New Mexico State University says fall enrollment is down more than 5 percent from the previous year.
The university released the numbers Tuesday. They show nearly 26,700 students enrolled throughout the NMSU system as of Sept. 5.
At the Las Cruces campus, more than 15,800 students were enrolled for the fall. That represents a 5.6 percent decrease from 2013.
The vice president for student affairs and enrollment, Bernadette Montoya, says the university had several large classes early during the economic downturn and those students are now leaving with degrees.
Since 2009, she says the number of New Mexico high school graduates has declined and the incoming classes have been smaller.
The university says the incoming class of graduate students has increased 7 percent.
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