The 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings were released today and two colleges/schools at The University of New Mexico garnered top-100 rankings including the College of Nursing and the School of Engineering.

The highest-ranked UNM program was the College of Nursing, which ranked No. 67 out of 656 schools surveyed and among the top-15 percent of Undergraduate Nursing Programs. The SOE also earned top-100 recognition at No. 90 for Undergraduate Engineering Programs (Doctorate).

As an institution, UNM was ranked No. 129 in the Top Public Schools category and was ranked No. 236 including private schools, overall in the National Universities category. Overall, UNM had six programs/schools ranked among the top-150 in the nation including:

  • No. 67 (tied) - Undergraduate Nursing Programs
  • No. 90 (tied) - Undergraduate Engineering Programs (Doctorate)
  • No. 117 (tied) - Undergraduate Computer Science Programs
  • No. 129 (tied) – Top Public Schools (National Universities)
  • No. 130 (tied) - Undergraduate Psychology Programs
  • No. 135 (tied) Undergraduate Business Programs

Two new entries for UNM included Undergraduate Psychology Programs (No. 130) and Undergraduate Economics Programs (No. 181). 

“UNM is proud to be the flagship university of our state, and to contribute our intellectual talents to advance New Mexico,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs James Holloway. “Our faculty, staff, and students work hard every day to expand both opportunities and human knowledge.”

The College of Nursing provides well-rounded curriculum for its students, including impactful sessions in a state-of-the-art simulation center and skills lab that give students safe, structured, hands-on patient experiences with high-fidelity manikins and faculty guidance. Program experiences like this enhance a student’s exposure to a variety of clinical encounters and is a part of why the BSN program ranks so highly.

“The College has so much to offer its students. Not just during their time as an undergraduate, but beyond,” said College of Nursing Interim Dean Carolyn Montoya. “Many of our influential faculty were once students here and were so impacted by their experience that they brought their knowledge and skills back to enrich the program that much more. This is a special place to be. Here you will find a place you belong because we are truly a community and we strive to support each other.”

Statewide, UNM has the best national rankings among New Mexico universities including the categories of best university, undergraduate nursing, top public school, undergraduate engineering (Doctorate) and business schools.

For the past 39 years, U.S. News & World Report has produced the Best Colleges rankings evaluating 1,500 U.S. bachelor’s degree-granting institutions. As part of its methodology for National Universities, the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings were calculated using 19 key measures of academic quality for National Universities focusing on academic quality and places emphasis on outcome measures – including graduation rates, retention rates, graduate indebtedness and social mobility.

Outcomes are the most highly weighted ranking factor, contributing more than 40 percent to each school's overall score. The top-three measures included peer assessment (20%), graduation rates (16%) and graduation rate performance (10%). More than half of a school's rank is now comprised of varying outcome measures related to schools' success at enrolling, retaining and graduating students from different backgrounds with manageable debt and post-graduate success. Other key categories included first-year retention, faculty salaries, financial resources, college grads earning more than a high school grad and borrower debt among others.

U.S. News directory of institutions contains each school's rankings data and key characteristics about majors, campus life, costs of attending, and more. Schools in the National Universities category offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master's and Ph.D. programs. The list compares bachelor’s degree-granting institutions and rates them based on outcomes, faculty resource’s expert opinion, financial resources, student excellence, and alumni giving. 

For more information, including methodology, visit US News Best Colleges methodology.