Each day, nearly 25,000 students rush around campus - and more than 21,000 of them commute to get there, according to UNM.
Students say the resulting traffic adds stress to their already busy days.
Cheo Torres, vice president of Student Affairs, said UNM never meant for students to have so much trouble.
"I don't think it was ever the intention of UNM to be a commuter campus," he said.
"It probably has to do with the amount of in-state students that attend UNM. If you grow up in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe or Los Lunas, it would be easier to stay home and just commute."
Torres said the Parking and Transportation Services tries to help students find efficient ways to get on campus. Aside from buying parking permits, they encourage alternative transportation such as taking the city bus, riding a bike, carpooling and walking.
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Most widely used are UNM's off-campus lots, where students park and wait for shuttle busses to take them to main campus.
But parking permits, which run about $180, sell out quickly. The only ones left are for South Lot and motorcycles.
Also, some students say there are not enough courtesy shuttles from the lots.
Junior Mackenzie Mobly said commuting to school is more difficult than it should be.
"I park in South Lot, and it took 45 minutes to even get on the shuttle," she said. "Three different shuttles came, and there were so many people they filled up immediately that I couldn't even get on one."
Junior Erica Krause said she wouldn't put up with waiting that long for a shuttle.
"I have had to walk to school a couple times because the shuttles were too full," she said.
Mobly said the commuting situation is causing academic problems for her.
"For the past three days, I have been late to school because of it," she said. "I would probably have to leave an hour and a half early to get to school on time."
Alex Riebli, ASUNM vice president, said ABQ Ride has bus stops on campus and is a good way for students to get on campus for free.
Many students prefer to ride the city bus because it is free for students who show their class schedules, he said.
"There are probably five or six lines that drop off right in front of UNM campus," Riebli said. "In terms of resources and availability, we definitely have supported the ABQ Ride initiative, and students are thankful they exist."
Torres said that of all these options, the best solution to commuting problems would be to live on campus. If students chose to live on campus, he said, they would meet more people and find more opportunities for academic and social success.
"I would like to see more commuter students live on campus - or at least live within close proximity to the campus - so that they can enjoy all the amenities that are offered," Torres said. "They miss out on all the activities that happen on campus after classes end."
But the dorms are already filled to capacity this semester, according to Campus Housing
Torres said UNM is in the planning stage of expanding on-campus living.
"We are planning for approximately 1,000 additional beds on campus," Torres said. "Hopefully, we can come up with apartment-style facilities for commuter students to consider."
