 2026.
- Economics (2026 intake, closed) Non-binding Passed9 April 2026
Previous cycle: applications 15 August 2025 to 9 April 2026; exam 18 April 2026 (online or in person); results of those who passed published 28 April 2026.
There is no undergraduate intake in 2027. All three programmes admitted their current cohorts in 2026 and each starts every two years, so the next calls are expected for entry in 2028 (the 2026 calls ran from August/November 2025 to February/April 2026). Colmex has not yet published the next calls; the dates above are from the closed 2026 cycle and are shown for reference only.
How to apply
Watch for the next call (convocatoria) on the programme pages. Register at admision.colmex.mx, complete the online application and upload scanned documents and recommendation letters by the deadline; then take the staged admission exams. The exams are free. For international studies, the first stage is online and later stages are at Colmex in Mexico City (applicants living outside Mexico may do the interviews remotely), and the preparatory course is always in person.
What admissions looks for
- Strong general aptitude and knowledge from secondary school: Spanish, reading, logical reasoning, maths and awareness of national and international politics.
- Clear, well-argued writing under time pressure, based on assigned readings.
- Motivation and intellectual engagement shown in three interviews with faculty (international studies).
- For Economics, mathematical ability above all, then reading comprehension and verbal reasoning.
- Commitment to full-time study and a secondary-school average of at least 8.0.
Tips for applying to Colmex
- 1 Plan around the two-year cycle: if you finish school in 2027, check whether you will still be within the two-year window for the international studies programmes when the next call closes.
- 2 Do the reading list for the essay stage early; the international studies centre publishes it in January of the admission year and gives no study guides.
- 3 For Economics, practise with multiple-choice exams such as EXANI-II or the SAT, as the Centro de Estudios Económicos suggests, and use its sample exam.
- 4 Admission can't be shortened: Colmex does not credit previous university study toward its international studies degrees.
- 5 Budget for Mexico City living costs and apply for the maintenance grant, which is open to foreign students too.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in MXN
Tuition is covered for admitted undergraduates in International Relations and Politics and Public Administration, explicitly including foreign students; for Economics, Colmex states that Mexican students pay no tuition, and the position for foreign students is unconfirmed. All admitted students can apply for a maintenance grant that takes into account academic performance and, for Economics, socio-economic circumstances and available funds. Colmex also helps fund the semester abroad, subject to available resources, and offers free language courses.
- 100% for all admitted students, including foreigners
- Tuition scholarship (international studies programmes)
- Unconfirmed; ask the Centro de Estudios Económicos
- Economics tuition for foreign students
- Open to all admitted students on application
- Maintenance grant
- Free
- Admission exam fee
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (undergraduate programmes start every two years, in the second half of the year)
International Relations (Licenciatura en Relaciones Internacionales)
Nine semesters at the Centro de Estudios Internacionales; alumni include foreign minister Patricia Espinosa and ambassador Arturo Sarukhán.
Politics and Public Administration
A nine-semester degree in the same international studies centre, which says its undergraduate programmes have won Ministry of Education excellence awards.
Economics (Licenciatura en Economía)
Eight semesters with about 25 students per cohort; graduates go on to graduate study or to bodies such as the Banco de México and the Finance Ministry.
Graduate programmes in history, literature and Asian and African studies
Colmex's research centres run master's and doctoral programmes; historian Enrique Krauze earned his doctorate at the Centro de Estudios Históricos.
Research
- The Centro de Estudios Históricos, founded in 1941, is the institution's oldest research centre.
- Colmex publishes long-running journals including Foro Internacional (founded 1960), Historia Mexicana (1951) and the Nueva Revista de Filología Hispánica (1947).
- The Biblioteca Daniel Cosío Villegas holds about 720,000 physical volumes in the social sciences and humanities.
Schools & faculties
- Centro de Estudios Internacionales
- Centro de Estudios Económicos
- Centro de Estudios Históricos
- Centro de Estudios Lingüísticos y Literarios
- Centro de Estudios Sociológicos
- Centro de Estudios Demográficos, Urbanos y Ambientales
- Centro de Estudios de Asia y África
- Centro de Estudios de Género
The economics centre reports that most graduates go on to further study, often abroad, while others join public bodies such as the Banco de México, the Finance Ministry and the Foreign Ministry, private firms or international organisations.
Student life
Colmex is a single-building campus on the Camino al Ajusco in southern Mexico City, with its own library, bookshop, auditorium and lawns. With only a few small undergraduate cohorts alongside graduate students, life is academic and close-knit: students attend a constant stream of seminars, lectures and book launches, take free language classes (English, French, German, Arabic, Russian, Japanese and more), and international studies students publish the magazine Ágora. Colmex does not advertise student housing, so students rent in the city.
- Free language courses for all students.
- Student magazine Ágora, published by international studies students.
- A semester abroad for most undergraduates.
- Seminars, conferences and book presentations with national and international speakers.
Location
Colmex is at Carretera Picacho Ajusco 20 in the Tlalpan borough, in the south of Mexico City, in the building it has occupied since 1976. Mexico City is Mexico's capital and a very large metropolis, so check travel times from any neighbourhood where you plan to live.
Nearest airport: Mexico City International Airport (MEX)
Notable alumni
- PE Patricia EspinosaMexico's Secretary of Foreign Affairs and UNFCCC Executive Secretary 2016-2022; bachelor's in international relations
- AS Arturo SarukhánMexican ambassador to the United States; bachelor's in international relations
- DD Denise DresserPolitical scientist, writer and columnist; undergraduate studies at Colmex
- CH Claude HellerDiplomat and chair of the UN Committee Against Torture; bachelor's in international relations
- RG Rosario GreenMexico's Secretary of Foreign Affairs under President Ernesto Zedillo; master's in economics
- JS Jaime Serra PucheEconomist, Secretary of Commerce and later Secretary of Finance; master's in economics
- EK Enrique KrauzeHistorian and essayist; doctorate in history
- HA Héctor Aguilar CamínWriter and journalist; doctorate in history
Frequently asked questions
Can I start an undergraduate degree at El Colegio de México in 2027?
No. All three undergraduate programmes admitted students in 2026 and each starts every two years, so there is no 2027 intake; the next calls are expected for entry in 2028. Check the Colmex licenciaturas page for the next convocatoria.
Is El Colegio de México free?
For tuition, largely yes. Colmex does not charge Mexican students tuition, and in International Relations and Politics and Public Administration every admitted student, including foreigners, receives a full tuition scholarship. For foreign students in Economics the fee position is not published, so confirm it with the Centro de Estudios Económicos; students can also apply for a maintenance grant.
What is the Colmex admission exam like?
For the international studies degrees there are three stages: an online aptitude and knowledge test, timed essays on assigned readings, and three faculty interviews, followed by a compulsory preparatory course. Economics uses a 3-hour, 100-question exam weighted towards maths.
Can foreign students apply to Colmex undergraduate programmes?
Yes. Calls are open to Mexican and foreign applicants living in Mexico or abroad; the first international studies stage is online and non-residents can do interviews remotely, but the preparatory course is in person.
Do I need English to study at Colmex?
Not for admission. Teaching is in Spanish, but you must prove English to graduate (TOEFL iBT 100 or equivalent for Economics), and Colmex offers free English classes.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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