View of the UNM-Los Alamos campus on a beautiful snowy morning Thursday. Photo by Sarah Jimenez

UNM-LA News:

The University of New Mexico-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) hit record enrollment this Spring Semester with its unofficial numbers released after the first 15 days of this semester. This is despite the nationwide trend of declining enrollments, especially at two-year institutions. 

The total number of students taking classes this semester is 1,290, up from 1,110 last Spring. The previous record was 1,151 in Spring of 2018. The largest growth is in the number of part-time students. 

UNM-LA students are taking a total of 5,798 credit hours, which is a 9.6 percent increase from Spring 2021. 

 “UNM-LA is deeply committed to our students, with a high priority on increasing the overall access to quality education,” Chancellor Cindy Rooney said. “We celebrate this milestone and will continue our efforts towards the success of the students we serve.” 

Rooney noted that a report from the United States Census Bureau in October 2021 (census.gov) described a national decrease in enrollment, with recent college enrollment at the lowest level since 2007. The National Center for Education Statistics notes that the two most frequently cited reasons for declining enrollment relate to coronavirus concerns and students not being able to pay for classes/educational expenses because of changes to income from the pandemic.

“We certainly hope this record enrollment becomes a trend for future semesters, and possibly signals that we are at last emerging from this pandemic’s impact and students can confidently invest in their future through higher education,” Dean of Instruction Paul Allen said. “I see a couple of developments contributing to this growth including our important partnerships with the Los Alamos National Laboratory and N3B, both of which contributed substantial cohorts of students to our new programs in Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Enterprise Science and Technology (NEST) and Radiation Control Technician (RCT). It’s all helping to create a new vibrancy on campus as we’re beginning to see more students in all of our buildings and have even been able to open our Secret City Kitchen again!”

In addition to the increase in part-time students, enrollment in online courses also played a role in UNM-LA’s growth, with more than 65 percent of UNM-LA students taking online-only coursework. One aspect that is unchanged is that UNM-Los Alamos continues to be a hub for higher education throughout northern New Mexico. Over 48 percent of UNM-LA’s students identify as Hispanic, and 56 percent are female. This Spring semester, the youngest student enrolled is 14 years old, and the oldest is 80.

To learn more about courses, certificates, degrees, and scholarship opportunities available at UNM-LA, please visit losalamos.unm.edu/degrees-certificates.

About UNM-Los Alamos

UNM-Los Alamos is an innovative, rigorous, and affordable comprehensive branch community college that provides foundations for transfer, leading-edge career programs, and lifelong learning opportunities. More information about UNM-Los Alamos is available at losalamos.unm.edu.