Mesalands Community College was established as Tucumcari Area Vocational School (TAVS) under the Area Vocational School Act of New Mexico during the thirty-third Legislative Session of the State of New Mexico. In January 1979, an act of the Legislature authorized the establishment of an area vocational school in Tucumcari (Statutory Authority: Sections 21-17-1 through 21-17-17 NMSA 1978). Mesalands Community College, located on 23 acres (93,000 m2) in Tucumcari, New Mexico, is a two-year, regionally accredited (Higher Learning Commission) higher education institution offering instruction at the associate's degree level.