Universidad de las Americas, Puebla, Mexico (UDLAP)
Programme Details
Minimum mark 60%
Level Undergraduate
Language/s Spanish (CEFR Level B2)
Agreement Scope University-wide exchange, but with preference to students from Language and Linguistic Sciences.
Due to the nature of this exchange it is only available to students who are able to opt into a 3+1 (with a year abroad) programme.
Exchange Places 5 semester places for 2024/25
Overview
About:
One of the most prestigious higher education institutions in Mexico – Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP) – is located in Cholula, the oldest city in Latin America, whose magic is the result of a combination of art, culture, history, traditions, and modernity.
UDLAP is only a two-hour drive from Mexico City, one of the most cosmopolitan and populated cities in the world, and 20 minutes from Puebla, a UNESCO world heritage city. Given its excellent geographic location, close to beaches, forests, and archeological centers, there are cultural, artistic, and recreational activities that enhance a student´s university experience.
UDLAP’s history begins with the Mexico City College, which was founded in 1940, laying the foundations for an international university. Now, with over 75 years of experience, it has become an excellent academic institution with over 70 licenciatura and graduate study programs in diverse areas. It offers a multicultural experience to its students, including the 55 nationalities represented on campus due to its exchange agreements with close to 40 countries.
Contacts at UDLAP:
A: UDLAP, International Affairs Office Humanities Building: (HU) 216 Ex hacienda Sta. Catarina Mártir San Andrés Cholula 72820 Puebla, México
Highlights:
UDLAP has maintained its leadership as a private university in the ranking conducted by the Mexican newspaper EL Universal. The ranking, which uses the opinions of academic peers and employers, ranked UDLAP in the first places as the best private university in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Most of the academic programs ranked by the newspaper Reforma also place within the first three slots. America Economia, the Latin American magazine headquartered in Chile, ranked UDLAP the second best private university in Mexico. In 2013 UDLAP began participating in the institutional rating process conducted by QS Stars. The assessment system has a range of performance indicators based on a criterion classification method. As a result, in 2017 UDLAP earned five stars; the only single-campus university in Latin America with this distinction.
Location:
The campus is made up of 38 buildings on 180 acres, located 12 miles west of downtown Puebla, and less than 2 miles south of downtown Cholula in Mexico.
Academic information
Courses / Modules:
Students should discuss with their supervisor/international coordinator their choice of courses using the information provided by UDLAP
Credit (Full-time Load per semester):
30 UDLAP Credits = 60 York Credits
This has been calculated by the University of York and students should not compare it with the requirements of other universities. Taking insufficient credits can lead to students failing the year. Any alteration to credits/modules must be discussed with your department prior to making any changes.
Teaching Periods:
Two 16 week teaching periods
Language:
Most courses are taught in Spanish, students are recommended to have CEFR Level B2 to ensure that they are able to follow courses.
During orientation week at UDLAP, before registering courses, each student will be interviewed by the Spanish Language Coordinator to confirm their level of Spanish proficiency and be enrolled in the adequate Spanish course. The Courses of Spanish as a Second Language are managed by the Language Department. For more information about the course offering, please contact the Spanish Language Coordinator.
Student life
Accommodation:
On-Campus Housing is available. Students need to apply as soon as they receive the confirmation of admission. UDLAP has 4 residential colleges, 3 on campus and one off campus.
Orientation / Welcome week:
During the Orientation Week students will have a welcoming session to inform them about their exchange program, living in Puebla and UDLAP, institutional services, cultural shock, payments, visas, internship and course enrollment, among others.
Support Services:
UDLAP offers a range of support and health services for students
Visas:
There are different visa requirements for students staying for more or less than 180 days in Mexico.
Health insurance:
All International Students at UDLAP, without exception, are required to have international health and medical insurance coverage for the entire period of stay in Mexico. Students may select their own insurance provider.
Travel insurance:
If you are approved by the University of York to participate in this program, you will be covered by the University's Travel Insurance Policy. This is a complimentary policy to cover you for the duration of your University of York mobility experience. Please refer to the Insurance website for all travel insurance queries. You may be required to obtain health insurance valid during your exchange.
Student experiences
Laura, Language and Linguistic Science, Study Abroad, 2019/20
One of the main difficulties I faced whilst being abroad was the length of the academic term and not having a break, at York the terms are 10 weeks and we have reading week whereas I had to do 18 weeks of university without a break, all whilst being in a different country. I have enjoyed studying in a different country and understanding how their education system works, it has also allowed me to take modules that I would never had been able to do whilst being in York.
Alexandra, Language and Linguistic Science, Study Abroad, 2019/20
I have become more flexible and spontaneous. My confidence has grown because I met so many new people while I was there, many of whom became my good friends. It was challenging learning psychology, literature and politics, all of which are subjects I have not studied at university and I had all these classes in Spanish. The teachers were very patient and understanding with me which was nice and it really helped my Spanish to improve. It was a challenge when I first arrived because my Spanish wasn't very good so it was difficult to communicate with my flatmates and I was homesick. I hadn't got any close friends. I overcame these difficulties. I went to the dance classes and I started making friends and I continued to try to use my Spanish and meet new people. I quickly made friends and I was very happy there. I was very sad to leave Mexico and say goodbye to all my friends there.
