The relationship between the authoritarian state and higher education in Mexico is examined in this case study. Focus is on the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) since it receives 40 percent of the federal budget for higher education, which makes it a prime example of autonomy within an authoritarian political system. Using three principle sources in the research--written materials, statistical data, and interviews--the study examines the meaning of autonomy and its relationship to regime control, offers a brief chronological history of the interrelationship of government and school, and discusses policy-making, autonomy, and reform. Subsequent chapters deal with appointive autonomy in relation to personnel and student access, academic autonomy in regard to academic policy and academic freedom, and campus autonomy. A chapter on financial autonomy examines areas such as distributive power, funding levels, criteria used to determine funding, and various implications of financial autonomy. The final chapter discusses autonomy and authoritarianism and offers a summary of the study, as well as a general overview of authoritarianism and institutional autonomy in Mexico. A bibliography and index are provided. This book received one of the two awards for outstanding work in 1977-1978 by the Association for the Study of Higher Education. It is appropriate for political scientists, Latin American scholars, and U.S. scholars, laymen, and students interested in understanding the delicate relation between the authoritarian state and institutional autonomy. (LC)