The University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, lies close to the location of the original Route 66.

Founded in 1889, UNM is a Hispanic-Serving Institution – the only one in the US that’s also classified as a Carnegie Research University with Very High Activity. It represents a diverse mixture of cultures and backgrounds.

The university’s main campus occupies 800 acres of land set amid the Sandia Mountains and the historic Rio Grande river, comprising a Pueblo Revival architectural style and a nationally regarded arboretum.

It also has branch campuses throughout the state in Gallup , Los Alamos , Taos and Valencia County, plus UNM West, an extension campus situated in the city of Rio Rancho.

Around 35,000 students attend UNM, which also boasts more than 159,000 active alumni while the university’s faculty includes one Nobel Laureate, two MacArthur Fellows and 35 Fulbright scholars.

UNM offers over 220 bachelor and graduate degree programmes across several different colleges and schools, of which the School of Law, the School of Medicine, the School of Engineering, and the Anderson School of Management, were recently ranked by Hispanic Business Magazine as among the top 10 in the country.

In addition to stunning scenery, UNM is also home to libraries, museums, art galleries, performance spaces and other cultural resources. The University Arena, or ‘The Pit’ as it’s known, is one of basketball's most famous buildings, ranked 8th by USA Today as one of the best stadiums to watch college basketball.

UNM students go by the name of ‘Lobos’ (the Spanish word for wolf). In years past, a live wolf was brought to athletic matches as the team mascot, but since the 1960s a human mascot named Lobo Louie has attended in its place while a second mascot, Lobo Lucy, was introduced in the 1980s.

The sports team colours of cherry and silver are said to be inspired by the colour of the New Mexico sky at sunset and the sight of the Rio Grande by night.