Mexico: SECIHTI

PhD Scholarships for Mexican Students

Mexican students have an opportunity to apply for full funding to do their PhD studies at the University of Groningen with a scholarship made available by the Mexican Ministry of Education, Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation (SECIHTI) (formerly: CONAHCYT).

Calls for Applications

The general call for applications for Mexican nationals to apply to SECIHTI funding for full PhD studies abroad is published each calendar year. To learn about future calls for applications keep an eye on the SECIHTI website.

Call for Applications and Deadlines

The central call for full PhD funding in 2025 opened on 17 March.

Students are individually responsible to submit their application to SECIHTI.

Application Period 2025:

  • Applications to be submitted as of 27 March 2025
  • Application deadline: 23 May 2025
  • Publication of results: 8 August 2025

Selected grantees need to start their mobility 31 March 2026 at the latest. A realistic first possible start date at UG is four months after the publication of results. A December start date is not possible at UMCG for administrative reasons, which means that we recommend to start between January and March 2026.

Call text (in Spanish).

For Prospective PhD Students

  • We welcome you to look into the offer of our Research Institutes and the UMCG research website.
  • Considering that websites may be hard to navigate, in case you need assistance locating a supervisor for your PhD project, please reach out to the Graduate School of Medical Sciences by submitting this form along with your CV in English. 
  • You may download a leaflet with more information specifically for Mexican prospective PhD students
  • You can find the outline of the PhD curriculum in the PhD Study Guide.

Applicants will need to provide the following general documentation to SECIHTI that require input from the Graduate School and/or UMCG supervisor:

  • Letter of acceptance, contact the Graduate School of Medical Sciences
  • Outline of the PhD curriculum: use the PhD Study Guide
  • Letter regarding GSMS Tuition Fees
  • Letter regarding the language of instruction for the PhD program (English)

Note that it is a hard requirement to submit proof of proficiency in English, as part of your admission to the GSMS PhD program. Minimum score tests: TOEFL iBT 92 (minimum skill score 20) or IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum band score of 6.0 on each individual part); TOEFL iBT Home Edition tests are acceptable. More information on GSMS requirements you may find here.

Moreover, we also strongly recommend that you reach out to the UG Representative Office in Mexico, Ms Camila Carvajal & Luis Andrés González Gutiérrez - via latinamerica@rug.nl.

Groningen tops up your scholarship!

SECIHTI provides a scholarship of EUR 1.090 per month, which is not sufficient for immigration to the Netherlands.  However, students who are admitted to the Groningen PhD program and who will obtain their PhD degree (also) from Groningen will receive a top-up of their monthly scholarship for the period of research carried out at Groningen (conditions may apply).

For more information, consult this FAQ section!

For UMCG Supervisors

In order to prepare the letter of acceptance for SECIHTI PhD applicants, UMCG supervisors should provide the Graduate School of Medical Sciences with the information and documentation requested here. 

No bench fees can be claimed from SECIHTI. UMCG supervisors of successful applicants will receive the standard annual contribution towards bench fees from the Graduate School. More information about GSMS fee policies can be found here.

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