Did 75,000 Students Cheat on a College-Entrance Exam in Mexico?

What the report says

The National Autonomous University of Mexico, known as UNAM, is investigating possible cheating on its college-entrance exam after experts raised concerns that a large share of test takers may have used unfair methods, including artificial intelligence. The New York Times reports that the issue affects a major admissions process at one of Mexico’s most prominent public universities.

According to the available source material, experts found that as many as half of all entrance exams could have involved cheating. The headline references a figure of 75,000 students, but the supplied text does not provide enough context to confirm that number or explain how it was calculated.

The matter is significant because UNAM’s entrance exam is a gateway to higher education for many applicants in Mexico, and allegations of widespread cheating could affect the university’s admissions process and broader confidence in academic testing. The evidence provided does not include UNAM’s final findings, any disciplinary action, or details on how the suspected cheating was detected.

In general, concerns about AI-assisted cheating have become more common as schools and universities adjust to new tools that can help students generate answers or evade detection, but that broader context is separate from the specific allegations reported here.