Educational Exchange as a Strategic Priority in U.S.-Mexico Relations

When the Open Doors report first began in 1949, Mexico was the fourth-largest sender of international students, and Mexican students comprised 5 percent of all international students in the United States. Since then, while the overall number of Mexican students has increased, the rate of change has not increased as swiftly as students from other countries, such as India and China. In 2023–2024, Mexico ranked as the eleventh-leading country for international students in the United States and comprised only 1 percent of all international students. Given Mexico’s proximity and historical relationship, nearly half (49 percent) of international students from Mexico in 2023–2024 attended colleges and universities in the four border states with Mexico.

Notably, there are twice as many U.S. students, more than 30,000, studying in Mexico. This number includes three types of study abroad students: U.S. students directly pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees at Mexican universities, U.S. students studying abroad in Mexico from their U.S. college or university for academic credit, and U.S. students studying abroad in Mexico from their U.S. institution who do not receive academic credit.

During 2023–2024, more than 25,000 U.S. students directly enrolled in Mexican colleges or universities, with 97 percent pursuing undergraduate degrees. This high level of degree mobility is likely due to a number of factors, including familial networks, opportunities to participate in dual and joint degree programs, and several Mexican institutions’ participation in the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Loan Program.

In addition, 4,339 U.S. students studied abroad in Mexico and received academic credit for that experience at their U.S. institution in 2022–2023 (Figure 3). While this number reflects a partial recovery from lows noted amid the Covid-19 pandemic, it remains well below the mid-2000s highs of approximately 10,000 students, when Mexico regularly ranked among the top six study abroad destinations. Despite the long history of exchange and geographic proximity, Mexico ranked as the thirteenth leading study abroad destination as of 2022–2023, behind Greece, South Korea, and Denmark.

Furthermore, U.S. colleges and universities also send students abroad on noncredit opportunities, which can include volunteer, internship, and research abroad experiences. Mexico ranked as the fourth leading destination for noncredit study abroad, with 1,278 U.S. students in 2022–2023. These experiences can directly foster workforce and research connections that last well beyond the exchange.

Governmental Policies and Funding Impact Student Exchange

When examining shifts in international exchange, several push-and-pull factors can lead to ebbs and flows of international students. One factor shaping the trends in student mobility between the United States and Mexico over the past decade has been the level of public investment in policies and funded scholarships.

Initial growth in the mid-2010s came about following the administrations of President Peña Nieto and President Obama’s recognition of the importance of strengthening economic ties in 2013, which led to the U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Forum on Education, Innovation, and Research (FOBESII). Under the FOBESII framework, initiatives like the United States-led 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative and Mexico’s Proyecta 100,000 aimed to enhance cross-border educational exchange. These programs focused on how collaboration in higher education could generate human capital and mutual understanding that would benefit both economies.

The results of these initiatives can be seen in the mobility data from this time. The number of Mexican students in the United States reached a high of 17,052 in 2014–2015. During this time, Proyecta 100,000 supported a number of programs, including short-term English programs. As a result, the data show a notable increase in the number of international students from Mexico studying intensive English in 2014–2015 (Figure 4).

On the U.S. study abroad side, there were five years of notable declines beginning in 2008–2009, reaching a low of 3,730 in 2012–2013. This drop was initially driven by the H1N1 virus outbreak in 2008–2009 and later sustained by ongoing safety and security concerns. With governmental focus and support on rebuilding student mobility to Mexico, numbers began to slowly rebound beginning in 2013–2014.

Gradually, however, the diplomatic relationship between the United States and Mexico began to strain, particularly following the election of Donald Trump in 2017 and Andrés Manuel López Obrador in 2018. Without this leader-level prioritization and directed funding, the effect on the number of international students from Mexico was notable. While undergraduate and graduate students remained relatively stable with modest growth, the number of students enrolled in nondegree and intensive English programs fell, failing to match even the levels noted before Proyecta 100,000 (Figure 4).

Despite these challenges, Mexico and the United States have continued to promote exchanges through established programs like Fulbright, Jóvenes en Acción, EducationUSA, as well as through numerous smaller initiatives. For example, given the strategic importance and expansion of the semiconductor industry, Arizona State University, a Hispanic-Serving Institution in a state that borders Mexico, received funding to work with Mexican higher education institutions and businesses to increase the production of semiconductors in North America. It has resulted in professional development seminars for Mexican instructors and an online course on the fundamentals of microelectronics and nanoelectronics. These types of programs showcase how international exchange programs can be designed to build strategic sectors, but without larger programs or country-wide policies, it is not likely to greatly expand the levels of student exchange between the United States and Mexico. Current U.S. policy, including a deemphasizing of the importance of free trade and North American integration, could lead to further decline of academic exchanges, particularly those that focus on technical and vocational education and training and workforce development.

