The starting point
UNM runs a published, automatic-on-GPA merit grid that is split in two: New Mexico residents get awards like the $15,500/yr Regents' or $6,000/yr Presidential on top of the state Lottery Scholarship, while non-residents lean on the Amigo Scholarship (~$23,149/yr + $200 stipend) that drops out-of-state tuition to the resident rate when stats are met.
More than one award path. Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.
Awards to discuss
First 3 of 12 recorded awards, in chapter display order. This is a selection, not a ranking. Read the full chapter for all awards. Amounts retain the original units and conditions; confirm the entering year with the school.
Woodward Scholars (New Mexico Resident)
$4,000 per year · Published amount
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 3.85–4.00 cumulative (unweighted); or NM GED scaled score 175–200
Eligibility: NM high-school graduate or NM GED recipient. Apply to UNM by February 1.
Renewal: Renewable for 4 years. Complete 15 new credit hours with a 3.0 GPA each semester (fall and spring semesters).
Other terms: Institutional GPA-band award; no separate scholarship application named (apply to UNM by Feb 1). Stated to combine with the NM Legislative Lottery Scholarship. Does not stack with a second Freshman Scholarship — the higher award supersedes the lower.
https://scholarship.unm.edu
UNM Achievers (New Mexico Resident)
$2,000 per year · Published amount
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 3.40–3.84 cumulative (unweighted); or NM GED scaled score 164–174
Eligibility: NM high-school graduate or NM GED recipient. Apply to UNM by February 1.
Renewal: Renewable for 4 years. Complete 15 new credit hours with a 3.0 GPA each semester (fall and spring semesters).
Other terms: Middle GPA band of the institutional resident grid. Combines with the NM Legislative Lottery Scholarship; does not stack with another Freshman Scholarship.
https://scholarship.unm.edu
Bridge to Success (New Mexico Resident, first semester only)
$1,000 for the first semester of the freshman year · Published award terms
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 2.50–3.39 cumulative (unweighted); or NM GED scaled score 145–164
Eligibility: NM high-school graduate or NM GED recipient. Apply to UNM by February 1.
Renewal: Not renewable. Award covers the first semester of the freshman year only.
Other terms: Bottom GPA band of the resident grid and the only one that is a one-time, first-semester-only award — not a four-year scholarship. Designed to bridge a student into the NM Lottery Scholarship, which begins in the second semester.
https://scholarship.unm.edu
Ask before you decide
- Which entering-year policy and residency category apply to us? What are the admission and scholarship deadlines?
- What grades and credits are required to renew, and for how many terms?
- How would other school awards or outside scholarships change the offer?
Recorded stacking policy: UNM stacking is MIXED. Resident institutional merit awards (Regents', Presidential, Woodward, UNM Achievers) are explicitly designed to combine with the state NM Legislative Lottery and Opportunity scholarships. But a student CANNOT hold two UNM Freshman Scholarships at once — if awarded multiple, 'the higher dollar award will supersede the lower dollar award' and the lower is canceled. For non-residents, the Lobo Housing Scholarship explicitly layers on top of a tuition-waiver scholarship (WUE/LUE/reciprocal). For third-party OUTSIDE scholarships, UNM's Financial Aid terms state that 'Receipt of additional financial aid may result in an adjustment of the financial aid offered by UNM' — i.e., over-award adjustment is possible; the exact displacement order (loan-first vs. grant-first) is not published on these pages.
Our unanswered questions / Family notes
