Options are abundant for Rio Rancho residents, who wish to pursue higher education with many institutions offering classes either in or near Rio Rancho In November of 2007, voters approved a Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) district expansion to include all of Rio Rancho. Situated on 40 acres adjacent to the Rio Rancho City Center and scheduled for construction in 2009, CNM will partner with the University of New Mexico for the delivery of higher education. Visit www.cnm.edu for more information.

The University of New Mexico: UNM has a Rio Rancho Center, which operates on upper-division and graduate-level course work. A full UNM campus is projected in the near future, eventually serving 12,000 students making it the 3rd largest campus inthe state. For information, visit www.dce.unm.edu.

New Mexico Highlands University in Rio Rancho offers upper- division undergraduate and graduate courses in several fields awarding bachelor and master degrees, as well as state licensing for teachers. Visit their web site at www.nmhu.edu/riorancho

National American University, a multi-campus institution with locations throughout the country has sites in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque where students can earn associate and bachelor's degrees. Visit the web site at www.national.edu. The University of Phoenix offers several classes in Rio Rancho and has a larger campus nearby in albuquerque. The university offers Bashelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees in a range of disciplines. Visit www.phoenix.edu.