Universidad Panamericana
A Catholic private university in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Aguascalientes with strong philosophy, law and business schools.
- Students
- 16,947
- 12,160 undergraduates
- Tuition
- MX$339.3K
- From · 2025-26
- Founded
- 1967
- QS World Ranking
- 711-720
- 2027 edition
About UP
Universidad Panamericana grew out of IPADE, the business school founded in Mexico City in 1967 by Catholic businessmen and academics under the spiritual direction of Opus Dei, and the Instituto Panamericano de Humanidades founded in 1968. It became a university in 1978, starting with Pedagogy and Administration and adding Law, Philosophy, Economics, Engineering and, in 1996, Medicine. IPADE Business School remains part of the university system.
Today UP has campuses in Mexico City (Mixcoac, Santa Fe and Ciudad UP), Guadalajara and Aguascalientes, with 12,160 undergraduates and 4,787 postgraduate students in its 2022-23 annual report and 213 agreements with foreign institutions. Teaching is organised in schools and faculties including Law, Philosophy, Engineering, Health Sciences, Business (Empresariales), Government and Economics, Communication, Architecture, Pedagogy and ESDAI, its hospitality and food-business school.
Its mission is explicitly Christian-humanist, and it is strongest in philosophy, law, business and hospitality. Admission is through UP's own exam and an interview, so it suits students who want a structured, values-driven private university in a big Mexican city and who are comfortable studying mostly in Spanish.
Ubi spiritus, libertas
“Where the spirit is, there is freedom” — university motto
Why students choose UP
UP reports that its Philosophy program is 1st in Mexico and 2nd in Latin America in the QS by Subject 2026 rankings.
IPADE Business School, founded in 1967, belongs to the same university system, and UP offers quantitative programs such as Applied Mathematics, Quantitative Finance and Actuarial Science.
There are three campuses in Mexico City plus Guadalajara and Aguascalientes, and 213 agreements with foreign institutions for exchanges.
UP's international brochure reports that 67% of students at the Mexico City campus hold a scholarship (all levels).
Admissions
Fall 2027 entry (August 2027 start)
Selectivity
UP does not publish an acceptance rate. Every applicant sits UP's admission exam and an interview; results are given after the interview.
Typical entry requirements
| Completed secondary school (any country) | Upper-secondary (bachillerato) certificate, which foreign students must have revalidated by Mexico's Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP); plus UP's admission exam and interview |
|---|
Deadlines
- International admission exam (online) Non-bindingSessions listed for August 2026 and January 2027
UP's international registration page lists its next exam dates as 'August 2026 & January 2027' without exact days; you register online and are given a session. Admission also requires the questionnaire and an interview.
- Preferential exams on recruitment trips Non-binding22 September to 28 October 2026 (tentative)
Exam dates in Honduras, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Colombia in September-October 2026 (tentative, subject to change); one further Colombia date is listed for 8 May 2027.
UP runs admission-exam sessions rather than a single deadline, and does not publish a closing date for August 2027 entry. Its international page lists exam sessions in August 2026 and January 2027 and tentative recruitment-trip exam dates in September and October 2026. For Health Sciences (e.g. Medicine) the page says the next call opened in August 2026 for entry in July 2027. Students start in August (fall) or January (spring).
How to apply
Five steps: register online for the admission exam, complete a data questionnaire, sit the exam, have an interview, and receive your result. International applicants register through UP's international admissions site; after admission they need a Mexican student visa, a residence document from the National Migration Institute and SEP revalidation of their high school studies.
What admissions looks for
- Performance on UP's admission exam.
- An interview that forms part of every application.
- A completed secondary education recognised in Mexico (SEP revalidation for foreign diplomas).
- Fit with UP's mission of seeking the truth and a Christian-humanist education.
Tips for applying to UP
- 1 Register early for the online exam: sessions are scheduled a few times a year and the fee is not refunded.
- 2 Start the SEP revalidation of your high school certificate and your Mexican student visa as soon as you are admitted; UP lists them as required steps.
- 3 Download the tuition sheet from your program page: fees are charged per credit, so heavier programs such as Economics and Applied Mathematics cost more per semester.
- 4 Ask about scholarships during the admissions process; UP reports that most students on each campus hold one.
Costs & financial aid
2025-26 · figures in MXN
UP awards scholarships widely: its international brochure reports that 82% of students in Aguascalientes, 52% in Guadalajara and 67% in Mexico City hold a scholarship (all levels). Additional required payments each semester include medical-expenses insurance (MXN 2,275) and, once, orphanhood insurance (MXN 1,822) and SEP incorporation (MXN 120).
- 67%
- Students with scholarships, Mexico City campus (all levels)
- MXN 3,480
- Cost per credit, Mexico City (2025-26 sheet, valid to June 2026)
- About USD 1,180 (rent USD 850, food USD 240, services USD 40, health USD 20, transport USD 15, phone USD 15)
- UP's estimated monthly living cost in Mexico City (USD)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (fall August to December, spring January to June), plus summer courses
Philosophy (Filosofía)
UP reports it is 1st in Mexico and 2nd in Latin America in QS by Subject 2026.
