Study at the Universidad de Monterrey!
Surround yourself with Mexican culture, history, and cuisine while studying for a semester or full year at the Universidad de Monterrey! UDEM serves over 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offers unlimited access to Monterrey’s many art galleries, museums, theatres, and commercial centers. Located in the heart of the San Pedro Garza Garcia municipality, UDEM is 1,000 kilometers north of Mexico City and Guadalajara and only a few hours away from the beaches of Cancun. The university is renowned for their successful liberal arts education, extensive internship program, and outstanding international services.
- No prior Spanish required! UDEM offers classes in both English and Spanish.
- UDEM lies at the foot of 4 main mountains in Monterrey, offering students a beautiful campus and picturesque study abroad experience!
- The university provides rigorous programs in business, education, social sciences, art and graphic design at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
- International Students are connected with language partners and cultural guides through the university’s iLink program.
- ISEP participants may take Spanish as a Second Language and Oral Communication at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels.
"Being able to improve my Spanish, travel, meet new people, eat great food, and assert my independence, were only some of the benefits I gained from studying at the Universidad de Monterrey!” Delia Steverson, Full Year ISEP Participant from Agnes Scott College
About Universidad de Monterrey
Check out the UDEM campus virtual tour (In English)
UDEM is a modern liberal arts university situated in the southwest region of the Monterrey metropolitan area. Officially established in 1969 by the Catholic Church, local businessmen, professionals and educators, the university has always demonstrated a strong commitment to personal growth, holistic education, global awareness, and quality teaching. UDEM’s mission incorporates noteworthy student internships, campus internationalization, and community involvement.
With over 8,000 students and 40 majors, the university is recognized as one of the finest institutions in Mexico.
UDEM is especially ideal for students traveling from abroad. The university’s iLink program helps international students connect with their Mexican classmates. Through these cross-cultural relationships, international students can practice their Spanish, experience authentic Mexican culture, and explore Monterrey with those who know it best! The iLink program also sponsors affordable trips to the nearby attractions like las Grutas de García (the Garcia Caves), la Gran Plaza, and las Cascadas Cola de Caballo (the Horsetail Falls).
Another outstanding feature of the UDEM program is their Lánzate Center for Leadership and Challenge. Lánzate offers an array of outdoor activities, including: ropes courses, rappelling challenges, hiking trips, and camping excursions for national and international students alike. The program offers great opportunities to meet other university students while challenging participants in team-building exercises and leadership development. If you are looking for a program that will test you inside and outside the classroom, UDEM is the perfect place for you!
Academic Information
UDEM is widely recognized as one of the top schools in Mexico. With a small teacher to student ratio, you are guaranteed quality teaching and personal care inside the classroom. A detailed description of course requirements can be found here. The university also offers a great number of internships within the Monterrey metropolitan area as well as a large selection of classes in English. Because of the many English courses available at UDEM, students are not required to have had previous experience in Spanish.
The Universidad de Monterrey offers courses in the following colleges (facultades):
- Art, Architecture and Design
- Architecture
- Digital Graphics
- Art
- Interior Design
- Industrial Design
- Fashion & Textile Design
- Health Sciences
- Biomedical Engineering
- Psychology
- Nursing
- Integrated Nursing
- Dentistry
- Medicine
- Law & Political Sciences
- Political Science
- Public Administration
- International Relations
- Law
- Education & Humanities
- Education
- Information & Communications
- Educational Psychology
- Sociology
- Liberal Arts
- Philosophy
- Humanities & Social Studies
- Engineering & Techonology
- Industrial & Systems Techonlogy
- Mechanical Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Information Systems
- Business
- Business & Administration
- Accounting & Finance
- Human Resources
- Economics
- International Business
- International Tourism
- International Finance
- International Marketing
Academic Calendar
First semester: early January to late May
Summer Term: late June to late July
Second semester: late July to early December
Students may request a semester or full year placement – full year placement is strongly recommended. UDEM’s calendar is compatible with most university calendars.
Library and Computer Labs
International students have full access to the Biblioteca Central as well as three other department libraries (Unidad San Pedro, Unidad Valle Alto, y Unidad Fundadores). UDEM also has library agreements with 44 other local and national institutions in order to provide students with the best resources possible.
The campus is widely equipped with computers and computer labs. UDEM also offers students wireless access around campus.
