Sheinbaum leaves the validity of the admission exam in the hands of UNAM after alleged fraud with AI
Mexico
México City, July 28 (EFE)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Tuesday that it is solely up to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) to decide whether to maintain or cancel the online undergraduate entrance exam, following allegations of cheating using artificial intelligence (AI). She maintained that the federal government will only provide support if the university requests it.
During her morning press conference, the president indicated that the priority should be to offer certainty to the thousands of applicants affected by the temporary suspension of the enrollment process for the 2026-2027 academic year, although she emphasized that any decision falls under university autonomy.
“UNAM has to resolve two issues within its autonomy. One, how it will resolve the problem with the exam itself. Whether the exam will be invalid, whether it will be valid, whether it will administer a new exam (…). They have to resolve that issue,” she stated.
The president added that the university must quickly determine what will happen with the entrance exam, administered remotely for the first time, after irregularities were detected.
“This is an issue they have to resolve for the students, because students always prepare for the entrance exam and want to know what will happen now that classes are starting,” she stated.
The president’s remarks come as UNAM continues to suspend enrollment procedures following the creation of a Technical Commission to review the selection process and results.
The decision was made after students reported alleged anomalies in the scores, including perfect scores and unusual increases in the minimum entry grades for high-demand programs like Medicine, as well as the alleged use of artificial intelligence tools during the online assessment.
The controversy led to a protest on Monday by dozens of students and professors in front of the Rector’s Tower at the university, where they demanded the exam be retaken in person, chanting slogans such as “Students yes, cheaters no” and “No to fraud.”
Sheinbaum believes the university faces a second challenge: clarifying how the alleged fraud occurred and determining whether the company responsible for administering the exam or some applicants were at fault.
“They have to see how this fraud was committed. Whether the company they hired to administer the exam was involved, or whether some students used artificial intelligence,” she stated.
The mayor explained that if the investigation reveals the possible commission of a crime, it will be up to UNAM itself to decide whether to file a complaint and request the intervention of the Attorney General’s Office.
“Everything has to be autonomous (…). They are the ones who have to make the decision. And the support they require from the Ministry of Public Education or the (digital transformation) agency, well, of course, but it’s support,” he concluded.
UNAM defended the suspension of the process as a measure to guarantee legal certainty for applicants, while its rector, Leonardo Lomelí, maintained that access to higher education cannot be allowed to be affected by those who have obtained undue advantages to the detriment of those who prepared for the exam honestly.
