New Mexico State University

New Mexico State University
Former names
Las Cruces College (1888–1889)
New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (1889–1960)
TypePublic land-grant research university
EstablishedSeptember 17, 1888 (1888-09-17)
AccreditationHLC
Academic affiliations
Endowment$343.3 million (2023)
Budget$621 million (all campuses)
PresidentValerio Ferme
ProvostLakshmi Reddi (interim)
Academic staff
1,806
Students22,711 (total headcount)
15,408 (Las Cruces campus)
Undergraduates12,507 (Las Cruces campus)
Postgraduates2,901 (Las Cruces campus)
Location, ,
United States
CampusMidsize suburb, 900 acres (360 ha)
ColorsCrimson and white
   
Turquoise (unofficial)
 
NicknameAggies
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I FBSCUSA
MascotPistol Pete
Websitewww.nmsu.edu

New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public, land-grant, research university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1888, it is the state's oldest public institution of higher education, and was the original land-grant institution in New Mexico. NMSU is a university system, with its main campus in Las Cruces and satellite campuses in Alamogordo, Doña Ana County, and Grants. Through the NMSU Cooperative Extension Service, it has centers or programs in all 33 counties in the state.

Initially established as Las Cruces College, NMSU was designated a land-grant college in 1889 and renamed New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts; it received its present name in 1960. NMSU offers over 180 degree programs, including 28 doctoral, 58 master's, and 96 baccalaureate programs. It had approximately 22,711 enrolled in Fall 2024, with a faculty-to-student ratio of roughly 1 to 16. New Mexico State's athletic teams, the Aggies, compete at the NCAA Division I level in Conference USA.

As of 2025, NMSU has a research activity designation of "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production". NMSU is the lead institute for the New Mexico National Space Grant Consortium.