Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Mexico's UNAM announces entrance test re-examination after cheating suspicions
A big university in Mexico, called UNAM, gave lots of students a test on their home computers.
The test used a special camera with artificial intelligence to watch the students and make sure nobody cheated.
After the test, the university noticed that way too many students got very high scores.
That made the university think a lot of students might have cheated.
So UNAM decided that about 58,000 students must take the test again, this time at the university in person.
The head of the university, Leonardo Lomelí, said sorry to students who did nothing wrong.
Some students were upset and protested in Mexico City.
The university says the new test is needed to make sure everyone gets a fair chance.
The school year will start on 31 August instead of 10 August, so it starts a little later than planned.
Mexico's National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) will require about 58,000 applicants to resit their entrance exam in person after abnormally high online test results raised suspicions of cheating.
Nearly 160,000 students took the at-home test this summer, which was monitored by an AI-powered webcam using voice and facial recognition.
The share of applicants scoring 100 or more out of 120 jumped to 16% this year, versus a 3.5% average between 2021 and 2025, while scores of 110+ rose sixfold from 0.9% to 5.5%.
A technical expert told the New York Times that nearly half of the exams — about 75,000 tests — could have involved some degree of cheating.
UNAM filed a criminal complaint in July, delayed the new academic year's start from 10 August to 31 August, and faced protests from applicants in Mexico City.
- Who
- The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), led by rector Leonardo Lomelí, and about 58,000 applicants who took the at-home entrance exam.
- What
- UNAM announced that about 58,000 students must take a re-examination in person after abnormally high results in the online entrance test raised suspicions of widespread cheating.
- When
- This summer; UNAM announced its criminal complaint in July and moved the start of the new academic year from 10 August to 31 August.
- Where
- Mexico, primarily Mexico City; the original exam was taken at home online, while the re-test will be held in person.
- Why
- Because the proportion of very high scores rose sharply this year (16% scored 100+ out of 120 versus 3.5% in 2021–2025), leading the university to suspect cheating and decide it needed to ensure certainty and guarantee equity in access.
University's position
Applicants' concerns
Re-examination decision
University's position
Rector Leonardo Lomelí says the control exam is necessary to "ensure certainty and guarantee equity in access," adding that UNAM knows how to recognize mistakes and self-correct.
Applicants' concerns
Protesting applicants in Mexico City argue that students who were fairly accepted are being forced to resit the exam; Lomelí himself apologized to candidates who had been legitimately accepted.
Online test format
University's position
UNAM introduced at-home online testing to provide greater accessibility, since students previously had to travel hundreds of miles to Mexico City to take the exam.
Applicants' concerns
Critics note the online format enabled cheating, with tips widely passed around before the test went live and nearly half of the exams possibly involving some degree of cheating.
- University
- National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
- Students resitting exam
- About 58,000
- Total exam takers
- Nearly 160,000
- Exam format
- At-home online test with AI-powered webcam monitoring (voice and facial recognition)
- Score spike
- 16% scored 100+ out of 120 this year versus 3.5% average in 2021–2025
- Suspected cheating estimate
- Nearly half of exams (~75,000) per a technical expert cited by the New York Times
- Legal action
- Criminal complaint filed in July
- New academic year start
- 31 August (originally 10 August)