Overview
The Colegio Nacional de Educación Profesional Técnica (CONALEP) is a Mexican national system of technical upper-secondary schools. It trains Profesional Técnico Bachiller (PTB) graduates: students who finish with a technical qualification and also a certificate that lets them continue to higher education. CONALEP's 2026-2027 catalogue lists 314 campuses (planteles) and the careers (carreras) approved for each from the 2026-2027 school year. Entry is by an admission process and a diagnostic or admission exam, not by a single national exam paper.
Levels or stages
CONALEP's current admission page describes one track, the Profesional Técnico Bachiller. It lasts three years, in six semesters, with morning or afternoon timetables depending on the campus. Graduates receive a title recognised by the SEP (the federal education ministry). CONALEP says it also applies for the professional licence (cédula profesional) through the Dirección General de Profesiones. It also issues a Certificado de Profesional Técnico-Bachiller, which allows study at higher-education institutions.
Who can apply
New students must hold a lower-secondary (secundaria) certificate. At enrolment a student may instead show a school letter saying studies are finished, and must hand in the certificate within 6 months of the start of the semester.
To register as an applicant, the page asks for a completed registration form, proof of address and the CURP (Mexico's population registry number), plus anything specific in the call for entry (convocatoria).
Exam pattern
After registering, applicants receive a folio (control number) and may take the admission exam. CONALEP's pages do not give its format or length. Once a campus assigns a matrícula, new students take a diagnostic exam.
How to apply
Pre-register on CONALEP's online pre-registration page, which covers every campus and gives the call for entry, careers, admission dates and document requirements. You can also go to a campus for help with registration.
Take the admission exam.
Once you have a student number, enrol online, give your campus the documents, and choose your timetable. Documents named for enrolment: birth certificate (original and copy), a foreign national's valid migration document, three recent photos, a CURP copy and the secundaria certificate.
FAQs
Does CONALEP let me go to university afterwards?
Yes. The Certificado de Profesional Técnico-Bachiller allows you to continue studies at higher-education institutions.
How long does CONALEP training take?
Three years, in six semesters.
Do I need my secundaria certificate to enrol?
Yes, though a campus can accept a letter from your school first if you hand in the certificate within 6 months of the semester starting.