Mexican students demand in-person exam after alleged cheating in UNAM test

Dozens of professors and students gathered at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the country's largest university, to demand in-person entrance exams. Their protest follows the temporary suspension of the university's admissions process after alleged widespread cheating was detected in the recent online entrance examination for the 2026-2027/1 academic year.

Chanting slogans like "Students yes, cheaters no" and "No to fraud," demonstrators marched to the Rector's Tower in Mexico City. They are calling for transparency and a repeat of the exam, citing suspicions of irregularities in the test, which was administered online for the first time. The controversy erupted after results showed "unusual" increases in the minimum required scores for highly competitive programs, such as Medicine. Testimonies also emerged alleging perfect scores achieved without errors and the use of artificial intelligence tools.

Affected students argue that the distribution of correct answers shows "anomalies" that are "mathematically impossible," pointing to evidence of "cheating" by some applicants. In response, UNAM announced the temporary suspension of document submission and enrollment procedures. The university stated this measure aims to "safeguard certainty for all participants" and ensure institutional actions comply with university law.

A technical commission is being established to review the examination procedure and the results of the admissions competition. UNAM Rector Leonardo Lomelí emphasized the need to prevent "aspirants who studied, prepared, and sought the opportunity to access higher education" from being disadvantaged by those who may have received "some type of help." Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum commented that it is "important that it be resolved soon" to provide certainty to students.