New Mexico State University is once again classified as an R1 institution due to its high research activity.
The news was announced Thursday morning by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. NMSU was given the R1 classification due to its "very high spending and doctorate production." The university had been previously ranked as an R1 institution nearly 20 years ago.
"From NMSU's founding as New Mexico's first land-grant institution, it's been our responsibility to pursue research that would advance knowledge for the well-being and benefit of New Mexico and its citizens," said NMSU President Valerio Ferme. "This R1 achievement is the direct result of years of intentional, strategic work that prioritized our research and creative enterprise, and allowed us to fulfill the institutional vision of becoming a leader in transforming and empowering our state."
NMSU enters the ranks of about 187 Carnegie R1 institutions in 2025, joining neighbors Arizona State University, University of New Mexico and the University of Texas at El Paso. There are about 2,800 four-year institutions total in the U.S.
During fiscal year 2023, the university had more than $126 million in research expenditures, with an average of 102 research doctorates awarded annually since 2020. R1 designations are given to institutions that spend at least $50 million on research and development, and award at least 70 research doctorates annually. In 2024, NMSU reported $141 million in research expenditures.
"Amidst the challenges of an uncertain national research landscape, our Carnegie R1 designation is a testament to the excellence, energy, resilience and resourcefulness of our faculty, staff and students," said Luis Cifuentes, NMSU vice president of research, creativity and economic development. "This recognition comes at a critical time, reinforcing the vital role of research universities. Bravo, NMSU."
Cifuentes has said that the R1 designation will allow NMSU to evolve an ecosystem that supports growth in public, private and nonprofit sectors primarily through knowledge transfer, talent development and commercialization of research. Research findings will translate to industry innovation, inform public policies and address global challenges with local implications.
Research expenditures at NMSU have grown since experiencing a low in 2018. Cifuentes said expenditures, along with other essential former elements of the Carnegie classification formula such as increased post-doctoral fellows and expanded doctoral programs observed since 2018, underscore the health of NMSU's research and creativity enterprise.
Strategic aims for the future are to maintain current research and development expenditures in STEM on State of New Mexico priorities, increase expenditures in non-STEM areas, continue to add post-doctoral fellow and research scientists, and increase external funding for Ph.D. students, particularly in the humanities and social sciences.
A celebration of the new designation will take place later this semester.
The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-again-designated-carnegie-r1-university/s/33a6f1a6-0bf7-43f6-9939-0a58d5582346
