Tecnológico de Monterrey, 2025

• What can you tell us about the host university?

The Tec de Monterrey campus in Querétaro has a great deal to offer students. There is a wide range of sporting facilities, including three padel courts, two tennis courts and a large football pitch, as well as many other sporting activities. In addition to the outdoor facilities, there is an on-site gym, a large sports hall and various other smaller rooms used for classes. As well as the sporting activities, there are two music rooms and a very well-equipped workshop, where mainly architecture students build their projects, though you’re also allowed to work there after a safety briefing and demonstrating a genuine interest.

Unfortunately, there is no ‘cheap’ dining hall for lunch breaks or general meals; instead, there is a food court where you can find everything from bowls and pasta to tacos. Here, you’ll pay around 5–8 euros per meal. 

As the campus is more than just a place to study, it is, to my knowledge, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is partly because there is a student hall of residence right on campus. During these opening hours, the sports facilities can also be used, as they are equipped with floodlights.

The selection of exam modules takes place at the start of the semester via the Tec website. The courses that were previously visible on the online portal are, in the vast majority of cases, no longer relevant and, in my experience, are only useful for getting a rough idea of the subject matter and the courses on offer. If you need to take a course to have it recognised as part of your degree in Germany, you have to be very quick off the mark and also have a bit of luck. In principle, most courses have a quota for international students ranging from 1 to 6 people.

Exams are often taken online and are comparable in difficulty to simple tests from school days. However, attendance is compulsory for the courses, and participation in class accounts for a large proportion of the final mark. In addition to written examinations and oral participation, extensive homework and projects are often required. Even if a course appears at first glance to require little effort, this is misleading, as these projects are extensive and demand a great deal of work. The university also takes an open approach to the use of artificial intelligence, which plays a central role in the day-to-day delivery of lectures and the development of course content.

Lectures are often held in small groups of around 15–25 students. This fosters close contact with the professors, meaning that lectures are more of a dialogue than a monologue. In my experience, the professors are very open and helpful. Exchange students, in particular, receive assistance with any questions or uncertainties they may have, whether these relate to the online learning platform or academic topics.

• Which modules were recognised towards your degree at FH Aachen after your return? 

I had already passed all the required written examinations before starting my semester abroad and therefore had no compulsory modules left to complete. However, after successfully completing the semester abroad, I received a Transcript of Records listing all the courses I had attended and passed. Generally speaking, though, I know from fellow students who have had subjects recognised that the easiest way to do this is to get in touch with the relevant professor or the Examination Office at the university.

• What can you tell us about the accommodation situation?

In Querétaro, there are three types of accommodation. The first is with a host family, the second option is on campus in a hall of residence, and the final option is to find your own flat.

I myself lived in a flat I’d chosen myself, about a 15-minute walk from the campus. I found this flat on an external website via one of the leaflets sent out by the university. After contacting the landlady, we were sent a tenancy agreement and had to pay one month’s rent in advance as a deposit. Although this went against the recommendations for Mexico, it couldn’t be avoided. Before we transferred the money, we had the contract checked free of charge by Tec’s lawyer to ensure it was plausible and accurate. In the end, we (another fellow student and I) decided to go for the flat. To find our third flatmate, we held an online flatmate search in the WhatsApp group that had already been set up for all students travelling to Querétaro this semester.  Our flat is on La Loma 123, in case you’d like to look it up on Google Maps.
Overall, we were happy with the flat, though we had to put up with a washing machine that barely worked and some very worn-out furniture.

The second – and by far the most expensive – option is to live on campus. The advantage here is that you can get to your lectures without any detours or long, ‘expensive’ Uber journeys. You can also make use of the campus facilities, such as washing machines and the food court. On the other hand, you’re not allowed to have visitors, you often have to share a room with someone else, and there are stricter rules.

The third option is to live with a Mexican host family. These are often situated some distance from the university and therefore require longer journeys by Uber or public transport. The advantage of this option, however, is that your laundry is done and meals are included in the price. Furthermore, this offers the most authentic experience of life in a Mexican family, which was evident among fellow students in the form of a very rapid and significant improvement in their Spanish language skills.