Law (Derecho)
One of UP's first programs (1970), whose graduates include former President Enrique Peña Nieto.
Hospitality Management
Taught through ESDAI, UP's hospitality school; UP's international brochure lists Hospitality and Leisure Management at 101-150 in the QS by Subject 2022 rankings.
Quantitative Finance and Applied Mathematics
Heavily quantitative 48-credit first semesters for Applied Mathematics on the Mexico City campus, alongside Actuarial Science.
Medicine
Offered since 1996 through the Faculty of Health Sciences in Mexico City.
Research
- UP describes itself as the Mexican private university with the second-highest scientific output, with 448 Scopus-indexed publications in 2025 and 161 active national-system (SNII) researchers in April 2026.
- An internal competitive program assigned USD 980,000 to 149 UP research projects, and an Innovation and Technology Transfer Office was set up in 2022.
- Research lines run from bioethics and nephrology to seismic and structural engineering and Christian humanism.
Schools & faculties
- Facultad de Derecho (Law)
- Facultad de Filosofía (Philosophy)
- Facultad de Ingeniería (Engineering)
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud (Health Sciences)
- Facultad de Empresariales (Business)
- Escuela de Gobierno y Economía
- Escuela de Comunicación
- Escuela de Arquitectura
- Escuela de Bellas Artes
- Escuela de Pedagogía
- ESDAI (Hospitality) and Escuela de Dirección de Negocios Gastronómicos
- Instituto de Humanidades
Student life
UP's Mexico City home is the Mixcoac campus, set in the former silk mill of Mixcoac with its old stone doorway, with further campuses in Santa Fe and Ciudad UP. Student life includes sport teams, arts and culture programs, a language centre, a chaplaincy, an entrepreneurship centre and labs such as Xponential Lab and Media Lab. The university's Christian-humanist identity shapes the curriculum and campus culture. International students get help finding accommodation through Housing UP, and UP runs short courses in Spanish, Mexican history and culture, and Mexican gastronomy.
- Campus Mixcoac occupies the historic Antiguo Obraje de Mixcoac in Mexico City.
- Varsity sports teams and a Deportes program with its own facilities and classes.
- Centro de Emprendimiento e Innovación, Xponential Lab and Media Lab for student projects.
- Spanish courses and a Doing Business in Mexico course for international students.
Housing. UP does not advertise its own residence halls; international students are pointed to off-campus options through the Housing UP service.
Location
Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the Americas, with more than 100 museums and cultural sites that UP builds into its courses for international students. Mixcoac is a residential district in the south-west of the city, and Santa Fe is a business district to the west. UP estimates living costs in Mexico City at about USD 1,180 a month, most of it rent; Guadalajara and Aguascalientes are cheaper.
Nearest airport: Mexico City International Airport (MEX)
Notable alumni
- EP Enrique Peña NietoPresident of Mexico (2012-2018); law degree from UP
- MA Miguel Alonso ReyesGovernor of Zacatecas (2010-2016); law graduate
- MO Martín Orozco SandovalGovernor of Aguascalientes (2016-2022); accounting degree from UP's Aguascalientes (Bonaterra) campus
- CN César Nava VázquezPresident of the National Action Party (2009-2010); law degree, 1997
- KL Kenia López RabadánPAN federal deputy and President of Mexico's Chamber of Deputies (2025-2026); master's in government and public policy from UP
- PL Pablo LemusPolitician and businessman, former mayor of Guadalajara; postgraduate study in finance at UP
- HZ Héctor ZagalPhilosopher, novelist and Aristotle scholar; bachelor's in philosophy from UP
Frequently asked questions
How much does Universidad Panamericana cost per year?
On the Mexico City campus, using the 2025-26 fee sheet (valid to June 2026; no 2026-27 sheet published yet), a year works out at about MXN 339,000 to 395,000 depending on your program's credit load: each semester is an MXN 30,436 first payment plus five further payments totalling MXN 3,480 per credit. There is no separate international rate.
What is the Universidad Panamericana admission process?
You register for UP's admission exam, fill in a questionnaire, take the exam, have an interview and then receive your result. International applicants can take the exam online.
When are UP's admission exams for international students?
UP lists upcoming international exam sessions in August 2026 and January 2027, plus tentative exam dates during recruitment trips to Honduras, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Colombia in September and October 2026. Health Sciences applicants follow a separate call for July 2027 entry.
Does Universidad Panamericana offer scholarships?
Yes. UP's international brochure reports that 67% of students in Mexico City, 52% in Guadalajara and 82% in Aguascalientes hold a scholarship.
What do foreign students need to study at UP?
A Mexican student visa, a residence document issued by the National Migration Institute after arrival, and revalidation of their high school studies by Mexico's Secretaría de Educación Pública.
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.
- Universidad Panamericana: International admissions
- Universidad Panamericana: International admissions (English)
- Universidad Panamericana: International admission exam registration and dates
- Universidad Panamericana: Admission exam registration and process
- Universidad Panamericana: Tuition sheet, Mexico City campus (valid to June 2026)
- Universidad Panamericana: Economics program tuition download page
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