New Mexico State University (commonly referred to as
NMSU-Las Cruces,
NMSU,
New Mexico State, or
NM State), is a major public,
land-grant, research university in
Las Cruces, New Mexico,
United States. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in the state of
New Mexico. NMSU is the second largest four-year university in the state, in terms of total enrollment across all campuses as of 2011, with campuses in
Alamogordo,
Carlsbad,
Doña Ana County, and
Grants, with extension and research centers across New Mexico.