UNAM to return to in-person admission exams after online fraud

The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) has announced a return to in-person admission exams following widespread irregularities during its first fully online undergraduate entrance test. A transparency report detailed 3,248 incidents of misconduct, including the use of unauthorized visual or auditory aids, identity theft, social media use, and reading questions aloud. The most frequent violation involved the use of prohibited support materials, affecting 1,571 applicants.

In response to these failures, Rector Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas stated that the university will implement structural changes to ensure security and certainty in the selection process. Future exams will be administered in person using pre-loaded electronic devices at multiple locations.

Additionally, the university is considering legal frameworks to potentially veto applicants who engage in misconduct, preventing them from applying in future cycles. However, the Rector noted that because these individuals are applicants rather than enrolled students, the legal basis for such disciplinary sanctions must be reviewed by the General Counsel.