The state's 25 public campuses are governed by fifteen independent boards, each with constitutional or statutory authorization, and each with its' own unique institutional mission. The Commission on Higher Education is statutorily charged with the responsibility of coordinating these campuses with regard to planning, funding, and reporting on various issues of statewide interest. The names of these institutions are included in the appendix. All of these colleges and universities, including the private, public, independent and tribal institutions are integral parts of New Mexico's system of higher education. The overall array of higher education institutions is illustrated in the Higher Education Organizational Chart .
Additional students attend tribal and private institutions.
During the past decade, enrollments in the community colleges have grown by about 200 percent, while enrollments in the universities have remained generally stable. As the annual number of high school graduates begins to increase in the next few years, and as institutions broaden options for accessing their programs, enrollment can be expected to continue to expand in the coming decade. During the past decade, student enrollment has shifted to the community college campuses as points of entry for higher education. Today's college student is more likely to be older, working, and a parent than was the case in previous decades. The average age of students enrolled in New Mexico's public institutions is 30 years.