UNAM to hold control exam for 2026 admissions and names Javier de la Fuente as new secretary general

UNAM control exam admission irregularities Javier de la Fuente Patricia Dávila

The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) found widespread irregularities in its 2026 online admission exam, including the use of cell phones, third‑party assistance, identity fraud and cheating detected by artificial‑intelligence tools. About 2 % of the 158,727 exams were cancelled and the share of candidates scoring 100 + correct answers rose to roughly 16 % from a historic 3‑5 %. A technical commission recommended a presencial control exam for applicants who had been selected and for those whose scores meet historic minimums. Rector Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas announced that the control exam will be administered soon, apologized to applicants who were accepted cleanly and said the measure is needed to guarantee equity. In the wake of the scandal, Secretary General Patricia Dávila Aranda resigned and was dismissed. Lomelí appointed Javier de la Fuente Hernández, a long‑time university official, as the new Secretary General.

Entities: Attorney General’s Office (FGR) · Comisión Técnica para la Revisión del Proceso de Ingreso · Eduardo Bárzana García · Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) · Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) · Javier de la Fuente Hernández · Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas · Patricia Dávila Aranda · Technical Commission for the Review of the Admission Process · Territorium Life · Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 13 SOURCES] Rector Leonardo Lomelí approved the control exam and apologized to affected applicants. (existing)
[● 15 SOURCES] The 2026 admission exam was conducted online for the first time. (new)
[● 13 SOURCES] The share of applicants scoring 100 + correct answers rose to about 16 % from a historical average of 3‑4 %. (UNAM)
[● 13 SOURCES] Irregularities detected included use of cell phones, external assistance, identity fraud, and AI‑flagged cheating. (existing)
[● 8 SOURCES] The Attorney General’s Office (FGR) will support an investigation against the platform provider Territorium Life. (existing)
[● 14 SOURCES] Approximately 2 % of the 158,727 exams were cancelled due to irregularities. (UN)
[● 13 SOURCES] UNAM's technical commission recommended a presencial control exam for 2026‑2027 admission applicants. (UNAM's technical commission recommended a presencial control exam for 2026‑2027 admission applicants)
[● 13 SOURCES] The control exam will be offered to both accepted applicants and those whose scores meet or exceed historic minimums for their program, campus and modality. (The control exam will be offered to both accepted applicants and those whose scores meet or exceed historic minimums for)
[● 4 SOURCES] UNAM dismissed Secretary General Patricia Dávila amid the controversy. (new)
[● 6 SOURCES] UNAM will apply a presencial control exam for selected applicants. (new)
[● 5 SOURCES] Approximately 58 000 applicants will need to retake the exam. (UNAM)
[● 9 SOURCES] UNAM detected irregularities in its 2026 online admission exam, including cell phone use, external assistance, identity fraud and AI‑detected cheating. (UN)