UNAM admission exam scandal triggers investigations, legislative pressure and fraud alerts in Mexico
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) held its first fully online admission exam for licenciatura in May‑June 2026, using an artificial‑intelligence webcam monitoring system. Irregularities were reported, with about 3,000 of the 191,000 applicants suspected of cheating. UNAM responded by suspending registrations for the 2026‑2027 cycle and establishing a technical commission to review the process.
Legislators from the PT, PRI and Morena urged UNAM to resolve the crisis quickly, respect the university’s autonomy and ensure transparency, citing concerns about possible corruption and the impact on thousands of aspirants.
Other Mexican public universities reacted differently. The Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila (UAdeC) and the Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro (UAAAN) announced they will keep admission exams in‑person, administering the CENEVAL EXANI‑II exam at roughly 32 sites with 5,860 applicants competing for 1,600 places. The Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM) began reviewing high propedéutico fees—up to 8,000 pesos per applicant—and campus transport access.
UNAM’s admission data show 158,712 applicants, of which 21,962 places (43.8 %) were allocated through the selection exam and 28,151 places (56.2 %) through the regulated pass, yielding an overall acceptance rate of about 13.8 %. Meanwhile, reports emerged of fraud schemes offering identity‑substitution services for UNAM and IPN online exams, charging between 10,000 and 26,000 pesos per candidate.
Entities: CENEVAL · National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) · Reginaldo Sandoval · UNESCO · Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro (UAAAN) · Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila (UAdeC) · Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Fraud schemes offering identity substitution for UNAM and IPN online exams charge between 10,000 and 26,000 pesos per candidate. (article ab771c11-f25b-49bf-bac6-e6e1de036da0)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] About 3,000 of the 191,000 UNAM applicants were suspected of cheating in the online exam. (article 25e5e53b-5b00-4358-8e8f-6fd562256995)
- [● 2 SOURCES] UNAM suspended registrations for the 2026‑2027 cycle and created a technical commission to review the admission process. (articles a29fb6bb-b168-4151-af9c-5db3c71107e3, 16b8cf67-d04a-4df8-91d3-6c3c5d4ce9c1)
- [● 2 SOURCES] UNAM conducted its first fully online admission exam for licenciatura in May‑June 2026 using AI webcam monitoring. (articles 25e5e53b-5b00-4358-8e8f-6fd562256995, 16b8cf67-d04a-4df8-91d3-6c3c5d4ce9c1)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] UNAM admission data: 158,712 applicants; 21,962 places (43.8 %) via selection exam; 28,151 places (56.2 %) via regulated pass; overall acceptance rate about 13.8 %. (article 16b8cf67-d04a-4df8-91d3-6c3c5d4ce9c1)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] UAEM is reviewing propedéutico course fees up to 8,000 pesos and campus transport access. (article 5ad2684d-e42a-42dc-9786-d0bfa81d5056)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Legislators from PT, PRI and Morena called on UNAM to resolve the admission crisis and ensure transparency. (article a29fb6bb-b168-4151-af9c-5db3c71107e3)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] UAdeC and UAAAN decided to keep admission exams in‑person, using the EXANI‑II exam at about 32 sites with 5,860 applicants for 1,600 places. (article bde1be1b-9820-4ab0-9d96-641a418ebecc)