UNAM orders in-person retest after cheating scandal in admissions exam

UNAM is requiring students who passed its 2026 undergraduate entrance exam to sit for a new in-person test after evidence of widespread cheating, including possible A.I. use, shook Mexico’s largest public university. The move comes after its first-ever online admissions exam produced unusually strong scores and triggered questions about whether the process could be trusted.

Researchers first flagged the problem on July 22, when Milenio reported statistical anomalies in the online exam and suggested failures in the A.I.-based proctoring system used in Mexico City. Three days later, NMás said UNAM had suspended new undergraduate enrollment for the 2026-2027 cycle while a commission reviewed alleged irregularities and the possible use of artificial intelligence in the admissions test.

The scale of the suspicion widened as more details emerged. NPR reported on July 28 that one analysis suggested nearly half of test-takers may have cheated, describing the exam as UNAM’s first online admissions test. By July 30, El País said UNAM was expected to decide whether to validate the online results at all, as unusually strong scores fueled doubts about the integrity of the process.

The fallout moved from screens to the university’s main campus. El País reported that rejected applicants protested at UNAM’s Rectorate Tower on July 28, demanding answers as the admissions dispute deepened. The protests underscored how quickly a technical failure in exam security became a broader crisis of confidence at an institution that serves as a gateway to higher education for tens of thousands of students.

On July 31, a CNN en Español summary syndicated by KIFI said UNAM would hold an in-person exam after the cheating scandal over the online admissions test. That response effectively forces legitimate applicants to prove themselves twice, first in the disputed online exam and then again under tighter supervision, while the university tries to separate honest scores from those shaped by cheating or AI assistance.

The controversy has exposed the risks of moving high-stakes admissions online without airtight controls. For UNAM, the issue is no longer just who earned a place this year, but whether the university can restore trust in the fairness of an exam that determines futures before classes even begin.