The University of New Mexico was ranked No. 212 for National Universities in the 2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings released today. Overall, UNM had six programs/schools ranked among the top in the nation this year including four in the top 100 of their respective categories.

“The University of New Mexico is an outstanding resource for our state, and our educational environments create success both for our individual students and for the society to which they will collectively contribute,” said James Holloway, UNM provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “We are especially pleased to be in the top 100 of universities in social mobility – our students and the families truly benefit from the Lobo experience.”

The highest ranked UNM program overall was the College of Nursing, which ranked at No. 67. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program rankings are determined by the average of scores received from surveys of top academics and officials at nursing schools or departments. Schools are included and ranked in this standalone peer assessment survey if they have bachelor’s-level accreditation by either the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.

In addition, UNM showed marked improvement over last year in three categories including social mobility, No. 90 (No. 113 last year), engineering - doctorate at No. 87 (No. 96 last year) and computer science, No. 94 (up from No. 122 last year). The U.S. News rankings of undergraduate engineering programs were based solely on peer assessment surveys. To appear on an undergraduate engineering survey, a school must have an undergraduate engineering program accredited by ABET. UNM was also ranked No. 107 in the top public schools category and No. 144 for business schools.

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

For the past 38 years, U.S. News & World Report has produced the Best Colleges rankings evaluating this year more than 1,500 U.S. bachelor’s degree-granting institutions on 17 measures of academic quality. 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 resources expert opinion, financial resources, student excellence, and alumni giving. 

As part of its methodology for National Universities, U.S. News focuses 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 40 percent to each school's overall score.

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