Call for Mexican Government Scholarshipsfor Foreigners 2007

General Conditions
This Call for scholarship applications shall be open from February 15 through July 31, 2006, with the exception of the following Programs: “Genaro Estrada” Program for Specialists on Mexico; High-Level Lecture Program; Special Chairs and Program to Improve the Quality of Mexico’s Higher Education Institutions; and the “Daniel Cosío Villegas” Programs of El Colegio de México. The foregoing shall remain open until November 30, 2006.

The general conditions of the scholarships offered by the Foreign Ministry through its General Directorate for Cultural Affairs are contained in the “Rules Applicable to Foreign Recipients of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Scholarships”, the text of which can be found in this Call.

Scholarship Characteristics
Scholarships are awarded for bachelor’s degree studies (only where shown as a special offer by the Mexican Government), postgraduate studies (master’s degrees, doctorates, and specialties), postgraduate research and postdoctoral visits for academic purposes, and for visiting professors and experts, as well as to study the Spanish language and Mexican culture in the country’s public institutions taking part in this Call. The private institutions participating in this Call are: Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey [Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education]; Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente [Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education]; Universidad Anáhuac [Anáhuac University]; Universidad de las Américas [University of the Americas]; Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana [Claustro de Sor Juana University], Universidad del Valle de México [University of the Valley of Mexico]; Universidad Iberoamericana [Ibero-American University]; and Universidad La Salle [La Salle University].

Scholarships are not open to foreigners residing in Mexico. Foreign diplomats accredited in Mexico and their family members do not qualify as eligible candidates.

Scholarships are offered in the areas of knowledge specified in the programs of this Call. Scholarships are not offered in odontology, plastic surgery, marketing, accounting, advertising, and business administration. In the field of medicine, scholarships are awarded only in the areas of the Hospitals and Institutes established under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs-Ministry of Health Program.

Types of Programs in the Call
To ensure that the scholarships offered by the Mexican Government through the SRE are assigned so that studies be pursued at educational establishments of the highest academic prestige, the 2007 Call is comprised of 102 programs which operate within the framework of cooperation schemes arranged with the receiving Mexican institutions.

This Call consists of three types of programs: Bilateral, which stem mainly from Agreements and Programs signed between the Government of Mexico and the governments of other countries; Multilateral, originating from Mexican Government commitments assumed with international bodies or under multilateral mechanisms; and, Special, which encompass topics of considerable importance for Mexico’s international agenda.

Candidate Profiles
Preference will be given to the following candidatures:

• Candidates whose studies focus on themes of priority for their country’s development.
• Candidates who work in areas of particular importance for institutional development.
• Candidates intending to pursue postgraduate studies included on the National Register of Postgraduates of the Comprehensive Program for the Strengthening of Postgraduate Studies and the CONACYT Excellence Register. Each Program in the Call specifies the areas of study that are offered.
• Candidates wishing to take postgraduates studies not available in their own countries.
• Candidates who wish to take studies or conduct research at institutions located in states throughout the Mexican Republic.
• Candidates who are professors or researchers at public higher education institutions and scientific research centers.
• Candidates who are government officials in charge of areas or programs of special interest to their countries.
• Candidates who work on projects for human, social, or economic development that target marginalized groups or areas which are socially or economically depressed.

Scholarships may begin on the date authorized by the General Directorate for Cultural Affairs. Medical scholarships awarded from this Call shall become effective on March 1, 2007 and this date may only be changed by the receiving Mexican institution.

Persons granted a scholarship from this Call must sign a written pledge to return to their countries upon completion of their scholarship studies. This pledge must be submitted in writing upon acceptance of the scholarship awarded.

Scholarships are granted for a period of up to one year. In the case of bachelors’, masters’, doctorates, and medical specialties and subspecialties, scholarships may – after evaluation – be extended in accordance with the study plans and programs of the Mexican academic institutions. The duration of studies is established in each one of the programs in this Call. Scholarship recipients must guarantee conclusion of their thesis within the normal period of their study program since no additional extensions shall be granted for thesis completion beyond the timeline of said programs once the study program has been completed.