As for the prices: the flat we chose ourselves cost around 900 euros, which works out at 300 euros per person for three residents. The campus accommodation costs around 600 euros for a twin room and just under 1,000 for a single room. A host family costs around 350 euros and is therefore the cheapest option, as you no longer have to pay for food.

Conclusion: If I had to choose a place to live again, I would opt for a host family, as it is not only very attractive financially but also offers the best insight into and the greatest progress in improving one’s Spanish language skills and cultural understanding.  

In terms of food, the cost of living is roughly comparable to prices in Germany. Dairy products are slightly more expensive than in Germany, whilst other products are, in turn, slightly cheaper. If you try to eat as you would in Germany, you’ll pay significantly more, as most products are then imported and therefore more expensive. Eating out, on the other hand, is considerably cheaper, and you can get a good, filling meal for 5–10 euros. Vegetarians have a rather hard time in Mexico, as almost every dish contains meat.
Uber is often the transport of choice for getting around the city. It’s cheap and available everywhere. Over time, though, the cost adds up, so you switch to walking. However, as the city is very spread out and designed for cars, walking is only fun to a limited extent, so you switch back to Uber again. You can also use the buses, but you’ll need to allow considerably more time and do without a well-functioning app for planning your journey.

• What can I say about getting there and back?

On both my outward and return journeys, I flew from Frankfurt via the US to Mexico City. From Mexico City, there’s a very comfortable coach service called Primera Plus, which takes you to Querétaro for around 35 euros. Once you arrive in Querétaro, I’d recommend taking an Uber to the flat. In most cases, this won’t cost more than 10–20 euros. 

As for flight prices: these vary depending on whether you fly direct or with a stopover. My return flight with United Airlines cost a total of around 900 euros.

• What’s there to say about the city where you’ll be studying?

The city centre of Querétaro is very beautiful and offers plenty of interesting sights and things to do. As well as museums, traditional markets and delicious restaurants, there are loads of bars where you can enjoy spending time together. On festive occasions such as ‘Día de los Muertos’, there are huge parades featuring magnificent costumes. To sum up, there’s always something going on in the city and you’ll find every kind of activity you could wish for. One special event you shouldn’t miss is the social dance evenings at ‘The Hub’ shopping centre or at the ‘Hercules’ brewery, which is just outside the city.

As the semester at Tec is divided into three blocks, there’s a week’s ‘semester break’ between each one. This is the perfect time to travel around Mexico with your new fellow students and get to know the country better. My personal recommendation is ‘Puerto Escondido’. It’s a small town in the south of Mexico with an unforgettable atmosphere. In my opinion, the Yucatán region is well worth a visit if you want to see the cenotes and some Mayan cities. The state of Quintana Roo is known for the white sandy beaches around Tulum and Cancún, but unfortunately it’s completely overrun with tourists and is really more suited to people who want to spend their holidays in fenced-off private hotel complexes.

On the subject of safety: I personally haven’t had any negative experiences regarding safety. However, there are a few behavioural guidelines you should follow to avoid the greatest dangers. There are a few fellow students who have, unfortunately, been robbed (mostly by the police in Quintana Roo). In general, though, I wouldn’t let the often sensationalised media reports put me off travelling to Mexico for an unforgettable semester abroad.

• What specific advice would you give to future applicants for applications?

I can only recommend that everyone spends a semester abroad, as you’ll have some unforgettable experiences. Even if you think you’re ‘wasting’ half a year because you’re not making as much progress with your regular studies as you might like, you’ll gain a wealth of experience and independence with the semester abroad. If you have any initial questions, you can always contact the relevant staff at the university and receive clear, structured and very useful advice and information. You can help fund your semester abroad through scholarships. Here too, the university is a good contact for obtaining information and assistance. Otherwise, I can only recommend starting your semester abroad with an open mind and a positive attitude, as with this mindset you’re guaranteed to have an unforgettable time.