Instituto Politécnico Nacional
Mexico's national public polytechnic, admitting undergraduates by one exam score with no minimum school grade.
- Students
- 212,911
- 131,603 undergraduates
- Founded
- 1936
- QS World Ranking
- 901-950
- 2027 edition
- Campus
- Urban
About IPN
The Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) is a public polytechnic system founded on 1 January 1936 during the presidency of Lazaro Cardenas, according to Wikipedia. Its own annual report counted 212,911 students in the 2025-26 school year across three levels: 74,664 in upper secondary schools, 131,603 at undergraduate level and 6,644 in postgraduate programmes. That makes it one of the largest higher-education institutions in Mexico.
It runs 93 academic, research and support units in 24 states. At undergraduate level it offers 84 programmes, arranged in three areas: Engineering and Physical-Mathematical Sciences, Medical-Biological Sciences, and Social and Administrative Sciences. Well-known schools include ESIME (mechanical and electrical engineering), ESIA (engineering and architecture), ESIQIE (chemical engineering), ESFM (physics and mathematics), ENCB (biological sciences) and UPIICSA (informatics and management). Programmes such as Aeronautical Engineering, Photonic Engineering and Urban Mobility Engineering sit alongside classic engineering degrees.
Entry is by a single admission exam and the number of correct answers, and IPN says it asks for no minimum bachillerato grade average. It suits students who want a technical degree in Mexico's capital or in one of its regional campuses, who can study in Spanish, and who are prepared for a competitive exam.
La Técnica al Servicio de la Patria
“Technology in the Service of the Homeland” — university motto
Why students choose IPN
It offers specialised technical degrees such as Aeronautical Engineering, Photonic Engineering, Geophysical Engineering and Urban Mobility Engineering.
Admission depends on the exam score alone: IPN says no minimum bachillerato average is required, only that upper secondary school is completed.
It has regional engineering campuses outside Mexico City (Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Palenque, Puebla, Tlaxcala and Zacatecas) that use an online entrance exam.
IPN reports 93 academic units and 20 research centres, which lets undergraduates reach postgraduate and research networks within the same system.
Admissions
Entry February 2027 (school year 2026-27) and entry August 2027
Selectivity
IPN publishes no overall acceptance rate. Applicants are ranked by their number of correct answers on the exam and placed in their preferred degree while places last, so popular degrees close at higher scores. IPN asks for no minimum bachillerato grade average.
Typical entry requirements
| Bachillerato or equivalent upper secondary certificate | Completed and certified at 100 percent; certificates issued after the start of the term need a proof of study dates |
|---|---|
| Studies abroad or outside the Mexican education system | Revalidation of studies through the Ministry of Public Education (SEP); documents in another language need a simple Spanish translation |
| Foreign applicants | Valid immigration document proving legal stay in Mexico; birth certificate with apostille or consular legalisation and official Spanish translation where issued abroad |
Deadlines
- February 2027 intake: pre-registration (closed) Non-binding Passed15 July to 30 August 2026
Undergraduate, face-to-face mode (escolarizada), February to July 2027 term.
- February 2027 intake: admission exam Non-binding Passed26 September 2026 (in person, Mexico City units); 3 October 2026 (online, regional units)
Results are published on 24 October 2026; the process runs until 25 January 2027.
- August 2027 intake (estimated) Non-bindingCall expected around February 2027; exam May to June 2027; results July to August 2027; classes start in August
IPN gives these as estimated dates and says exact dates depend on the official convocatoria; it runs two calls a year.
The 2027 August call has not been published yet; the dates above are IPN's estimates from its admissions page, based on the usual pattern. The February 2027 call is already past its pre-registration window.
How to apply
Follow the current convocatoria on ipn.mx and admision.ipn.mx: create an account on the admission platform, complete the online pre-registration, upload photo and identification, sit the exam, check results online, then upload documents and print the enrolment application at the assigned unit.
What admissions looks for
- A high number of correct answers on the admission exam in the chosen area.
- Complete, certified bachillerato studies with valid documents.
- For foreign applicants, proof of legal stay in Mexico and revalidated foreign studies.
Tips for applying to IPN
- 1 Choose your first-option unit carefully: it decides whether the exam is in person (Mexico City) or online (regional units), and where you must attend later steps.
- 2 Try the exam simulator and install the secure browser in advance if your first choice is a regional unit.
- 3 Only use IPN's official sites: the call warns that outside courses and payments do not guarantee entry.
- 4 If your school certificate is foreign, start revalidation with SEP early, because documents are checked after you are assigned a place.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in MXN
Free-tuition status could not be confirmed from an official source: the IPN pages fetched (admission page, the February 2027 convocatoria, international 'Ven al IPN' page, scholarships page) contain no statement that undergraduate study is free ('gratuita') and no tuition or enrolment fee schedule, and the federal legal texts (Constitution art. 3, Ley General de Educacion Superior) could not be retrieved on 30 Sep 2026, so no free-tuition claim and no amount is stated here; whether foreign students pay differently is likewise not stated. Confirm on the official call before applying. IPN's Direccion de Apoyos a Estudiantes runs institutional, cultural, sports and excellence scholarships and lists external programmes for the 2027/1 term; its general requirements include Mexican nationality, enrolment in an IPN programme and regular academic standing, so these institutional scholarships are not open to foreign students.
