The University of New Mexico is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The New York-based education services company known for its test-prep courses features UNM in the 2009 edition of its annual book, "The Best 368 Colleges.” Only about 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges are in the book.

UNM had 15 National Merit Scholars and 24 National Hispanic Scholars in the fall 2008 freshman class – a 375 and 240 percent increase, respectively, from 2007.

UNM saw a surge in new freshman enrollment in fall 2008. On the first day of the fall semester, 3,190 freshmen were signed up for classes. That’s a 9.85 percent increase over last fall and record setting numbers for new beginning freshmen.

UNM programs continue to rank among the top ten by Hispanic Business Inc. For the second year, the UNM School of Law ranks first among law schools. The UNM School of Engineering is ranked third for top engineering schools, up from sixth a year ago. And, the UNM School of Medicine is again ranked sixth for top medical schools.

In the 2008 spring and fall commencement ceremonies, UNM conferred a combined 2,740 bachelor’s degrees, 802 master’s degrees, 2 post-master’s, 137 doctorates, 102 juris doctorates, 82 medical doctorates, 91 pharmacy doctorates, 5 graduate certificates and 11 education specialists.

The University of New Mexico’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and reducing the university’s impact on the environment was reflected in the recently updated College Sustainability Report Card. UNM’s sustainability grade increased to a “B” this year from a “C” in last year’s report.

University of New Mexico-Gallup, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this October, ranked third among the nation’s community colleges for granting associate degrees to American Indian students, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

A recent report by the Statistical Research Center, a department in the American Institute of Physics, lists the University of New Mexico as one of the largest producers of physics degrees earned by minority students.