Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Mexico)

The National Polytechnic Institute (Spanish: Instituto Politécnico Nacional ), abbreviated IPN, is one of the largest public universities in Mexico with 171,581 students at the high school, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It was ranked third in Mexico, behind Tecnológico de Monterrey and UNAM and 246th in the Engineering and Technology category in 2025 by QS World University Rankings. It was founded on 1 January 1936 during the administration of President Lázaro Cárdenas. The institute consists of 98 academic units offering 290 courses of study. It includes 57 technical careers, 79 undergraduate and 154 postgraduate programs. Its main campus, called 'Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos' or 'Zacatenco', located in northern Mexico City, covers approximately 530 acres (2.1 km2) . The IPN is based primarily in Mexico City, but with several research institutes and facilities distributed over 22 states.