In November 1896, the school's first permanent building, Old Main, was dedicated, and within twenty years enrollment had reached nearly 500 students.

Fields of study include accounting, business, chemistry, criminal justice, education, environmental sustainability, forest/wildlife, graphic design, history, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology, social work, sociology, and zoology.

In 2003 WNMU was the first four-year university in the state to be recognized by Quality New Mexico with its highest honor, the Zia Award.

Athletics teams are nicknamed the Mustangs and compete in several sports such as football, volleyball, tennis, softball, basketball, cross country, and golf.

Western New Mexico is a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference, which they joined during the 2016–17 school year.

The 80-acre (32 ha) campus includes over 40 buildings with four residence halls, a nearly 1000 seat Fine Arts Center Theater, swimming pool and football field.

Housed in Fleming Hall, the WNMU Museum is home to the largest permanent collection of Mimbres pottery in the world.