Does your child attend private school? Here's how you can apply for a tuition waiver.

MEXICO CITY (apro).— Private educational institutions with Official Recognition of Valid Studies (RVOE) in Mexico are legally required to award scholarships for a minimum of 5% of their total student enrollment. This benefit, known as an exemption scholarship, can partially or fully cover the cost of tuition for the current academic year.

The measure is based on the General Education Law, which seeks to guarantee the right to education and expand opportunities for students. In September 2021, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) ruled that this provision is constitutional, determining that it constitutes a public policy to contribute to a social purpose and not an unjustified tax burden on private schools.

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The Ministry of Public Education (SEP), through its official website, provides information about this right for students enrolled in private schools. However, the management and selection of beneficiaries is the sole responsibility of each educational institution.

How does this scholarship work and who can apply?

The program establishes that private schools must provide scholarships to at least five percent of their students enrolled in each curriculum. These scholarships can be full, covering 100% of tuition, or partial. In the case of partial scholarships, the exemption cannot be less than 25% of the total tuition cost. The duration of the support corresponds to the number of months covered in the school year.

State regulations, such as those of the State of Mexico and Sinaloa, specify that support provided by schools to the children of their employees as an employment benefit is not counted toward this mandatory 5%.

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Requirements for applicants vary depending on the state and the institution itself, but generally include being a regular student, not having another scholarship from a public or private organization, and demonstrating a minimum grade point average. Some, such as the one in the State of Mexico, establish an average of 8.5 out of 10, while in states like Michoacán the requirement is 8.0. For preschool and first grade, a specific average is not usually required.[6] In addition, priority is given to students facing vulnerable economic situations.

The application process step by step

The application process for the fee-exempt scholarship is carried out directly at the educational institution where the student is enrolled. Schools must establish a Scholarship Committee, the body responsible for receiving and evaluating applications from families. This committee is responsible for applying the guidelines issued by state educational authorities and allocating scholarship percentages to each case.

Interested parents or guardians should pay attention to the announcements that each school publishes , usually at the beginning of the school year. For example, the Michoacán State Education Secretariat reported that its announcement for the 2024-2025 school year would open at the end of August, once the school year begins. In the State of Mexico, applications for the 2025-2026 school year were scheduled by educational level between the end of July and mid-August 2025.

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To complete the process, applicants must complete a registration form and attach the required documentation, which usually includes proof of enrollment, a report card from the previous academic year, and, in some cases, proof of income for the parent or guardian. It's important to note that generally, only one application per family is allowed , regardless of the number of children enrolled at the institution.

They seek to extend the benefit to more students

An initiative to amend the General Education Law is currently being considered in the legislature. The proposal, presented by Representative José Braña Mojica of the PVEM party on April 4, 2025, seeks to increase the minimum percentage of scholarships that private schools must grant from 5% to 10% .

The legislator argued that many private school students do not belong to a wealthy sector and attend these schools out of a need to continue their academic education. The initiative, which was referred to the Education Committee for analysis, aims to strengthen this support to close inequality gaps, without impacting the finances of private institutions.

State educational authorities, such as the Secretariat of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of the State of Mexico, publish on their official portals the calls and catalogues of the schools registered in the program, allowing parents to verify the information and key dates to carry out the procedure.[4][6]