Program Dates:

Application deadlines for the student exchange programs each year are:
September (5 or 10 month) – May 28, 2010
January – October 1, 2010

The Mexican school system is divided four areas: pre-escolar, primaria, secundaria and preparatoria. Most YES Canada exchange students will participate in the preparatoria level where they, like their classmates, will choose to study in of the following professional studies: physical-mathematics, chemical-biological, economic-administrative or the humanities.

Mexico is made up of 31 states and a federal district, each with their own jurisdictions to pass their own laws. Not all Mexican states have compulsory school attendance laws, though the State must provide education opportunities. Their levels of education are organized into groups of Basic Education, Secondary Education and Higher Education. In order for students to pursue their post-secondary, or Higher academic studies, students must have completed six years of primary education.

Student life in Mexico offers an exciting opportunity to learn Spanish, one of the most useful languages in the global world today. It is also a chance to learn new traditions and see sites beyond what the average tourist sees. Mexico is a beautiful, warm country. YES Canada students rate is as one of the best countries to study in!

School System

The Mexican School system is divided as follows : the pre-escolar, the primaria, the secundaria and the preparatoria school. Most of the international students will attend classes in a preparatoria school. In the preparatoria schools, students must choose one of 4 professional areas : physical-mathematics, chemical-biological, economic-administrative, or humanities.

The Mexican school system is organized into Basic Education, Secondary Education and Higher Education components as follows:

Basic Education:
Basic Education comprises preschool, primary school, and lower secondary school. Preschool covers children aged three through five and is generally provided in three grades. Preschool is free.

Primary education provides at least six years of schooling and is compulsory upon the states to provide free education from age six. There are several educational pathways, for specific population groups, including general education, bilingual-bicultural education, community education for children in the isolated regions of the country, and (4) adult education.

Higher-secondary education (3 years) is considered part of basic education and is compulsory upon the states. For entry, students are required to have successfully completed six years of primary education.

Secondary Education:
Upper-Secondary Education is separate from Basic Education. This stage is non-compulsory upon the states and has three pathways: General upper-secondary, Technical professional education, and Technological upper-secondary.

Not all Mexican states have compulsory school attendance laws, and "compulsory education" generally means simply that it is compulsory upon the states to provide for it. It is important to understand that Mexico comprises 31 states and a federal district, and these jurisdictions pass their own laws so long as they do not conflict with federal laws. Compulsory school attendance in the state of Sonora went into effect in the beginning of the 2008 school year. The state of Sonora provides 12 years of free public education for its young people.

Higher education:
There are four pathways of higher Education in Mexico:
1. Universities (4-5 year colleges and universities, called the licenciatura)
2. Technical institutes (3-year programs in engineering and management)
3. Teacher-training colleges, offering bachelor's degrees in the fields of education
4. Technological universities, offering two-year programs to prepare students as Higher University Technicians