Nursing Schools and Programs in Mexico

Nursing Studies in Mexico

Royal Palace in Mexico City

In Mexico, nursing is a university degree: the licenciatura en enfermería, which leads to the professional title of licenciado en enfermería. Students combine health-science courses with clinical practice in hospitals, health centres and communities. Nursing is one of the professions that, according to the Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP), can only be practised with a cédula profesional, the professional licence.

SpainExchange lists 4 schools in Mexico that teach nursing: two in Guadalajara, one in Puebla and one in Hermosillo. They are the Universidad de Guadalajara, the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara (UAG), the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP) and the Universidad de Sonora. The BUAP and the Universidad de Sonora are public universities; the UAG, founded in 1935, describes itself as the pioneer private university in Mexico.

How the nursing degree is organised

Mexican universities organise the licenciatura in semesters or in four-month terms (cuatrimestres) and count it in semesters and credits, not in ECTS. The schools' own pages show the range:

• Universidad de Sonora: eight semesters, with the title of Licenciado en Enfermería; the degree is offered in Hermosillo and also coordinated at the Cajeme and Navojoa campuses
• Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara: 10 cuatrimestres on campus in Guadalajara, with practice in simulation hospitals, health centres and communities from the first term
• Universidad de Guadalajara: taught at the Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud (CUCS) and at regional university centres across Jalisco, such as CUALTOS, CUCOSTA and CUNORTE
• BUAP: the Facultad de Enfermería in Puebla offers the licenciatura, a master's degree and nursing specialisations, as well as degrees in podiatry and gerontology

The curriculum follows a similar path everywhere: anatomy and physiology, public health, pharmacology, nursing fundamentals, maternal and child care, adult and intensive care, mental health and the management of nursing services. The Universidad de Guadalajara describes the aim as training nurses for prevention, health promotion, comprehensive care and recovery. At the UAG, clinical practice modules cover, among others, paediatric and neonatal nursing and intensive care, and nursing students train together with students of medicine, psychology, physical therapy and dentistry.

Before graduating, students must complete social service (servicio social). At the Universidad de Sonora, the Servicio Social Universitario is required both for the pasante certificate and for the professional title.

Admission and language

Each university sets its own admission process, often with an entrance exam. At the Universidad de Sonora, applicants hand in their upper-secondary certificate and birth certificate and must pass the admission exam of the annual call. For applicants who studied abroad, the Universidad de Guadalajara sets out typical requirements:

• School certificates legalised by a Mexican consulate or with an apostille
• Revalidation of previous studies; for bachelor's and postgraduate level, by the SEP's Departamento de Revalidaciones y Equivalencias
• An official translation of documents from non-Spanish-speaking countries and a grade equivalence table
• Proof of command of the language

Because classes and clinical placements are in Spanish, a good working level of the language is needed from the start.

Visa

Foreign students who will stay longer than 180 days generally need a student visa, according to the Mexican consulate in Chicago, which charges a non-refundable fee of US$56. Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that Spanish citizens need a visa to study in Mexico whatever the length of the stay, and that some Spanish students have been refused enrolment without one. After arrival, the visa is exchanged for a migration document at the Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM). The Universidad de Guadalajara asks admitted foreign students to obtain authorisation to study from the INM within 90 days.

Costs and recognition

There is no national fee table. At the Universidad de Sonora, enrolment and tuition fees are linked to the minimum wage in Hermosillo under the university's fee regulations. Private universities publish their own prices: for the January 2027 intake, the UAG lists for its nursing degree an initial payment of MXN 4,325 and three monthly payments of MXN 4,325 per term.

At private universities, a programme is officially recognised only if that specific study plan has a RVOE (Reconocimiento de Validez Oficial de Estudios), and the institution must show the RVOE number, date and granting authority; the UAG publishes the RVOE of its nursing degree on the programme page. Studies without official validity give no right to a title or a cédula profesional.

Careers

According to the Universidad de Sonora, nursing graduates work in primary health centres, in second- and third-level hospitals, in education and research, in geriatric centres and childcare institutions, and in independent practice. Further study is possible at master's and specialisation level, for example at the BUAP's Facultad de Enfermería.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a nursing degree take in Mexico?

It depends on the university. The Universidad de Sonora programme lasts eight semesters and the UAG programme ten four-month terms (cuatrimestres); social service must be completed before graduation.

Do I need a cédula profesional to work as a nurse in Mexico?

Yes. The SEP lists nursing among the professions that require a cédula profesional, which can only be obtained with studies that have official validity.

Are nursing degrees in Mexico taught in English?

No. The programmes are taught in Spanish and clinical practice takes place in Mexican health services, so a good level of Spanish is needed.

Can I spend one semester studying nursing in Mexico?

Some universities accept mobility students. The Universidad de Sonora, for example, addresses students interested in a mobility semester; ask your home university about exchange agreements.