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The rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Leonardo Lomelí, announced this Friday that the institution will keep its entrance exams in-person while it develops a secure system for administering them online, acknowledging "failures and errors" in the first remote test, which was marked by controversy over the possible use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other irregularities.
"As long as the necessary conditions to guarantee the administration of the online exam are not met, entrance exams will be in-person," Lomelí stated after receiving the report from the technical commission tasked with reviewing the 2026-2027 undergraduate admission process.
The rector specified that subsequent tests will be held at "various locations to facilitate the participation of students from across the country" and on equipment controlled by the UNAM, with the test pre-loaded.
In addition, Lomelí acknowledged deficiencies in the first remote process after the technical commission detected planning, coordination, and operational failures.
"The University and its rector acknowledge and assume the failures and errors that may have been committed in the distance selection process," he asserted.
In its report, the commission concluded that there were deficiencies in contracting and supervising the exam, as the virtual modality was decided before formalizing the contract with Territorium Life, the company in charge of operating the platform, whose system did not allow for the detection of all possible misconduct.
"The final results evidenced a lack of planning and coordination, omissions, and operational gaps in validation," explained Eduardo Bárzana, president of the commission of experts.
The commission also detected "atypical results" in the virtual test, as high scores increased compared to previous years, although Bárzana noted that this does not prove individual cheating.
Finally, Bárzana pointed out that "the crisis was multi-causal," indicating that the anomalies could have stemmed from misconduct, problems in the exam design, and other factors, without the commission being able to determine the weight of each one.
Given these findings, the commission recommended not to re-administer the remote exam until having an "operational, robust, and secure" model, as well as having in-person locations in different regions of the country and considering some abroad, among other recommendations.
The report arrives nearly two months after the UNAM ordered a review of the internal process, following the controversy generated by its first exam administered entirely online.
The UNAM conducted that test between May 23 and June 10 through a platform that verified the identity of applicants, monitored their environment, and generated alerts for potential irregular behavior.
Following the publication of the results on July 17, questions arose regarding the increase in high scores, technical failures, and the possible use of AI or other forms of external assistance.
Following the above, the university summoned nearly 38,000 applicants to retake the test in-person between August 12 and 19, after terminating the contract with the company Territorium Life.
[Publicidad]