University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
University of New Mexico Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Colleges in New Mexico 2026
- #1 Most Affordable Colleges in New Mexico
- #1 Best Research Universities in New Mexico 2026
- #1 New Mexico's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #1 Best Grad Schools in New Mexico 2026
- #1 Fastest Online Bachelor's of Business
- #1 Fastest Accelerated Online MBAs
- #1 New Mexico's Best Online Colleges 2026
- #1 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #1 Best Public Colleges in New Mexico 2026
- #2 Most Affordable Online Nursing Bachelors
- #3 Best Online MBAs New Mexico
- #13 Online Bachelor's in Strategic Communications
- #42 Best Public Colleges
About University of New Mexico
In brief
The University of New Mexico (UNM), founded in 1889, has its flagship campus in Albuquerque and branch campuses in Gallup, Los Alamos, Rio Rancho, Taos, and Los Lunas. By our measure of academic influence, it ranks #107 in the United States and #323 in the world. It admitted 95.2% of applicants for fall 2024; admitted students had a median SAT score of 1030 and a median ACT score of 22.
Its 12 colleges and schools offer 215 degree and certificate programs, and it is especially known for the health sciences and business.
Where UNM’s influence is strongest
UNM’s influence is led by anthropology, where it ranks in the US top 40. Its strongest broad fields, by US rank in our data, are:
- Anthropology: #37 in the US (#102 in the world)
- Sociology: #71
- Earth sciences and computer science: #72 each
- Criminal justice: #73
Its highest-ranked specialties in our data are:
- #10 in the US: abnormal psychology
- #12: numerical analysis
- #13: hydrology
- #16: ethnic studies
By comparison, UNM sits further back in economics (#152), nursing (#192), and religious studies (#252).
How we measure influence: these ranks come from the citations and recognition earned by a school’s faculty and alumni in each discipline, not from surveys or admissions statistics. See our methodology.
Notable people
UNM’s Nobel connection is the physicist Murray Gell-Mann. Its faculty and alumni also include the poets Robert Creeley and Joy Harjo, the novelists Rudolfo Anaya, Edward Abbey, and Tony Hillerman, the painter Agnes Martin, the anthropologist Clyde Kluckhohn, the architect Antoine Predock, and former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. Our full lists of UNM’s most influential alumni and faculty appear below.
Frequently asked questions
Is UNM hard to get into? No. It admitted 95.2% of applicants for fall 2024; the middle half of admitted students scored 460–600 on the SAT reading section and 430–570 on math.
What does UNM cost? Tuition is $10,383 for New Mexico residents and $33,532 for out-of-state students in 2025–26. What families pay after grants depends on income; UNM’s net price calculator gives a personal estimate.
How do UNM graduates do? 53.7% of students who started in 2019 graduated within six years, and 76% of first-year students return for a second year. Ten years after starting college, former students had median earnings of $50,072.
What is UNM best known for academically? By our influence data: anthropology, sociology, and the earth sciences, plus abnormal psychology, where it ranks in the US top 10.
According to Wikipedia, The University of New Mexico is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, one of two flagship universities in the state, and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 students in 2021.
University of New Mexico Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12,907 | 95% | 76% | 54% | 1030 | 22 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does University of New Mexico Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $10,383 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do University of New Mexico Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former University of New Mexico students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $50,072 a year, and 85% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
University of New Mexico's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 24,675 | 18,363 | 6,312 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is University of New Mexico?
University of New Mexico is located at 1700 Lomas Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131.
How Safe is University of New Mexico?
Like every college that receives federal student aid, University of New Mexico publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, University of New Mexico has a violent crime rate of 0.20% and a property crime rate of 0.53%. Albuquerque has a violent crime rate of 1.19% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 4.77%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is University of New Mexico Known For?
University of New Mexico is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Anthropology
- Sociology
- Computer Science
- Earth Sciences
- Criminal Justice
- Literature
- Mathematics
- Biology
- Physics
- Engineering
- History
- Political Science
- Law
- Communications
- Education
- Chemistry
- Medical
- Business
- Psychology
- Philosophy
- Economics
- Nursing
- Religious Studies
University of New Mexico's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much University of New Mexico's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
University of New Mexico ranks #37 in the U.S. and #102 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #71 in the U.S. and #209 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #72 in the U.S. and #212 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #72 in the U.S. and #273 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #73 in the U.S. and #95 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #84 in the U.S. and #218 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #85 in the U.S. and #323 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #90 in the U.S. and #274 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #95 in the U.S. and #396 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #97 in the U.S. and #361 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #98 in the U.S. and #257 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #99 in the U.S. and #333 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #101 in the U.S. and #284 worldwide for influence in Law.
University of New Mexico ranks #108 in the U.S. and #347 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #120 in the U.S. and #419 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #122 in the U.S. and #565 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #123 in the U.S. and #366 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #134 in the U.S. and #382 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #136 in the U.S. and #310 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #138 in the U.S. and #448 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #152 in the U.S. and #667 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #192 in the U.S. and #496 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesUniversity of New Mexico ranks #252 in the U.S. and #1094 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesWho Are University of New Mexico's Most Influential Alumni?
University of New Mexico's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Anthropology, and Computer Science. Here are some of University of New Mexico's most famous alumni:
- Jack Dongarra
- An American computer scientist .
- Robert Creeley
- An American poet .
- Agnes Martin
- An American painter.
- Rudolfo Anaya
- An American Chicano novelist, poet.
- Michael Nielsen
- An Australian and Canadian physicist and writer .
- Antoine Predock
- An American architect.
- Mimi Reisel Gladstein
- A Nicaraguan academic.
- William I. Robinson
- An American sociologist.
- K. R. Rao
- An Indian-American electrical engineer.
- N. Scott Momaday
- An American author and academic.
- Simon J. Ortiz
- An American writer.
- Lois Duncan
- An American young-adult and children's writer .
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Who Are University of New Mexico's Most Influential Faculty?
University of New Mexico's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Criminal Justice, Anthropology, and Computer Science. Here are some of University of New Mexico's most famous faculty:
- Michael Nielsen
- An Australian and Canadian physicist and writer .
- Adrian Johnston
- An American philosopher.
- Aaron Clauset
- A Researcher.
- Vince Calhoun
- An American engineer and neuroscientist.
- Mark Boslough
- An American physicist.
- Adam C. Siepel
- A Bioinformatician.
- Oded Aharonson
- A Planetary scientist.
- Melanie Stansbury
- An American politician and scientist.
- Liza Johnson
- An American film editor and film director.
- Todd M. Allen
- A Researcher.
- Raychael Stine
- An American artist.
- Karola Obermueller
- A German composer of classical music.
