University of New Mexico-Main Campus

Public · Moderately Selective · NM

Photo: SodaPopSuperCop (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationNM · West

SettingUrban

Undergrads17,244

Student:faculty15:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate37.5%

6-yr grad rate54.7%

Drop-out rate23.8%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$10k

Out-of-state tuition$33k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity72.2%

Gender diversity57.3%

International2.2%

Identity—

Overview

The University of New Mexico is the state's flagship public research university, set in Albuquerque at the foot of the Sandia Mountains and close along the Rio Grande valley. Its Pueblo Revival architecture, adobe-toned buildings with vigas and portales designed to echo the region's Pueblo and Spanish Colonial building traditions, gives the campus a visual identity unlike any other flagship. As both a Hispanic-Serving Institution and a university with deep ties to the state's pueblos and other tribal nations, UNM draws heavily from New Mexico's diverse population and functions as the intellectual, cultural, and medical anchor for the state as a whole.

Academics

UNM is best known for anthropology, anchored by the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, along with Latin American and Iberian studies, photography, and architecture and planning. The health sciences center, home to the state's only academic medical center and only Level I trauma center, trains a large share of New Mexico's doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, and offers a combined BA/MD pathway for students committed early to medicine. Engineering and physics students benefit from unusually close research ties to Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory, giving undergraduates access to national-lab-caliber materials and technology research that most universities its size can't offer.

Campus & student life

The campus sits in central Albuquerque, blending university life with a mid-sized Southwestern city and giving students access to internships, hospitals, and cultural institutions beyond the classroom. Lobo basketball is the emotional center of campus athletics, played in The Pit, one of college basketball's most famously loud home-court arenas, while Popejoy Hall anchors a busy performing-arts calendar. Student life reflects the state's demographics, with active Native American and Hispanic student organizations, cultural events tied to the region's traditions, and a strong sense of place rooted in the surrounding history and landscape.

Getting in

Admissions weigh academic preparation alongside the university's mission of broad access for New Mexico residents, with a review that leans on transcript strength and class rank more than a heavily essay-driven or interview-based process. Students who highlight ties to the state's communities, cultural traditions, bilingual backgrounds, or health-sciences ambitions tend to find a receptive audience, and New Mexico residents benefit from a comparatively straightforward path to admission relative to out-of-state flagships.

After graduation

Many graduates stay in New Mexico, moving into the state's health systems, school districts, and government agencies, or into engineering and research roles at Sandia and Los Alamos. The alumni network is tightly woven into the state's civic and professional life, particularly in Albuquerque, giving graduates strong local name recognition even without the national reach of bigger-brand flagships.

Worth knowing

UNM's Hispanic-Serving and tribal-serving designations shape everything from advising to course offerings, including support built specifically for Native American and first-generation students. Its status as the state's only academic medical center makes it a near-automatic pipeline into New Mexico's health workforce, and Albuquerque's affordability and central location make it a practical, low-cost base for students who want a real city without big-city prices.

unm.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate95.2%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 890–1170 · ACT 19–26

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying