UNAM orders control exam for 58,000 applicants amid admission scandal
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) contracted the private firm Territorium Life to run its 2026‑2027 online admission exam, with a budget ranging from 40 million to 101.8 million pesos—about twice the cost of the previous in‑person test. After the exam, the university detected irregularities such as unusually high scores, suspected cheating and possible use of artificial‑intelligence tools. A technical commission recommended a supplemental “control exam” for roughly 58 000 candidates, including about 22 000 who had been selected.
Rector Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas announced the control exam, apologized to applicants, and the university’s Secretary General Patricia Dávila Aranda resigned, being replaced by Javier de la Fuente Hernández. President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged to admit rejected students to the Universidad Nacional Rosario Castellanos. Meanwhile, dozens of accepted applicants staged protests, blocking Insurgentes Sur in Mexico City and demanding that their original results be respected.
Entities: Claudia Sheinbaum · Héctor Saúl Téllez · Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas · Mario Delgado · Patricia Dávila Aranda · Territorium Life · Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México · Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) · Universidad Nacional Rosario Castellanos
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Rector Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas apologized to applicants and said the control exam aims to verify results. (UNAM rector)
- [● 4 SOURCES] UNAM’s technical commission launched an investigation and announced a control exam for applicants. (UNAM technical commission)
- [● 6 SOURCES] UNAM announced a control exam for approximately 58 000 applicants. (UNAM)
- [● 4 SOURCES] UNAM contracted Territorium Life for the online admission exam with a maximum cost of about 101.8 million pesos. (UNAM)
- [● 3 SOURCES] President Claudia Sheinbaum proposed admitting rejected applicants to the Universidad Nacional Rosario Castellanos. (Mexican president)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The online exam cost was more than double the cost of the previous in‑person exam, a difference of roughly 52 million pesos. (UNAM)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Irregularities, including unusually high scores and alleged cheating, were detected in the online exam. (UNAM technical commission)
- [● 3 SOURCES] PAN deputy Héctor Saúl Téllez warned that Rosario Castellanos lacks the capacity and quality to receive those students. (be3a3120-0295-4554-a9e6-73fa76d3e449, 2457b16d-d80f-4a0c-a5b9-30d42e92663e, 7a266137-5b50-43cb-bed8-1ea49cf59da3)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Patricia Dávila Aranda resigned as UNAM Secretary General and was replaced by Javier de la Fuente Hernández. (UNAM personnel change)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The online exam cost about 51 million pesos, roughly double the cost of the previous in‑person exam. (UNAM cost estimate)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Irregularities such as unusually high scores and suspected cheating were detected in the online exam. (Technical commission findings)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Accepted applicants protested by blocking Insurgentes Sur, demanding that their original admission results be respected. (Protest reports)