- General requirements: Mexican nationality (by birth or naturalisation) and enrolment in an IPN programme
- Scholarship eligibility (IPN DAES FAQ)
- Not published on the IPN pages fetched
- Tuition / fee schedule
Academics
Academic calendar: Two intakes a year: August to January and February to July.
Aeronautical Engineering (ESIME Ticoman)
A dedicated aeronautics degree listed in the February 2027 call, offered at ESIME Ticoman.
Photonic Engineering (ESIME Zacatenco)
A specialised optics and photonics degree in the Physical-Mathematical area.
Geophysical, Geological and Petroleum Engineering (ESIA Ticoman)
Earth-science engineering degrees offered together at one unit.
Mathematical Engineering and Algorithmic Mathematics (ESFM)
Mathematics-focused degrees alongside a Physics and Mathematics licenciatura.
Urban Mobility Engineering (UPIEM)
New energy and mobility unit that also offers Sustainable Energy Business and Smart-Grid Energy Systems engineering.
Biochemical Engineering (ENCB)
Biological-science engineering degree in the National School of Biological Sciences.
Research
- IPN counts 20 research centres and 93 academic, research and support units in total.
- It reported 1,639 members of the national researchers system (SNII) in its January to September 2025 activity report.
- Postgraduate programmes are taught in research centres and in postgraduate sections within undergraduate schools.
Schools & faculties
- Escuela Superior de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica (ESIME)
- Escuela Superior de Ingenieria y Arquitectura (ESIA)
- Escuela Superior de Ingenieria Quimica e Industrias Extractivas (ESIQIE)
- Escuela Superior de Fisica y Matematicas (ESFM)
- Escuela Superior de Ingenieria Textil (ESIT)
- Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biologicas (ENCB)
- Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Ingenieria y Ciencias Sociales y Administrativas (UPIICSA)
- Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria en Energia y Movilidad (UPIEM)
Student life
IPN's largest site is the Unidad Profesional Adolfo Lopez Mateos in Zacatenco in the north of Mexico City, and its schools are spread across the capital and 24 states. The institute has 27 varsity teams, according to Wikipedia. IPN describes a community that combines sport, culture, arts and science, and offers visiting-student mobility through its international relations office. Undergraduates study a full-time, face-to-face timetable in most programmes, although IPN also has non-face-to-face and blended degrees.
- Most undergraduate programmes (70 of 84) are face-to-face; nine are fully online or non-school-based and five blended.
- Visiting-student mobility programme run by the Direccion de Relaciones Internacionales.
- Two language centres (CENLEX) teach foreign languages, including Spanish for foreigners.
- Sport, culture, arts and science activities open to the polytechnic community.
Housing. The pages fetched do not describe university housing.
Location
Mexico City is Mexico's capital and largest urban area. IPN's flagship site, the Unidad Profesional Adolfo Lopez Mateos, is at Zacatenco in the Gustavo A. Madero borough in the north of the city, and other units are spread across the capital. Regional engineering campuses are in Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Chiapas (Palenque), Puebla, Tlaxcala and Zacatecas.
Nearest airport: Mexico City International Airport (MEX)
Notable alumni
- EZ Ernesto ZedilloEconomist; President of Mexico from 1994 to 2000; graduated as an economist from IPN in 1972
- GG Guillermo Gonzalez CamarenaElectrical engineer and television pioneer, known for early colour television work
- EV Evangelina VillegasBiochemist and World Food Prize winner for Quality Protein Maize; studied chemistry and biology at IPN
- PR Pablo RudominNeuroscientist and Prince of Asturias Award winner; biology graduate of IPN's ENCB
- RR Ruth Rivera MarinArchitect and the first woman to study architecture at IPN's engineering and architecture school
- AP Alberto Perez-GomezArchitectural historian; graduated as engineer and architect from IPN
- CR Constantino Reyes-ValerioArt historian and chemist; master's in bacteriological chemistry and parasitology at IPN
Frequently asked questions
Does IPN charge tuition?
IPN's own pages that were checked (admission page, the February 2027 call, the international students page) do not state whether undergraduate study is free or list a fee schedule, and they say nothing specific about fees for foreign students, so check the current convocatoria and the assigned unit. IPN's institutional scholarships require Mexican nationality.
Can foreign students apply to IPN undergraduate programmes?
Yes, the official call has requirements for foreign applicants: a valid immigration document proving legal stay in Mexico, plus a birth certificate legalised or apostilled and translated where issued abroad. Studies done abroad must be revalidated through the Mexican Ministry of Public Education (SEP).
What is the IPN admission exam?
A 140-question multiple-choice exam lasting three hours, based on the area you choose, in Spanish with an English section. Applicants are ranked by their number of correct answers.
When is the IPN application deadline for 2027?
For February 2027 entry, pre-registration ran from 15 July to 30 August 2026 and the exam was on 26 September (Mexico City) or 3 October 2026 (regional units). IPN estimates the August 2027 call to open around February 2027, with the exam in May to June.
Do I need a minimum grade average for IPN?
No. The February 2027 call says no minimum bachillerato average is required, only that upper secondary studies are completed.
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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