AMEXCID Scholarship Benefits & Stipend 2026 — What Is Actually Covered

What Is Covered

What the Scholarship Provides

Monthly Stipend

Paid every month throughout the scholarship period. The amount is indexed to Mexico's UMA (Unit of Measurement and Update) rate, which changes in February each year. For master's programmes: 4 × monthly UMA. For doctoral research stays: 5 × monthly UMA.

Tuition Fees

Registration and tuition fees at the host Mexican institution are covered directly. You do not pay these out of pocket. The host university handles this as part of the scholarship arrangement with AMEXCID.

Medical Insurance (from Month 7)

Coverage through IMSS (Mexican Social Security Institute) is included, but it does not start immediately. It begins from your seventh month in Mexico. The first six months are your responsibility. Plan for private health cover during that gap.

Return Airfare (on completion)

Economy class round-trip airfare is provided for eligible countries, but only upon successful completion of the scholarship. AMEXCID determines the route. Your initial trip to Mexico is not covered by the scholarship.

Mexican Visa Fee Waiver

The cost of the student visa for stays over 180 days is covered. Recipients do not need to prove economic solvency when applying for their student visa, as AMEXCID provides the necessary documentation.

Domestic Transport (one-time)

A one-time domestic transportation allowance to travel from Mexico City to the city where your host institution is located. This is provided at the start of the scholarship period.

Stipend Amounts: The UMA System Explained

Mexico uses a unit called the UMA (Unidad de Medida y Actualización) as the basis for indexing various government payments including the AMEXCID scholarship. The UMA value is reviewed and updated every February by Mexico's national statistics agency (INEGI). This means the exact peso amount of the scholarship changes every year.

The scholarship does not list a fixed peso amount — it specifies a multiple of the monthly UMA. For master's level scholarships and undergraduate mobility, the stipend is 4 × monthly UMA. For doctoral and postdoctoral research stays, it is 5 × monthly UMA.

Approximate Stipend Amounts by Year

Based on UMA values updated each February. Check the official call for the current year's exact amount.

Year	Master's / Mobility (4× UMA)	Doctoral / Postdoc (5× UMA)
2023	MXN $12,614.80	MXN $15,768.50
2024	MXN $13,202.12	MXN $16,502.65
2025	MXN $13,757.84	MXN $17,197.30

Important: The stipend is paid monthly in arrears. This means you receive payment for a given month after that month has passed, not at the beginning. When you first arrive in Mexico, you will need enough personal funds to cover your expenses for at least one full month before you receive your first stipend payment.

The Medical Insurance Gap

Month 1–6: No AMEXCID medical coverage

AMEXCID provides health coverage through IMSS (the Mexican Social Security Institute), but this coverage only activates from your seventh month in Mexico. For your first six months, you are responsible for your own medical expenses.

This is a real and significant gap. Mexico has both public and private healthcare options, but emergency care at a private hospital can be expensive, and the public system requires affiliation documentation that you won't have in the first months. Many scholars choose to purchase travel or international health insurance before departing their home country to cover this period.

What to do about the first six months:

▶Check whether your home country's national insurance offers any overseas coverage
▶Consider purchasing an international student health insurance policy before you travel
▶Ask your host Mexican institution whether they offer any student health coverage to new international students

What Is Not Covered

This is where most “fully funded” descriptions fall short. The following are expenses that fall entirely on the scholarship recipient:

Accommodation / Housing

There is no dedicated housing allowance. You pay rent from your monthly stipend. In cities like Mexico City, a single room typically costs MXN $5,000–10,000/month, which can consume more than half your stipend. Smaller university cities (Queretaro, Guanajuato, Morelia, Puebla) are considerably more affordable.

Your arrival flight to Mexico

The round-trip airfare AMEXCID provides is for your return journey at the end of the scholarship. It is not provided upfront. You fund your own travel to Mexico to begin the scholarship.

Medical insurance for your first 6 months

As described above, IMSS coverage starts in Month 7. Any health expenses in the first six months come out of your own pocket unless you have separate coverage.

Books, materials, and academic supplies

Tuition and registration are covered, but textbooks, printing costs, laboratory supplies, and any other course materials are the student's expense. Budget these from your monthly stipend.

Food, personal expenses, and daily living

Your monthly stipend must cover everything not listed above: groceries, transportation, phone, internet, and personal spending. Mexico can be affordable for daily living, but this varies significantly by city.

Scholarship Duration

The scholarship duration is tied to the modality you apply for. The full term is awarded upfront — there is no annual renewal. What you receive is a fixed-term scholarship from start to finish.

12 months

Undergraduate or Master's Mobility

For academic exchange or mobility within an existing degree programme

24 months

Complete Master's Degree

To complete a full two-year master's programme at a participating university

3–12 months

Doctoral or Postdoctoral Research

Research stay at a participating Mexican institution; duration agreed at application stage

Up to 36 months

Medical Specialization

For medical specialization programmes only; plastic surgery is excluded

Benefits & Stipend