Grants and Writing Resources for Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Three chemical engineering students from the Facultad de Química took first place overall in May 2026 at the Concurso de Ciencias Básicas 2026 of the Asociación Nacional de Facultades y Escuelas de Ingeniería (ANFEI), a national test of physics, mathematics and chemistry that drew 70 institutions. At the final in Mérida, where teams from ten institutions solved 15 problems read aloud before an audience, the UNAM team also won the chemistry category and placed third in mathematics.

Medals for Top Graduates

UNAM's Reglamento del Reconocimiento al Mérito Universitario (regulation on university merit awards) sets two silver medals for students. The Medalla Gabino Barreda goes to the student with the highest average at the end of bachillerato (upper secondary) or in each licenciatura (bachelor's) program. The Medalla Alfonso Caso goes to the most distinguished graduate of each especialización, maestría and doctorado plan, with at most one medal per plan each calendar year.

Students at the bachillerato, licenciatura, especialización and maestría levels need an average of at least nine. Doctoral candidates need a record with no unfavorable evaluations, and the quality of their work and doctoral thesis is weighed as well.

Graduate Scholarships and Research Travel

New full-time master's and doctoral students in in-person programs can apply for Becas para Estudios de Posgrado en la UNAM under the Programa de Becas "Elisa Acuña," run by the Coordinación General de Estudios de Posgrado (CGEP). In the 2027-1 call the monthly payment is 4.5 Unidades de Medida de Actualización (UMAs) for a master's and 6.0 UMAs for a doctorate. Applicants may not hold other funding for the same purpose or earn pay for more than eight hours of work a week.

The Programa de Apoyo a los Estudios de Posgrado (PAEP) pays for national or international activities of one to 30 days. Students present at congresses, colloquia and symposia, take advanced courses and workshops, or go on field practice. Program coordinators make the nominations; the 2026 rules allowed one complementary award during a master's and up to two during a doctorate. Stays of 31 to 180 days, research stays and dual-degree study among them, come under Apoyo para la Movilidad en Posgrado.

Money to Finish the Thesis

Several Becas para Titulación (degree completion scholarships) help graduates who still have to earn the title. For the 2026-2027 cycle, the beca for Egresados de Alto Rendimiento (high-achieving graduates) pays up to $8,000 pesos, and the one for Proyectos de Investigación sobre la UNAM (research projects on the university) pays up to $10,000 pesos, each in two installments. Bachelor's graduates without the title can also be nominated by their faculty for support for academic activities abroad tied to titulación, administered by the Dirección General de Cooperación e Internacionalización (DGECI).

New master's and doctoral graduates can apply to the Programa de Estímulo a la Graduación Oportuna (timely graduation incentive). The 2027-1 call offered a single payment of $26,000 pesos for a master's and $33,280 pesos for a doctorate.

TESIUNAM catalogs theses by students who earned a degree at UNAM, plus bachelor's theses from schools incorporated into it. The Repositorio Institucional de la UNAM listed 569,854 licenciatura, maestría, doctorado and other theses when we checked in October 2026.

Where Student Writing Appears

The masthead of Punto de Partida reads "la revista de los estudiantes universitarios" (the university students' magazine). The magazine began circulating in November 1966, comes out every two months, and is edited at UNAM's Dirección de Literatura y Fomento a la Lectura.

Its contest accepts work from Mexican and foreign students enrolled in bachillerato, licenciatura or posgrado at any institution in Mexico. The 57th contest, under the 2025-2026 call, ran eight categories, among them cuento (short story), poesía, crónica and ensayo de creación (creative essay). That call paid $8,000 pesos for first place and $6,000 for second, and both winning pieces are published in the magazine.

Help With Academic English

The Centro de Escritura y Habilidades Académicas (CEHA) at the Escuela Nacional de Lenguas, Lingüística y Traducción (ENALLT) helps students and academics build reading, writing and speaking skills in academic Spanish and English. Its Programa de Asesorías de Escritura Académica (PASEA) gives undergraduates, graduate students and faculty guidance while they draft school and research papers in English. The Programa de Escritura Académica en Inglés (PEAI) holds workshops for students and researchers who are starting or finishing a draft research article for an indexed journal.

CEHA says it will soon extend these programs to work in academic Spanish.

If a thesis or an English-language article needs a last check of grammar, consistency and format before it reaches a jury or a journal, our editors can do that final edit. See our Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México dissertation and thesis editing and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.

From Our Writing Guides

• ESL Academic Writing: Overcoming Common Grammar Habits
• Writing the Abstract and Title: First Impressions Matter
• From Dissertation to Publication: The Final Scholarly Synthesis