Applying to UNM as an Undergraduate

Are you ready to apply to a UNM bachelor’s degree program? Here are some things you should know:

Are You a UNM Branch Campus Student?

If you are a UNM Branch Transition student, you will complete a Branch Transition Request form. More information can be found on the admissions office’s Branch Transition page.

Are You a Transfer Student?

If you attended a non-UNM college, you’ll apply to be admitted as a Transfer Student. You will need to have at least 24 transferrable credits with a minimum “C” average (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) in all transferrable college work attempted or have completed an associate’s degree (AA or AS) from a regionally-accredited community college. More information on applying can be found on the admissions office Transfer Student page. (If you have less than 24 transferable credit hours, you’ll be applying as a freshman.) Knowing how your course credits from institutions you have previously attended will transfer to UNM is an important part of planning your UNM degree. An official course evaluation will be completed once you apply for admission to a degree program. Before then, UNM’s Transfer Equivalency System (TES) can help you determine how your coursework from other institutions may transfer and be used as part of your UNM degree.

Are You About to Start Your First Year in College?

Starting college is an exciting time with lots of changes and new experiences. Along with personal observations by professors, studies show that attending classes in-person during your first year dramatically increases your success rate. Additionally, not all classes you may want to take in your first few years of college will be available online.

Because of these reasons, UNM strongly recommends against first-year students entering an online degree program.

Transcripts

You will need to order official transcripts of every school you’ve attended (not including high school or UNM.) Most colleges will use some sort of transcript ordering service such as Parchment or the National Student Clearinghouse. There is usually some sort of nominal fee involved when ordering. Your schools’ registrar office can assist you with this.

Electronic copies can be sent to apply@unm.edu. Physical copies should be sent directly from your school to The University of New Mexico in a sealed envelope. The mailing address is PO Box 4895, Albuquerque, NM 87196-4895.

When you are ordering your official transcripts, we recommend you also request a set of unofficial transcripts (also known as advisement transcripts.) These usually come as a PDF and are useful when working with advisors to help determine what coursework you’ll need to complete your bachelors’ degree.

If your coursework was from a college or university outside the U.S. and Canada, you will need to submit official transcripts in both English and the native language if other than English. You should plan to have your academic transcripts translated by a service such as the American Translators Association or other certified academic translation service.

Application Process

People often ask us when they should apply to the University. While there are not strict deadlines, certain times of year are better than others. For the Fall semester, apply starting in February or March, but you can do it later. There is a limited schedule for the required New Student Orientation (NSO) which must be completed before you will be allowed to register for classes. Because of this, we recommend registering before May 1st for the Summer and Fall semesters and by mid-November for the Spring semester.

The process to apply is relatively straight forward:

1. Complete an application. Be sure to select the online version of your intended major.
2. Pay the $25 non-refundable application fee
3. Submit an official transcript from each college/university attended. Transcripts must be in a sealed envelope from the issuing college or school.
4. If you have fewer than 24 transferrable credits, please send official high school transcripts (or GED scores) scores to UNM.

If you use the web application you can check your admission status by returning to the application and entering the ID and PIN you created when completing your application. Contact the Admissions Office at 505.277.8900 or Chat with the admissions staff if you have questions.

Once You’re Admitted

When your application has been accepted, you’ll receive a letter and/or email letting you know. (Be sure to check your email’s spam folder!) In that letter/email, you’ll find your Banner ID number, a nine-digit number starting with 101 or 102. With that number you’ll

1. Create your NetID at New UNM NetID Registration and establish your UNM Email address – this is the official form of communication from the university.
2. Sign-up and attend an orientation program – you must attend an orientation program and meet with your academic advisor to be eligible to register for courses.
3. If you are a current Lottery Success or Opportunity Scholarship recipient, submit the scholarship transfer transcript.
4. Use LOBO Trax to review how credit from previous institutions has been applied toward your UNM degree. The LOBO Trax Degree Audit system will show you how officially transferred credit has been applied to your degree plan, as well as courses you should plan to take to fulfill remaining degree requirements.