New Mexico Highlands University

Public · NM

Photo: Elite14 (English Wikipedia) (CC BY-SA 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationNM · West

SettingRural

Undergrads1,451

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate3.9%

6-yr grad rate26.2%

Drop-out rate50.2%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$7k

Out-of-state tuition$12k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity83%

Gender diversity62.1%

International3%

Identity—

Overview

New Mexico Highlands University is a public university in Las Vegas, New Mexico — the historic northern New Mexico town predating its Nevada namesake — serving a student body that is predominantly Hispanic and includes a significant Native American population. Set in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the university is closely tied to the culture and history of northern New Mexico.

Academics

Highlands has recognized strength in education and social work, both fields where it trains a meaningful share of the region's teachers and social workers, along with a forestry program tied to the surrounding mountain and rangeland environment. Programs generally run smaller and more personal than at New Mexico's larger public universities.

Getting in

As one of the more accessible four-year public options in New Mexico, Highlands' admissions process is less selective and more access-oriented than the state's flagship, geared toward serving first-generation and regional students.

Worth knowing

The historic town of Las Vegas, New Mexico — with its well-preserved 19th-century plaza architecture — is part of the campus's character, and the university's identity is bound up with serving the surrounding Hispanic and Native communities of northern New Mexico specifically.

nmhu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate—

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot reported

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying