NMSU 'Descubre' Program: University To Give Tuition Discounts To Students From Mexico

With a program called “Descubre” (discover), the University of New Mexico will offer a discounted tuition rate to students from Mexico effective this fall..

The NMSU Board of Regents passed a resolution this spring discounting tuition, leaving rates about at half of what out-of-state students pay. “The estimated tuition rate per semester is $4,691 for full-time (15 credits) undergraduate students, and $3,975 for full-time (12 credits) graduate students,” read the statement released by the University.

In addition, Chancellor Garrey Carruthers explained why the program is specifically targeted at students from Mexico. “We know these students have a lot to offer us in terms of their backgrounds, experiences and diversity,” he said. “I want to thank our Board of Regents, New Mexico Secretary of Higher Education Barbara Damron and others who supported the launch of this program, which began as a notion during a meeting in Chihuahua organized by the Legislative Finance Committee and State Senator John Arthur Smith.”

Associate provost for International and Border Programs, Cornell Menking explained that the name of the program comes from the school’s slogan “All About Discovery,” and said that Mexico constitutes “one of the top three countries sending international students to NMSU.” “Despite NMSU’s long history of being a popular destination for students from Mexico, the Descubre Program is designed to attract still more Mexican students to the university,” Menking explained.

The program description enlists the three most important things for students to qualify for the program. First off, they have to be Mexican citizens; secondly they have to be on an F or J visa sponsored by NMSU’s Office of International Student and Scholar Services, and lastly, they need to be admitted to an NMSU undergraduate or graduate degree program.

In addition to this effort, NMSU officials will reportedly enhance recruiting efforts in Mexico, “especially in Chihuahua and Sonora.”