“During this year at the UDEM I did not only learn a lot about Mexico and the mexicans – I met people from all over the world. Students from the US, from France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway… all with their peculiarities studied, partied and traveled together and made this experience not just bi- but multi-cultural.” Dorothee Wolf, an ISEP Participant from Universitat Trier
Housing and Meals
ISEP recognizes UDEM and its surrounding neighborhood as friendly, safe, and secure for international students.. Living with a host family in Monterrey is strongly encouraged by ISEP. Students may also choose to live on campus in the UDEM residence halls or off campus in rented apartments.
Support
UDEM’s International Programs Department is outstanding. All students will be met at the airport, provided that the International Programs Department is advised of their travel schedule. The IPD also arranges the student orientation, helps to facilitate the iLink program, and organizes many extracurricular activities and excursions. International students will receive top notch support during their time in Monterrey.
Sports and Recreation
The sports and recreation facilities at UDEM are one of a kind. The Sports Education Center on campus is currently used by over 4,500 students. This center allows local and international students to play soccer, tennis, volleyball, basketball, softball, baseball as well as engage in swimming, tae kwon do, aerobics, and climbing activities. The city of Monterrey also boasts over 60 sports clubs that international students may visit and use.
“Studying in Mexico wasn’t a whole lot like I thought it’d be…it was better!” Olivia Jones, an ISEP Participant from Missouri State University
About Monterrey, Mexico!
The cosmopolitan city of Monterrey has combined colonial architecture with modern buildings, creating daring and unusual contrasts. Its main attractions are concentrated in the metropolitan area, particularly in the Macroplaza and its surroundings. This area boasts civil and religious buildings, as well as a variety of interesting museums, that bear witness to four centuries of history.
Places of Interest
- Palacio de Gobierno: Palacio de Gobierno is on the northern front of the Macroplaza.
- Museum MARCO: The museum of contemporary art of Monterrey is localized in front of the Macroplaza. It has a permanent collection of important works of contemporary Latin American art.
- The Planetario Alfa: Museum of science, art and technology which is distinguished for its planetarium.
- Museum of Mexican History: The museum of Mexican History is placed in the center of Monterrey, place where the “Ojos de Agua de Santa Lucía” are born, foundation point of the City of Monterrey.
- Museum of Obispado: The museum of regional history of Nuevo León is said to be one of the principal architect and historic buildings of the City of Monterrey.
- Cañón de Huasteca: The Cañón de la Huasteca is one of the most spectacular natural monuments of Mexico. It is localized in the south of the city of Monterrey in the mountains of the Sierra Madre Oriental; it has an extension of 200 hectares and is part of the Park Nacional Cumbres de Monterrey. In its walls you can observe prehistoric glyphs created thousands of years ago by the ancient inhabitants of the region. The beautiful formations and colorful landscape are great for hiking, strolling, and taking photos.
- Cola de Caballo: This impressive waterfall named “cola de Caballo” (horse’s tale) is located at about 40 km from Monterrey, in the town Villa de Santiago, N.L.. It has beautiful look-out points and you may also rent horses and carts to go uphill to the falls.
- Las Grutas de Barca Garcia: The caves “Grutas de Garcia are located in Garcia, N.L., at 30 km of the City of Monterrey, going along the highway to Saltillo with exit to Garcia. You can take a cable car ride to explore the caves or walk on foot.
- Bioparque Estrella: The Park Estrella has two different areas. First the Serengeti Safari, an open area of 250 hectares in which the visitor may do a journey of 7 km, there he can see more than 600 animals of 40 different species that live at the moment in the park. Second the Mundo Infantil, where you can find a play zone, petting zoo, a lake with pedal boats, etc.
- Plaza Sesamo: Plaza Sesamo is located inside the area of Park Fundidora in Monterrey. This park is inspired by the TV show with the same name.
- Chipinque: The plateau of Chipinque is a forest area with places to camp and look out points from which you can observe the city panorama. It is the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental and forms part of the ecologic reserve Parque Nacional Cumbres.
- Parque Nacional Cumbres: This national park consisits of 1,600 hectares of sub-mountain vegetation and pine forest and is home to more than 120 species of birds and 22 species of mammals. It offers excellent conditions to practice mountain biking, photography, walking, hiking, hang gliding, and other sports.
Nightlife
Monterrey offers a wide variety of venues for dancing, listening to music or enjoying a drink in the evening such as Club Vongole, Charao’s, El Skandal, Kumbala and Far West Rodeo. There are two main entertainment centers, one in the old town, El Barrio Antiguo, where you can find a variety of restaurants, cafes, bars and discos, and the Centrito Valle, in the heart of San Pedro Garza Garcia.