Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Mexico) (IPN)

The Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Spanish for National Polytechnic Institute) (IPN) is one of the largest public universities in Mexico with 171,581 students at the high school, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It was founded on 1 January 1936 during the administration of President Lázaro Cárdenas del Río as a response to provide professional education to the most disadvantaged social classes in that historical period, a practice that is still maintained because it is one of the few vocational schools that are still maintained in the world.

The institute consists of 98 academic units offering 293 courses of study. It includes 78 technical careers, 80 different undergraduate and 135 postgraduate programs. Its main campus, called Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos or Zacatenco, is situated on approximately 530 acres (2.1 km2) north Mexico City.

The IPN is based primarily in Mexico City and its suburbs, but with several research institutes and facilities distributed over 22 different states.