Scholarships for postgraduate research and postdoctoral visits shall have a maximum duration of one year and under no circumstances will they be extended beyond that period. For the remaining programs, the scholarship duration is specified in each case.

All scholarship processing formalities must be expedited before the Mexican Embassy in the applicant’s country of origin or before the concurrent corresponding Embassy, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and/or the local governmental institution designated for said purpose. Whenever it is required that an application and its documents carry the official nomination signature of the candidate’s government, any documentation which fails to meet said requisite will not be considered since this involves an inter-governmental offer and in many cases, is subject to reciprocity.

Reception of Dossiers
Dossiers shall be received at Mexican Embassies between February 15 and July 31, 2006.

Letters of academic acceptance should be signed by the Head of the School Services Department, the Coordinator of Postgraduate Studies, and/or by the Head or Academic Secretary of the Faculty, School, Institute or Center. For medical areas, the letter should be signed by the Head of the Specialty or by the Head of Education of the Hospital or Institute, or by the Director of Postgraduate Studies and Ongoing Education of the Ministry of Health.

a) In the case of bachelors’ or postgraduate studies, the document should indicate the study program in which the candidate was accepted, as well as the program duration and the starting and finishing dates, according to the school calendar, and program modality (six-monthly, four-monthly, or quarterly).

b) In the case of research, the document should specify that the academic tutorage will be offered to candidates to carry out their research project, as well as the period in which they will be received and, if possible, the name of the person who will advise them.

Candidatures must be submitted, as required, on either Application Form A, B, or C included in this Call, together with copies of the documents stipulated. Only applications fully completed and meeting all requirements will be processed. Original documents will not be received. Documents will need to be notarized or carry an apostil only if so requested by the receiving Mexican academic institution for entry into school programs.

Candidates must conduct the necessary formalities directly with the Mexican institutions of their interest and must have the latters’ acceptance before candidatures can be officially considered. If at the time of handing in an application dossier a candidate does not yet have academic acceptance, said candidature shall only be received conditionally.

The General Directorate for Cultural Affairs will contact the Mexican academic institutions to confirm acceptance and the study commencement and termination dates of each scholarship recipient and shall notify candidates through the Mexican Embassy in the country in question.

Candidatures meeting all requirements shall be reviewed by a Pre-selection Committee in the respective country. This Committee will be comprised of local authorities and Mexican Embassy officials and where necessary, of experts in candidates’ areas of specialty.

Selection Criteria

• Academic excellence of the candidate and of the receiving Mexican institution.
• Quality of the studies to be pursued in Mexico.
• Importance of the studies and their direct influence on the development of the candidate’s country.
• Relationship between candidates’ academic and professional backgrounds.
• Reintegration of candidates into their countries’ labor market on completion of the scholarship.
• Connection between the studies and projects underway or already approved, as well as their impact on the development of candidates’ countries.
• Specific application of the knowledge acquired.

The final decision regarding scholarship awards rests with the General Directorate for Cultural Affairs and shall not be open to appeal.

General Requirements

• Meet the specific requirements stipulated in the Call for SRE Scholarships for Foreigners.
• Have the academic acceptance of the receiving Mexican institution.
• Have a bachelor’s, master’s degree or doctorate, depending on the type of studies they intend to pursue.
• Have a GPA of 8, on a scale of 1 to 10, or equivalent.
• Return to his/her country of origin upon conclusion of the scholarship.

The specific requirements are established in each of the Programs and should be read carefully.

Scholarship Awards
The scholarships for 2007 will be awarded by the SRE, through its General Directorate for Cultural Affairs. Scholarship winners shall be notified between November 15, 2006 and February 28, 2007. The results will be delivered in writing at the corresponding Mexican Embassy.

For more information, visit the website: http://becas.sre.gob.mx/ and the call for application document.