Grants and Writing Resources for New Mexico State University
In October 2026 The Round Up, the NMSU student newspaper, took seven awards in the New Mexico Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest, the first year the paper had entered. Three were first-place awards, among them Best Website and Best Use of Social Media for work by the paper's editor-in-chief and multimedia editor. One of the four second-place awards went to a breaking-news story that a sections editor reported on a tight deadline while the editorial staff of the time was at a professional conference.
Graduate Scholarships and Assistantships
Each academic college nominates one student for the Graduate School's Outstanding Graduate Research Scholarship Award. In 2026-27 it pays $3,000, $1,500 per semester, and there are five of them, one per college. A companion Outstanding Graduate Teaching Scholarship Award, also $3,000 in 2026-27, goes to students who have taught. Both ask for a graduate GPA of 3.50 or higher.
Doctoral and MFA programs may each put forward one student for the Distinguished Doctoral/Terminal Degree Graduate Assistantship, a half-time position with tuition paid for fall and spring; self-nominations aren't accepted. Returned Peace Corps volunteers in ACES or HEST graduate programs can hold the Coverdell Fellowship, which pairs two quarter-time assistantships with tuition and requires at least 300 hours of service internship a year. Students headed for faculty careers can earn the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Graduate Scholarship Award, $2,000 for 2026-27, by working with a faculty mentor and completing 30 hours of Teaching Academy workshops.
Research and Travel Money
The Graduate Student Council reimburses up to $750 a year for presenting at national or international conferences, and up to another $750 for travel to do master's or doctoral research. Its Research Publication award adds up to $100 toward publishing costs for journal articles, theses and dissertations. Applicants belong to a registered graduate student organization, attend two GSC general meetings first, and sign an agreement to present their work on campus.
Undergraduates who write a proposal with a faculty mentor can apply to the ACES Undergraduate Research Program, which pays $1,000 in two equal payments at the start of fall and spring, plus up to $500 for supplies. Sophomore and junior Crimson Scholars planning research abroad could request up to $3,000 from the Honors College International Research Scholarship for 2026 projects. Lab work, archival research, creative work and conference presentations all qualified.
For national competitions, the Honors College Fellowship Office advises on Fulbright, Truman and Boren applications and runs writing workshops and mock interviews.
Where Students Present
Undergraduates show their work each April at URCAS, the Undergraduate Research & Creative Arts Symposium. The 2026 symposium ran on April 17 as part of Research & Creativity Week.
Graduate students present at the Graduate Research & Arts Symposium, which has oral talks, posters, an art session and an open mic. Oral presenters are grouped by how far along the research is. Selected students in the advanced group give ten-minute talks, and cash prizes go to the best presentations in each category.
The Three Minute Thesis competition is open to doctoral students and master's students on the thesis track. At the 2026 competition the winner receives a $500 scholarship and a trip to the Western Association of Graduate Schools 3MT competition in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in April 2027. Second place also pays $500, third pays $250, and each remaining finalist gets $100.
Journals, Tutoring and Theses
Puerto del Sol started in 1964 as a 25-page stapled venue for student creative writing and art. Today it is the English Department's literary journal, published in print twice a year with an online edition. Graduate students in the Creative Writing Program and undergraduates from any department can join the student staff that reads submissions and edits each issue under a faculty advisor.
The NMSU Writing Center gives free one-on-one tutoring to students at every level, undergraduate through PhD. Book a session in Clara Belle Williams 102, meet a tutor by video, or upload a draft and get written comments back on the day of the appointment.
Theses and dissertations are submitted electronically, and the Graduate School reviews each one for formatting. Its page for graduating thesis and dissertation students has separate sections for master's and doctoral candidates. Students writing in LaTeX can start from the Department of Mathematical Sciences thesis files, which include an NMSU thesis class file and Overleaf instructions.
Before a thesis goes to the Graduate School for format review, or a paper goes to a professor, our editors can check it for grammar, consistency and format. See our New Mexico State University dissertation and thesis editing and New Mexico State University essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.
From Our Writing Guides
Compiled by James Peterson Brown, PhD, Managing Editor of Editors For Students. Links checked October 2026.
Editors For Students is an independent editorial service and is not affiliated with New Mexico State University, and your faculty may endorse our services individually. We look forward to helping you bring your NMSU writing to its strongest, submission-ready form.