I have really improved my Spanish by talking and socialising with my Mexican friends. I am also more confident speaking Spanish with others. I have learnt a lot about the Mexican culture and traditions. For example, I visited Oaxaca to see the celebrations of 'Day of the Dead' a city famous for the celebrations of this important event in Mexico. I gained a new skill of learning salsa, cumbia, bachata and a little tango through going to dance classes on campus and going to free dance classes once a week at a bar. Therefore I also discovered this part of the culture. I traveled to different towns so I found out more about the Mexican way of life in different parts of the country. I also learnt a bit about the nature and wildlife when I visited some beautiful forests, beaches, jungles and waterfalls. The nature in Mexico is incredible.
Amy, Language and Linguistic Science, Study Abroad, 2019/20
This experience has been eye-opening in many ways. I have become a more understanding person in terms of accepting other cultures. However, it has also taught me how to decide for myself what I want to learn from and acquire from other cultures, whilst maintaining the parts of my original culture that I see benefit me and others around me the most. My language skills and confidence in talking about sensitive topics respectfully has definitely improved. For example, I successfully discussed (in complete Spanish) feminism, women's rights and the differences between Mexico and UK's approaches towards these topics with my Mexican friend's mother. After experiencing Day of the Dead for myself, my views around death have changed for the better and it is not so hard to talk about now, and I feel like this is a big change in me that I thank Mexico for.
Caitlin, Language and Linguistic Science, Study Abroad, 2019/20
My experience has made me a more confident individual and I feel that it has completely brought me out of my shell. I achieved my long term goals of travelling every weekend and I have made life long friends from across the world. My spoken Spanish has greatly improved and i find that i make less and less grammatical mistakes and I have gotten over my fears of practicing.
Top Tips for Studying in ...
Please note: these tips have been provided by students who have studied abroad in Mexico - Global Opportunities recommends that you use these as a guide only and do your own research on what is best for you.
Money and Banking:
I used Starling as my main day to day account and had a Halifax Clarity Card for emergencies or bigger payments
I had a Monzo card.
I used my normal bank and then i have a Santander World Zero credit card which does not charge you for transactions abroad. It is easy to take money out on campus - always have cash, most places won't accept card. However, I would highly recommend Monzo - I wish i used this and most English students did. It provides immediate conversion to your phone so you can easily keep track of what you spend.
The university had many ATM's on campus that were easily accessible and the price for taking about money was not high at all, maybe £2 at the most. Cash is mostly used in Mexico so you should limit your transactions by taking out a lot, not too much, but enough for about a week, 2 weeks at a time. Starling card was good to avoid any international bank problems as it is a MasterCard and is a global bank.
Staying Connected:
I bought a sim card there which i could top up every month
I bought a new Mexican sim card at the airport for my normal English iPhone.
I bought a Telcel sim card at the airport. Access to all social media networks (whatsapp, instagram, facebook and Snapchat) is all included, with 3000 MB and unlimited texts and calls within mexico is 200 pesos for 30 days. Approx £8. After you run out, you receive a text from Telcel, and you can top up with the link provided or go into an Oxxo and top up in person with the cashier.
Food:
Grand Bodega is the cheapest, Walmart has the most choice but is expensive, for fruit and veg the local fruterías are the best and super cheap
I cooked in my flat in my college on campus but I also ate at restaurants and cafes quite a bit. I always ate out when I went to a different town.
I ate out every day because it is so cheap, I never cooked for myself. Walmart is expensive, I would use Gran Bodega for food shops or local markets. To eat, any taco stand is amazing and La Pringa is opposite UDLAP - best restaurant in Cholula and all of the staff want to be your friend and help you practice your Spanish.
Places to eat are easy to find, I would say the cheapest shops are the Gran Bodega instead of Walmart. However, Walmart will be able to provide things that are more like you are used to so you could go there for home comforts.
Paperwork and bureaucracy:
[Kept] a list all the time on my laptop of what had to be completed and deadlines. Best thing to do is keep on top of it.
There is a lot of paperwork because I am a languages student I had to do certain agreements and documents for languages department and then more documents for CGP, so it was a bit stressful but you do it step by step and it was fine.
Be prepared to wait in a queue for hours on your first day. We all waited at least 2 hours to be seen.
The paperwork isn't too stressful because any question I had I just asked about because I didn't want to get it wrong. University of York is very helpful and understanding about completing paperwork. UDLAP is very unorganised and sometimes doesn't tell you how they would like the paperwork or how it should be done. I recommend (because they are very slow with paperwork too), complete any paperwork as much as you can and have all questions ready when you try to give it in, rectify it in their office and then it'll all be sorted. Never go with un-attempted paperwork!
What I wished I'd known...:
It may be hard at beginning and you may not be able to understand the conversation at the start but don't be upset or think you're terrible at Spanish (or whatever the language is). It was difficult at the start but fairly quickly I made friends and I was having coffee sitting round a table with my Mexican friends just speaking in Spanish.
More about the town/ area itself.
Where to live. My best advice would be live in Cholula Capital, Casa Roja or Puebla housing accommodation. Do not waste your money on URBANITE where i stayed. You will save hundreds of pounds and make so many more friends if you live in shared international housing and most are ensuite too.
I never really knew who to see or contact about certain things so anything you have to do, do straight away, don't wait. Changing courses process is very stressful and I don't want anyone else to have the same stress I did. Speak to students who have been there previously.
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