The San Antonio campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) was recently approved to provide GED exams. UNAM became the first Mexican university and only non-US institution allowed to offer such exams after it obtained certification in December 2015.

Fox News Latino revealed that Oscar Bocanegra, coordinator of General Educational Development (GED) certification at UNAM San Antonio, shared the news of the university’s approval. The full accreditation was given by the Commission on English Language Accreditation (CEA).

As a result, the US Department of Education will recognize UNAM as an institution of higher learning. Bocanegra added that the new achievement will make students feel more comfortable inside the university since they can take both the course and GED exam in the same location. Students no longer have to travel long distances or deal with unknown persons.

The UNAM website stated that their mission is to support the success of Mexicans in the US by developing linguistic and cultural competencies. SA Current wrote that UNAM offers both English and Spanish classes, courses and workshops covering various topics regarding US and Mexico. There are also courses for teenagers available in the summer.

“In the US, the great majority of school districts offer certification, normally in English and Spanish, but we are the first Spanish-language institution that not only gives classes but also gives examinations totally in Spanish,” Bocanegra said.

The course is offered in Spanish and covers 132 classroom hours and is made up of four academic subjects, namely reading, social sciences, natural sciences and math. Some of the students looking to take and pass the GED tests were actually able to complete their high school education in their countries of origin.

Based on the same Fox News Latino report, Verna Peña Vera, 40, came from Coahuila, Mexico, and has a master’s degree in bilingual education. She has been teaching for almost two decades before transferring to the United States late in 2015. She said that she had to leave Mexico due to the violence and hope to begin working again as a teacher in any educational center.

Maria de Jesus Roiz Esparza, 64, plans to improve her educational background by acquiring a high school equivalency certificate at UNAM. She is among the hundreds of students who started the GED course provided by UNAM in Spanish. Unlike Vera, she was not able to finish high school. Esparza can also take the exam required by the US Department of Education for the GED.

More updates and details on UNAM are expected soon.