New Mexico State University (NMSU) was founded in 1888 as the state’s land-grant university. Through serving the educational needs of New Mexico’s diverse population, NMSU has provided comprehensive programs of education, research, extension education and public service. Today, NMSU is a major institution of higher education. Throughout its history, the university has preserved many traditions of its land-grant origin while also increasing emphasis on the fine arts, humanities, social and natural sciences.

New Mexico State University sits on a 900-acre campus and enrolls more than 14,000 students from 49 states and 89 foreign countries. It is a NASA Space-Grant College and is home to the very first Honors College in New Mexico. A Hispanic-Serving Institution, NMSU serves a multi-cultural population of students and community members across the state at five campuses, a satellite learning center in Albuquerque, cooperative extension offices located in each of New Mexico's 33 counties, and 12 agriculture research and science centers. Plus, distance education programs give students maximum flexibility.