UNAM and Universidad de Antioquia: lessons on assessment

In recent months, two Latin American universities have found themselves at the centre of the conversation around academic integrity. In Mexico, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) is investigating possible irregularities detected during its admission exam. In Colombia, Universidad de Antioquia reported that it identified attempts at fraud using technology during its admissions process.

Although they occurred in different contexts, both cases reflect a reality shared by many higher education institutions: digital tools and artificial intelligence are transforming the way students access and use information, and even how they attempt to undermine assessment processes.

This doesn't mean technology is the problem. On the contrary, it represents an opportunity for universities to modernise their assessment models and strengthen trust in their academic processes.

The real question is no longer whether these challenges will reach other institutions, but what measures can be taken to get ahead of them.

Two different cases, one shared challenge for universities

At first glance, the situations at UNAM and Universidad de Antioquia seem different. One is investigating possible irregularities in an admission exam; the other detected attempts at technology-driven fraud during its admissions process.

However, both highlight the same challenge: ensuring that assessment results genuinely reflect the knowledge and abilities of those being tested.

In a context where artificial intelligence, personal devices and new digital tools are evolving rapidly, universities need to rethink not just how they assess, but how they protect the integrity of those processes.

Academic trust no longer depends solely on human oversight. It requires strategies, protocols and technologies capable of adapting to increasingly complex scenarios.

Trust begins before the first day of class

Admissions processes are much more than a selection stage. They represent an institution's first connection with its future students, and an opportunity to convey transparency, fairness and academic quality.

That's why more and more universities are adopting identity validation, monitoring, traceability and incident-analysis mechanisms that strengthen the reliability of their assessments without harming the applicant experience.

Rather than simply reacting to a case of fraud, the challenge is to build processes ready for a scenario in which technology will keep evolving.

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The cases at UNAM and Universidad de Antioquia show that the conversation around academic integrity is no longer limited to online education or exceptional situations. It is now part of a broader transformation affecting the whole of higher education.

At Klarway, we believe meeting these challenges requires combining technology, innovation and an institutional strategy that builds more reliable assessment processes, ready for the future.

If you'd like to dive deeper into the changes that will shape higher education in the years ahead, we invite you to download our ebook Universities on the Countdown, where we analyse the key challenges that will define the sector's direction toward 2030.