UNAM student backs new in-person exam to restore admissions credibility

David González, a political science student at UNAM's FES Acatlán campus, has voiced strong support for the university's decision to implement a new in-person control exam for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle. González, who previously led a protest demanding a review of the initial fully online admission test, believes this step is crucial for restoring confidence in the National Autonomous University of Mexico's selection process.

"The sacrifice they will make will be considerable, but if they pass the exam again, they will have all our respect," González stated, referring to the applicants who will retake the test. He emphasized that the goal is not to discredit the efforts of those who initially gained admission but to preserve the integrity and trustworthiness of UNAM's evaluation mechanisms.

His statements come after the UNAM's Technical Committee recommended a new in-person assessment for selected candidates and those who achieved scores equivalent to or higher than historical minimums. This decision followed an analysis that detected prohibited conduct during the first fully online exam, with artificial intelligence supervision flagging issues such as mobile phone use and external assistance. Approximately 2% of the 158,727 evaluated applications were canceled as a result.

González sees the re-evaluation as an opportunity to provide certainty to thousands of applicants and dispel lingering doubts about the process's transparency. He asserted that the protest he helped organize on July 27th aimed to draw attention to the admission conditions and uphold the principle that entry into Mexican public higher education, particularly at UNAM, is based on academic merit.