Mistakes That Get Applications Rejected

This is the single most common reason for application failure. The AMEXCID application requires a valid university acceptance letter as a mandatory document. Without it, the application is incomplete and will be rejected at the first stage of review.

The confusion comes from how this scholarship is often described online. Most articles list it as a scholarship to apply for, without making clear that admission to a Mexican university is a prerequisite, not a subsequent step. AMEXCID does not place you at a university — you bring your university admission to them.

Even if you went through the correct sequence and obtained a university acceptance letter, AMEXCID will reject the application if that letter is dated more than 60 days before your SIGCA submission date.

This catches applicants who obtained their acceptance letter well in advance, then waited too long to apply. The 60-day window runs from the letter's issue date to the date your AMEXCID application is submitted. If it's Day 61, the letter is invalid and you need a new one from the university.

There are two separate checks here. First, the field of study must not be on AMEXCID's excluded list: no Business Administration, MBA, Accounting, Marketing, Advertising, Dentistry, Plastic Surgery, or any online programme. These are absolute disqualifications regardless of which university offered the acceptance letter.

Second, even if the field is eligible, the specific programme must appear in Annex 6 (Academic Offerings) of the current year's call. Being admitted to a participating university for a programme that isn't in Annex 6 won't help — only programs listed in that annex qualify.

The SIGCA portal has a hard file size limit of 1.8 MB per uploaded document. Files larger than this cannot be uploaded. If you scan your documents at high resolution or scan them in color without compression, you will frequently exceed this limit.

Before uploading anything, check the file sizes. If a file is over 1.8 MB, compress it using any PDF compression tool. For scanned documents, a 200–300 DPI resolution in grayscale or black and white usually produces files well within the limit while remaining clearly legible.

AMEXCID is explicit about this: one registration per person, per application cycle. If you create a second account because you want to correct a mistake in your first application, all accounts associated with the same applicant are automatically disqualified — not just the duplicate.

If you make an error in your application, contact AMEXCID directly at the email provided in the official call. Do not attempt to fix it by registering again.

All documents submitted to AMEXCID must be in Spanish. Documents in any other language need to be accompanied by a Spanish translation. This is not a suggestion — applications with untranslated documents are rejected or returned incomplete.

The translation does not need to be certified for most documents. Merge the original and the translation into one PDF so they count as a single file. This keeps things organized and ensures reviewers have both versions side by side.

The minimum Spanish language requirement is B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference. B1 is not sufficient. Some applicants present B1 certificates expecting them to be accepted, but they are not.

Note that the requirement applies to your coursework language. If your programme is taught in Spanish and Spanish is not your native language, you need the B2 certificate. If your programme is taught in another language, the Spanish language certificate may not be required for coursework, but you still need to complete the SIGCA application portal in Spanish.

The airfare benefit AMEXCID provides is the return flight home after successfully completing the scholarship. It is not a ticket to get you to Mexico at the start. Your initial travel to Mexico is entirely self-funded.

Related to this: the stipend is also paid in arrears, meaning you won't receive your first payment until after your first month is complete. Plan to arrive with enough personal savings to cover at least one to two months of expenses while you wait for your first stipend and get settled.

AMEXCID provides IMSS health insurance as part of the scholarship, but this coverage activates from your seventh month in Mexico, not from Day 1. For the first six months, you have no health coverage through the scholarship.

This is particularly important for any applicant with ongoing health conditions or for anyone planning extended outdoor or physical activities in Mexico. Arrange private or international student health insurance to cover the initial six-month gap.

After winning the scholarship and arriving in Mexico, recipients must register in person at AMEXCID's offices in Mexico City within the first 10 calendar days of the scholarship's first month. Office hours for this are 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM, business days only.

If your host university is in another city, you will need to travel to Mexico City specifically for this step. Missing the 10-day window can jeopardize your scholarship status. Factor in the Mexico City trip when planning your arrival date.