Why Guadalajara

Mexico's Second City and Its Technology Capital

Our View

Guadalajara joins The Student World EXPO Mexico in 2027. It is the second-largest metropolitan area in the country, the centre of Mexico's technology industry and home to some of the most respected private universities and schools in the region. Mexican demand for study abroad has grown steadily, and Guadalajara's families combine financial capacity with a strong preference for the United States, Canada and Europe. We recommend it to any institution already recruiting in Mexico City or Monterrey.

FPP can also arrange meetings with bilingual local school counselors and visits to selected schools in the days around the event. If this is of interest, please book these services with your FPP representative well in advance.

Guadalajara is the capital of the state of Jalisco and the heart of a metropolitan area of more than 5 million people. It is the birthplace of mariachi and tequila, a UNESCO World Heritage city centre (the Hospicio Cabañas) and, since the 1990s, the "Silicon Valley of Mexico", with operations of Intel, Oracle, IBM, HP, Continental and hundreds of software and electronics companies.

Hospicio Cabañas and the Guadalajara skyline

Academic Profile & Student Mindset

The city has one of the densest higher-education ecosystems in Latin America: the University of Guadalajara, one of the largest public universities in the country, together with ITESO, Tec de Monterrey Campus Guadalajara, Universidad Panamericana and Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, the oldest private university in Mexico.

Guadalajara's private schools include American, German, French and British curriculum schools, IB programs and strong Catholic and lay traditional schools. Students are bilingual, academically competitive and used to the idea of studying abroad, often with older siblings or relatives who have already done so.

Economy and Families

Beyond technology, Jalisco is a national leader in agribusiness, manufacturing, logistics and creative industries, and Guadalajara hosts the largest Spanish-language book fair in the world (FIL). The city's upper-middle class is large and growing, with executives, engineers, entrepreneurs and professionals who see an international degree as a strategic investment.

Study Abroad Culture

Mexico is among the leading sources of international students in North America, and Jalisco is one of the states with the highest demand. The United States and Canada are the natural first choices, followed by Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the Netherlands. Interest is strong in engineering and computer science, business and finance, design and architecture, medicine and health sciences, and international relations.

For universities with strong STEM, business and design programs, Guadalajara offers a large, qualified and financially capable market, with a counselor community used to working with international institutions and far less recruiter traffic than Mexico City.

Culture and Quality of Life

Guadalajara is one of Mexico's most pleasant cities to visit: a mild climate all year, a walkable historic centre, excellent food and a direct flight connection to most North American hubs.

Photos: Hospicio Cabañas, Guadalajara by ProtoplasmaKid (CC BY-SA 4.0); Catedral de Guadalajara 2022 by Salvadormello30 (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.