USICAMM

Overview

USICAMM is the Unidad del Sistema para la Carrera de las Maestras y los Maestros, a unit of Mexico's Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP). It runs the national teacher career system for public basic education (preschool, primary and lower secondary) and upper-secondary education. Its organisation chart has separate directorates for admission, promotion (vertical, horizontal, additional hours, and upper secondary) and recognition.

For most candidates, USICAMM means the admission process: the annual, nationwide selection for public teaching posts. Each state education authority (or, in upper secondary, each subsystem) publishes its own call, but USICAMM sets the rules, runs the online knowledge assessment, scores every candidate and produces the ranked lists used to assign posts. This page covers the admission process for the 2026-2027 school year, which ran in 2026. Promotion and recognition processes are for teachers already in service and have their own rules.

Who can apply

Anyone can take part voluntarily. Requirements differ by level.

Basic education (teaching and technical-teaching posts):

• A bachelor's degree (licenciatura) with the title or professional licence (cédula). Graduates of the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 cohorts could register with their exam record or official certificate and show the title within six months of appointment.

• A degree that matches the professional profile of the level, service or subject applied for.

• For English teaching posts, a valid CENNI certificate at level 12 or above.

• For indigenous early-childhood, preschool or primary posts, proof of indigenous-language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), assessed by the state authority.

• Completion of the online course on teaching and digital skills for the Nueva Escuela Mexicana for 2026-2027.

• Not already holding a permanent post at the same level in any state.

Upper-secondary education:

• A bachelor's degree with title or cédula, matching the training component applied for.

• Completion of two online courses: an exploration of teaching skills for upper secondary, and a course on digital language and culture.

• For English posts, a valid CENNI certificate at level 12 or above.

Graduates of public teacher-training colleges (escuelas normales públicas), the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional and the Centros de Actualización del Magisterio have priority in basic-education admission.

Exam pattern

The result is not an exam score alone. USICAMM rates five "multifactor" elements on a 100-point scale. The knowledge and aptitude assessment (apreciación de conocimientos y aptitudes) is taken online on a USICAMM platform on a set day and time.

In basic education, a degree from a public normal school, the UPN or a CAM earns the full 15 pedagogical-training points when it is the degree you apply with. Extracurricular courses count only if they are in USICAMM's catalogue, are no older than three years and total at least 20 hours. Teaching experience can come from teaching practice (for public normal school, UPN and CAM graduates), classroom teaching after graduation, or adult-literacy work with the national adult education institute (INEA).

Marking and results

USICAMM combines the five elements into a final score and ranks candidates from highest to lowest in a list for each state, level, service or subject. In basic education, ties are broken first in favour of public normal school, UPN and CAM graduates, then by the knowledge assessment score and its areas. Results for 2026-2027 are valid until 31 May 2027 and are final.

Being on the list does not guarantee a post. Posts are offered in list order only while vacancies exist.

Important dates

The original 2026 calendars were changed by amendments in March 2026. The amended dates were:

Fees

All procedures in the 2026-2027 admission calls are free of charge.

How to apply

1. Read the call from the education authority of your state (basic education) or from the upper-secondary subsystem you want to join. It lists vacancies, profiles and local requirements.

2. Book a registration appointment on the USICAMM online platform in the booking window.

3. Attend registration, in person or remotely as the authority decides. The basic-education call asks for ID, CURP, birth certificate, your degree documents and evidence for each multifactor element. You then sign a registration form and acceptance letter.

4. Complete the required online course(s), then sit the online knowledge and aptitude assessment.

5. Check your individual result on the platform. You can file a request for reconsideration within 15 working days of a decision you think was applied wrongly.

Documents found to be false or altered remove you from the process at any stage, even after a post has been assigned.

After the exam

State authorities hold public events, in person or online, to assign posts in ranked-list order. Candidates choose from the vacancies on offer for their level, service or subject. In basic education, a person who accepts a permanent vacancy receives a permanent appointment after six months and one day without an unfavourable note on their record. If only permanent posts are offered and you decline, you move to the end of the list. The school placement chosen at the event is provisional until the end of the school year.

Preparation tips

• Prepare your documents early: points for experience, courses and grades count only with proper original evidence.

• Download the free study guides for the knowledge assessment from the USICAMM platform; they list topics and reading.

• Take the required online course(s) seriously. In upper secondary the course score is worth 25 points, and in basic education the course scores are used as a tie-breaker.