OECD - Higher Education in Mexico

This report is part of a series of country reviews developed for the in-depth analysis of the labour market relevance and outcomes of higher education strand of work as part of the OECDs Enhancing Higher Education System Performance project.

The work was carried out in close collaboration with the companion report, The Future of Mexican Higher Education: Promoting Quality and Equity , which focuses on broader issues in higher education, including governance, funding, quality and equity, as well as two key sectors of higher education: teacher education colleges and professional and technical institutions.

The OECD would like to thank the Mexican Secretariat of Public Education ( Secretaria de Educacin Pblica, SEP), under the leadership of Rodolfo Tuirn Gutierrez, Vice-Minister of Higher Education, for its continued support of the project. In particular, the OECD would like to express its gratitude to Salvador Malo, Director General for University Higher Education, for acting as the national co-ordinator for the project. His support, input, and feedback throughout the project was invaluable.

The OECD is also grateful to the National Council for the Accreditation of Higher Education ( Consejo para la Acreditacin de la Educacin Superior , COPAES) for coordinating the project in Mexico. The OECD is especially thankful to Vicente Lpez Portillo Tostado, Director General of COPAES, for his leadership and ability to bring key stakeholders into the project. The OECD would also like to thank members of the COPAES leadership team: Isabel Almada Calvo, Juan Carlos Del Castillo Vzquez, Gerardo de Jess Villavicencio Obregn, and Pedro Mara Salcedo for their assistance during the country review visit to Mexico and for helping to foster a strong understanding of the higher education system and policy issues in Mexico. The OECD is also thankful to Gabriela Esteva and the team of ESMART Consultores for the compilation of the country background information and their support during the project.

The OECD would also like to recognise the supportive role played by the Permanent Representative of Mexico to the OECD, Ambassador Mnica Aspe, and her staff, in facilitating contacts and information gathering in Mexico.

This report benefitted immensely from interviews conducted with government ministries, public agencies and higher education stakeholders from 30 January to 1 February 2018 in Mexico City and the videoconferences in the following months. The OECD would like to thank the following organisations for the critical knowledge and perspectives provided during the interviews: the Secretariat of Labour and Social Welfare (STPS) through the Sub-secretariat of Employment and Competitiveness; the Secretariat of Economy (SE) through the Sub-secretariat of Industry and Trade; the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI); the National Association of Universities and Higher Education Institutions (ANUIES); the Federation of Mexican Private Higher Education Institutions (FIMPES); the National Productivity Committee (CNP); the National Technological Institute of Mexico (TecNM); the General Coordination of Technological and Polytechnic Universities (CGUTyP); the National Science and Technology Council (CONACyT); the National Council for Standardisation and Certification of Labour Competencies (CONOCER); the National Centre for Higher Education Assessment (CENEVAL), the Business Co-ordinating Council (CCE); the Confederation of Workers in Mexico (CTM); the Confederation of Employers (COPARMEX); the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO); the Higher Education-Industry Foundation (FESE); Exponential Mxico; Valle de Mxico University (UVM); Anhuac University; School of Banking and Commerce (EBC); Kimberly-Clark; Cryoinfra; Grupo BAL; the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM); the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN); the Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP); and the University of Guadalajara (UdG).