The University of New Mexico (UNM) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, UNM offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and professional degree programs in a wide variety of fields. UNM is the state’s flagship university and is one of the nation’s top-ranked public research universities.
UNM is one of only 108 institutions nationwide classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as both “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity” and “Community Engaged”. In 2019, U.S. News & World Report ranked UNM 17th among public universities in the United States and tied for 167th overall among all national universities. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed UNM 169th worldwide out of 1,258 colleges and universities evaluated for its 2021 rankings. Forbes magazine ranks UNM as the 594th best college or university in America for its 2020 rankings. Additionally, Washington Monthly has ranked UNM 2nd among all American colleges and universities two years in a row for its contributions to social mobility, scientific research, and public service; it was also ranked 4th among all American public research universities for these same criteria in 2019.
UNM boasts an excellent record when it comes to graduate employability with 92% of alumni being employed just six months after graduation according to data from 2017-18 published by the Department of Labor’s College Scorecard
In terms of economic impact on the state of New Mexico alone, a 2016 report showed that every dollar invested into UNM generated $13 back into the local economy totaling $2 billion annually making higher education one of Albuquerque’s strongest industries.. Beyond this direct impact on Albuquerque’s economy are what are known as “multiplier effects.” These are harder to quantify but include things like an increase in tax revenue from people who have moved here because they got a job at UNM or because their company relocated here to be near our highly educated workforce.. When taking multiplier effects into account along with other benefits that can’t be measured purely economically—like improved quality of life—the total value that UNM brings to Albuquerque each year rises to an estimated $4 billion annually