UNAM accepted students protest potential repeat of online admission exam

Accepted students at Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM) rallied at Ciudad Universitaria, demanding their online admission exam results be respected. Chants like "118 correct answers were not luck, they were effort" and "My effort is not repeated, it is respected" echoed through the campus. The students oppose the university's consideration of repeating the exam in person.

The controversy stems from allegations of artificial intelligence misuse during the online admission test, administered between May 23 and June 10. UNAM announced the results on July 17 but later provisionally suspended the enrollment process for new students amid the irregularities. Approximately 158,712 students took the online exam out of 191,306 registered.

In response to the protests and the ongoing concerns, UNAM's rector, Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas, convened a Technical Committee to Review the 2026 Undergraduate Admission Process. The committee is expected to issue a recommendation this week. The university's decision on whether to repeat the exam or how to address the alleged cheating will significantly impact the admission of the 21,962 students who were slated to enroll.