From 2019 to 2026, the number of students receiving scholarships from elementary to university level grew by 217 percent, increasing from 7.2 million to 22.8 million, the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) reported.
The Secretary of Education, Mario Delgado Carrillo, noted that the public policy of awarding scholarships was implemented during the previous administration with the goal of ensuring that no child or young person is left without an education due to a lack of financial resources throughout the country.
He detailed that in 2019, the number of scholarship recipients was 7.2 million, who received support totaling 58.2 billion pesos. By 2025, under the administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, the number of beneficiaries rose to 13.3 million students, with an investment of 128,627,317,661 pesos.
This year, the number of beneficiaries will reach 22.8 million, with an investment exceeding 178.2 billion pesos.
During this six-year term, the “Rita Cetina” Universal Scholarship was created for middle and elementary school students. The National Coordinator of Welfare Scholarships, Julio León Trujillo, added that in 2025, this program reached 8,851,348 beneficiaries in middle school, with an investment of 76,622,524,594 pesos.
Likewise, the “Benito Juárez” Universal Scholarship for Upper Secondary Education supported 4,094,419 students, with an investment of 40,131,620,475 pesos.
The “Youth Writing the Future” Higher Education Scholarship benefited 409,226 university students by the end of 2025, with a total investment of 11,873,172,592 pesos.
In addition, the new “Gertrudis Bocanegra” Scholarship, which already has over 44,000 university students registered for 2026, is part of the Michoacán Plan for Peace and Justice.
This year, the “Rita Cetina” Scholarship will be expanded to include students in grades one through six of primary school nationwide. Their families will receive a one-time annual payment of 2,500 pesos per student, intended for the purchase of uniforms and school supplies. Informational meetings are being held in public schools at this educational level during February to guide families through the registration process and how to access this new scholarship.
Source: jornada
