UC MEXUS-CONACYT Doctoral Fellowships for Mexican Students
return to funding
PROSPECTIVE FELLOWS
Description of Program
Why UC?
Administrative Process and Timeline
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
UC Doctoral Programs Seeking Mexican Applicants
Contact Us
Program Flyer
Program Results
Description of UC MEXUS/CONACYT Program
The UC MEXUS-CONACYT doctoral fellowships provide up to five years of funding for Mexican students doing their doctoral studies at any one of the ten University of California campuses. Students may pursue doctoral studies in most of the academic disciplines, with the exception of the arts.
Eligible areas of study include the following:
- Architecture
- Biological Sciences
- Earth Sciences
- Engineering
- Environmental Studies
- Humanities
- Law
- Physical Sciences
- Social Sciences
- Urban Planning
The UC MEXUS-CONACYT doctoral fellowship provides non-resident tuition, fees, a stipend, and support towards health insurance.
To be considered for this fellowship, students must apply to UC programs of study and to CONACYT. Fellowship recipients are selected by CONACYT and must receive an acceptance letter from a UC doctoral program.
All applicants are required to complete and submit the "UC MEXUS Formato de Solicitante" to UC MEXUS by January 23, 2009.
See Administrative Process and Requirements for more detailed information.
Why UC?
UC's ten campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara provide exciting environments that foster world-class educational and research opportunities. More UC academic programs are consistently rated among the top 10 nationally than any other public or private university, and the UC system consistently earns two to three times more NSF research support than any other university system. UC also boasts some of the top graduate programs in the nation. Recent rankings place UCLA and UC Berkeley in the top three public universities of the nation (Washington Monthly, 2005). Impressively, most of the UC campuses are ranked in the top 25 American public research universities (Lombardi Group, 2003).
The University of California has historically recognized Mexico as a valued partner in educational and research exchange. As a specific part of its international focus, the University of California is especially dedicated to cultivating strong ties of collaboration between California and Mexico. Indeed, the UC's recognition of the value of a strong UC-Mexico partnership extends beyond the classroom to its dedication to improving the quality of life for citizens of the U.S. and Mexico, as evidenced by its adoption of four major initiatives in its partnership with Mexico designed to address issues of air quality, technology, and economic policies (Jagoda, 2005).
From an academic standpoint, UC's formal agreements with Mexico are long-standing and have often served as the standard for other university's collaborations with Mexico. Since the inception of UC MEXUS in 1980, over 200 Mexican scholars have participated in its fellowships programs. Such historical ties facilitate a welcoming and thriving intellectual climate for Mexican graduate students and scholars alike.
Administrative Process and Timeline
Applying to CONACYT
See CONACYT's website for detailed information: www.conacyt.mx.
Search for the page titled "Becas para Estudios de Posgrado," and look specifically for "Convenios vigentes."
Applying to the UC system
Typically, successful fellowship candidates begin the application process one year in advance of UC deadlines. This time is needed to achieve the following steps:
Researching UC programs
The first step is to research the 10 UC campuses and their various programs of study. This step is critical not only to choosing the best department for the applicant's particular area of study, but to help in ensuring acceptance to a UC campus and their preferred program of study. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply to multiple campuses and to multiple programs. Applying at a number of campuses, though it can be more expensive, also increases the applicant's chances of securing admission. This point cannot be overstated. (See frequently asked questions on how to choose a campus.)
Applicants should collect as much information as possible about UC campuses and graduate programs. The UC websites are a very useful tool for gathering basic information about campuses and departments. Applicants may also consult the UC MEXUS Posting Service for UC Departments Seeking Mexican Applicants.
Students should also contact departments directly to request additional information that may not be available on the Web. Please note that every campus and every department has a distinct set of deadlines and admissions criteria. A critical first step will be to identify these different deadlines.
Once students have narrowed down the campuses and programs they are most interested in, they should begin to make more individualized contact with faculty whose interests overlap with their own. Communicating directly with faculty about students' interest in working with them and securing their informal support can play an important role in the application process.
Taking the Necessary Exams
Another important step is researching the TOEFL and GRE exam requirements for each program of study. Every campus has a minimum score that applicants must achieve, however required scores vary by campus and by program. Generally speaking, UC Berkeley and UC Los Angeles have the highest TOEFL and GRE requirements because they receive the most applications each year. However, within every campus these requirements can vary according to the specific graduate program to which students are applying.
Applicants will also need to identify campus and graduate program deadlines for taking these exams, and further determine whether they need to take the GRE subject test for their specific area of study in addition to the basic GRE. Please note that the GRE is a very challenging exam, even for native speakers of English. American applicants to graduate programs often invest substantial amounts of money in courses or books in the hopes of improving their scores. A number of American students also take these exams more than once. At minimum, applicants can prepare themselves by becoming familiar with the structure and scoring of the exam. Free test preparation materials are available at the GRE website. Strive for the best performance on these exams, but do not consider them as barriers to applying. Depending upon the campus and program students are applying to, there can be some flexibility in minimum scores, especially if their overall application to the university is strong.
Communicating with UC MEXUS
Applicants must submit the "UC MEXUS Formato" to UC MEXUS, indicating to which UC campuses they are applying. This step is essential in their application process, and enables UC MEXUS to communicate directly with the campuses regarding their solicitation of a UC MEXUS-CONACYT doctoral fellowship.
Administrative Timeline for Prospective Graduate Students
May 2008 (and prior)- Request academic and admission information from the 10 UC Campuses and academic departments of interest.
- Obtain information about the GRE & TOEFL exams. Review the GRE and TOEFL websites. (Exams are offered at sites throughout Mexico.) It is advised that applicants take the GRE and TOEFL no later than December.
- Establish contact with UC professors and/or investigators in the departments of interest (See FAQs for more information).
- Take TOEFL and GRE exams.
- UC admission applications available online. Visit the website of each UC campus of interest.
- Apply for admissions (online) to each of the UC campuses selected. UC MEXUS encourages applicants to apply to multiple campuses and programs.
- Submit all admission material including application fees for each UC campus.
- Deadlines to apply for admission to UC Campus (Note: it is very important to verify admissions deadlines for each individual UC campus/department).
- Apply for a doctoral fellowship with CONACYT. Applications available in the 2009 Convocatoria at the CONACYT website. (Date of the publication of the Convocatoria to be announced).
- Submit "UC MEXUS Formato de Solicitante" by January 23, 2009, to the UC MEXUS office by fax or by email to Susana Hidalgo at susana.hidalgo@ucr.edu. Forms available at the UC MEXUS website.
- UC campuses/departments begin to send admission letters.
- First deadline to submit application for the doctoral fellowship with CONACYT: Dates to be announced.
- Second deadline to submit application for the doctoral fellowship with CONACYT: Dates to be announced.
- Initiate visa process. Contact your academic department and/or Office of International Students and Scholars at your UC campus to obtain additional information.
- Contact UC MEXUS with any questions regarding the University of California or CONACYT fellowship.
- Classes begin at the UC campus.