New Mexico State University students return to campus for the fall 2024 semester. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)
Source: NMSU News Release
DATE: Sept. 27, 2024
WRITER: Amanda Bradford, ambradfo@nmsu.edu, 575-646-3223
Unofficial enrollment numbers for the New Mexico State University system show an increase of more than 4% systemwide over last fall, continuing a 3-year upward trend driven by the increased availability of Lottery and Opportunity scholarships and double-digit growth from NMSU Global.
While enrollment data is still being finalized and is subject to change, preliminary data from the university’s fall census date of Sept. 6 shows a systemwide headcount for fall 2024 of 22,751 – a 4.2% increase over fall 2023.
Including NMSU Global, the university’s fully online campus, the unduplicated headcount for NMSU’s Las Cruces campus includes 15,417 undergraduate and graduate students, an increase of 4.2% over fall 2023. Undergraduate continuing student enrollment is up another 3.6% this fall, at 8,196 students. First-time freshman enrollment remained steady, with more than 2,400 new students in this year’s cohort.
Renay Scott, vice president of Student Success, said the university system’s continued investment in support programs like the Aggie Launch Pad, which provides students with a laptop and additional digital literacy training and workshops, and NMSU’s Student Success Center, which provides tutoring and mentoring services, financial literacy programming, career development, graduate school planning, and support for first-generation college students, are helping those students persist and achieve their goal of earning a degree.
“While we are excited to have students join us for the first time each fall, we remain committed to help all students be successful by providing the support and experience they need until they reach the finish line of earning their degree,” Scott said.
NMSU Global now has more than 2,800 students – a 36.6% increase over fall 2023.
“This year, NMSU Global attained a nearly 37% year-over-year growth in enrollment, which demonstrates our commitment to providing quality online education to our professional working adults,” said Sherry Kollmann, Chancellor for NMSU Global. “Forbes Advisor recently announced NMSU Global as the No. 1 online college in New Mexico. This top ranking illustrates our steadfast dedication to putting our adult students at the center of our decision-making to ensure they attain their educational goals.”
Graduate enrollment also increased 8.6% to 2,902 students after several years of fairly steady enrollment. Ranjit Koodali, dean of the Graduate School, attributed the increase in graduate enrollment to strategic investments, partnerships and collective recruiting efforts across campus units in targeted countries, along with new graduate degree programs being developed.
“The increase in enrollment is also a testimony to the availability of high-quality graduate programs and the opportunities for pursuing cutting-edge research under the supervision of world class faculty who are experts in their disciplines,” Koodali said.
NMSU’s Graduate School began offering a doctorate in transborder and global human dynamics among other new programs this fall, and NMSU’s Board of Regents this month approved four new graduate programs for future implementation: a Ph.D. in applied and agricultural biology, a Master of Arts in borderlands and ethnic studies, and fully online Master of Engineering degrees in engineering management and systems engineering.
NMSU’s community colleges also saw an overall enrollment increase this fall of 3.8% to 9,136. NMSU Alamogordo, with 1,153 students enrolled, is up 5.7% over fall 2023, while NMSU Grants was down 9.4% with 758 students enrolled. The largest community college campus, Doña Ana Community College, has 7,552 students enrolled, up 5.2% over last fall.
Once fall enrollment data has been fully verified and finalized, it will be available online at oia.nmsu.edu.
