More than 1 in 10 university students in Yucatan are from outside the state
A trip to Yucatan isn’t just for adventure tourists and business travelers. Around 13 percent of students pursuing higher education here have come from outside the state.
That’s over 10,000 students from other states or from abroad who ventured to Yucatan for an advanced degree, said the Secretary of Research, Innovation and Higher Education of the State Government (Siies).
The general director of Higher Education of the Siies, Gerardo Antonio Escaroz Soler, indicated that the state has a concentration of 106 higher education institutions, including private, independent, and government-run schools.
Yucatan’s reputation for safety, as well as the competitiveness of its study programs and its technological and industrial development, said Escaroz.
“The educational offer and quality in the study programs, together with safety and tranquility, attract students from all states of the Republic to study in Yucatan,” he said.
Queretaro sends the most students here; 34 percent of Yucatan’s out-of-state students are from there. That is followed by Campeche, 15 percent; Tabasco, 11 percent; Veracruz, eight percent; Chiapas and Zacatecas, seven percent; and Mexico City, five percent.
Four percent of students in Yucatan are from abroad, mainly from the United States, as well as from Europe, Central, and South America and the Caribbean.
The state official specified that although the largest number of foreign students are concentrated in Mérida, there is also a presence in Valladolid, Peto, Maxcanú, Progreso, and Tekax, which receive a significant number from Campeche and Quintana Roo.
Escaroz explained that although the majority of young people who arrive in the state come to pursue a bachelor’s degree program, there are those who at the end decide to continue for a master’s degree, doctorate and other postgraduate degrees.
“Foreign” enrollment has increased around 12 percent in the last five years, he said. The most popular areas of study are administration and business; followed by health sciences, engineering, manufacturing and construction, and information and communication technologies.
The careers most in demand are accounting, marketing, administration, business and international relations, surgeon, nursing and psychology, as well as civil, industrial, mechanical and computer systems engineering.
Attrition is low. About 92 percent of foreign students remain in their programs long enough to earn a degree. The eight percent who drop out cite economic, health or family issues or an employment opportunity back home.
Source: yucatanexpatlife.com, sipse
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