Obstacles to Strengthening U.S.-Mexico Educational Exchange

Economic inequality remains a significant issue for Mexico, serving as a barrier to increasing access to higher education. Nonetheless, from the start of the century, Mexico’s domestic college attendance has more than doubled, reaching 4 million enrolled students by 2024. While this is an important accomplishment, this number trails behind other countries in the region, leaving Mexico with a rate of 38 percent of students enrolled in higher education.

Another key hurdle for prospective Mexican students seeking to study in the United States is the lack of English proficiency across the country. Mexico ranks 87th out of 116 countries and 20th out of 21 countries within Latin America in terms of English proficiency. There are also notable regional discrepancies in English proficiency. For example, Monterrey, Hermosillo, and Guadalajara demonstrate relatively high proficiency, while Mexico City and Cancún lag behind.

An additional deterrent to strengthening U.S.-Mexico educational exchanges and bilateral student mobility is the fluctuations in political will and policy permanence across administrations. As mentioned throughout this commentary, fluctuations in student attendance rates across the border often coincided with changes in administration. Furthermore, perceptions can also impact student mobility. As Mexico aims to attract more U.S. students, perceptions of insecurity—particularly related to drug-related violence and crime—remain a challenge. While the U.S. Department of State’s travel advisories outline safety precautions by each Mexican state, many of which are rated at a level 1 or 2—indicating relatively safe environments for travel, there continue to be overall concerns about safety. In addition, while Mexican students are welcomed and enter the United States on valid student visas, current political rhetoric around immigration and border security may also impact perceptions of discrimination or insecurity, potentially discouraging future growth in student exchanges.

Expanding Student Mobility

To increase student mobility between Mexico and the United States, there must be a multifaceted approach that expands support for accelerating student flows.

Address Educational Gaps

To broaden access to and interest in higher education, the Mexican government has pursued a series of efforts to expand educational opportunities, notably through the Programa Nacional de Educación Superior. On English language training, Mexico has directed programs—such as the Programa Nacional de Inglés—to bolster English teaching capacities at educational institutions. Furthermore, U.S. institutions and industry representatives traveled to Mexico in 2025 to generate connections and showcase opportunities for students to study English in the United States.

Promote Affordable Study Opportunities

Given the costs associated with studying abroad, especially in the United States, affordable, nondegree or short-term study opportunities remain a way to increase mobility. Short-term opportunities for Mexican students—such as English language programs, academic exchanges, workforce training, certification courses, and associate degrees at U.S. community colleges—offer meaningful global experiences while remaining affordable and widely accessible. Similarly, U.S. students studying abroad have increasingly been drawn to affordable, shorter-term programs. By designing short-term programs or developing partnerships with Mexican institutions, there are opportunities for growth in terms of U.S. study abroad, particularly given the proximity and cost-effectiveness of Mexico as a travel destination.

Design Programs Focused on Workforce Development

While the United States expands efforts to diversify supply chains, certain components are better sourced through regional partnerships—opening space for Mexican industries to play a key role, particularly where skilled labor is vital. In addition to the creation of programs that focus on strategic sectors, such as the one at Arizona State University, institutions can promote global internships that enhance the development of twenty-first-century job skills for both Mexican students in the United States and U.S. students abroad in Mexico. U.S. institutions can also encourage engagement for Mexican students in OPT, which allows students to gain work experience in their field of study. Approximately only 13 percent of international students from Mexico are on OPT experiences, which is lower than other leading countries, such as China (22 percent) and India (29 percent).

Strengthening Institutional Partnerships

Increasing academic collaboration between institutions can create more opportunities for exchange. Partnerships, tailored to institutional strengths and interests, can take on many forms, including official memorandum of understanding between institutions, reciprocal exchange agreements, shared faculty research, study abroad trips, or online programming, such as collaborative online international learning. Institutions with close proximity to Mexico or Hispanic-Serving Institutions may be well-positioned to expand partnerships and offer best practices to other institutions throughout the United States. Importantly, institutions should aim to create sustainable programs and partnerships that are mutually beneficial. A 2017 ACE analysis found that only a quarter of more than 800 partnership agreements between the United States and Mexico from 2013 remained active. National and regional forums, such as the Conference of the Americas on International Education, membership networks, such as the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and the EducationUSA’s Western Hemisphere Higher Education Institutions Partnership Board, can help facilitate cross-border collaborations and partnerships.

International Education as a Bilateral Diplomatic Tool

There is a clear link between a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to educational exchange and the growth of student flows between Mexico and the United States, particularly given the two nations’ proximity and close historical relationships. Reducing support for educational exchange programs will directly limit students’ ability to participate and undermine a key opportunity for both countries to strengthen their economies and the cultural ties that support cooperation across sectors—from business to security.

Juliana Rubio is an associate director with the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Julie Baer is a research and learning lead at the Institute of International Education in Washington, D.C. Eitan Casaverde is a former research intern with the Americas Program at CSIS.