New Mexico State University-Main Campus
Las Cruces, New Mexico · Public · 4-year · Suburb
Official websiteAt a glance
- Average net price
- $8,889What students typically pay per year after grants and scholarships.
- Acceptance rate
- 89%
- Graduation rate
- 54%Share of students who finish within 150% of the normal time.
- Undergraduates
- 11,946
- In-state tuition
- $8,183Published price before aid.
- Out-of-state tuition
- $25,307
- SAT midpoint
- 1,030
- Median earnings, 10 yrs
- $39,067Median earnings of former students ten years after they first enrolled.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Data year: 2022-23 academic year. Updated September 2026. Figures are averages across all students and will differ from what any individual pays.
How it compares to similar colleges
Each rating covers one measure against public 4-year colleges nationally. Five stars means the top fifth on that measure. There is no overall score, because which of these matters is your call.
Affordability
$8,8895/5
Better than 88% of public 4-year colleges (565 compared).
Completion
54%3/5
Better than 54% of public 4-year colleges (566 compared).
Earnings
$39,0671/5
Better than 6% of public 4-year colleges (590 compared).
Debt at graduation
$17,0955/5
Better than 82% of public 4-year colleges (588 compared).
What these ratings are based on
- Affordability
- Based on average net price: what students receiving federal aid actually paid, after grants and scholarships. Your own cost depends on your family's finances.
- Completion
- Based on the share of first-time, full-time students who graduate within 150% of normal time. It excludes transfer and part-time students, which understates colleges serving many of them.
- Earnings
- Based on median earnings ten years after students first enrolled. It reflects the subjects a college teaches and the region it sits in as much as its teaching.
- Debt at graduation
- Based on median federal loan debt among students who completed. Private and parent loans are not included, so real totals are often higher.
- Why there is no rating for selectivity
- A lower acceptance rate is selectivity, not quality. Awarding stars for it would be us inventing a value judgement and hiding it behind a number.
What it actually costs
Published cost
$23,274
The sticker price: tuition, fees, housing, food and books for one academic year, before any aid.
Average net price
$8,889
What students receiving federal aid actually paid on average, after grants and scholarships. This is the more useful number, though your own figure depends on your family’s finances.
Outcomes
| Graduation rateWithin 150% of normal time | 54% |
|---|---|
| Retention rateFirst-year students who return | 73% |
| Median debt at graduationFederal loans only, students who completed | $17,095 |
| Median earnings, 10 years after entryFormer students, working and not enrolled | $39,067 |
What graduates of each major earn
Median earnings one year after finishing, for people who took that subject here. This is the figure a college-wide median hides: the spread between subjects at one college is usually far wider than the spread between colleges.
| Major | Earnings, 1 yr | Degrees awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | $82,790 | 41 |
| Chemical Engineering | $75,766 | 25 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $73,229 | 182 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | $68,002 | 80 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | $63,674 | 90 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $62,813 | 122 |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | $60,250 | 37 |
| Civil Engineering | $60,212 | 33 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | $48,868 | 44 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $45,016 | 26 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $41,888 | 92 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | $41,268 | 24 |
| Business/Commerce, General | $39,442 | 83 |
| Accounting and Related Services | $38,057 | 41 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | $36,198 | 8 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $35,599 | 57 |
| Political Science and Government | $35,393 | 26 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | $33,603 | 23 |
| Social Work | $33,510 | 34 |
| Marketing | $33,191 | 76 |
| Journalism | $32,825 | 29 |
| Special Education and Teaching | $31,963 | 11 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | $31,568 | 141 |
| Sociology | $31,376 | 25 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | $29,942 | 33 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $29,553 | 152 |
| Animal Sciences | $28,475 | 77 |
| Public Health | $27,729 | 22 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | $27,720 | 46 |
| Agriculture, General | $26,666 | 25 |
| Biology, General | $26,533 | 99 |
| Psychology, General | $26,250 | 104 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $25,965 | 26 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | $25,631 | 27 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $25,344 | 39 |
| Graphic Communications | $24,115 | 30 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | $23,701 | 74 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | $18,470 | 25 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | $17,980 | 6 |
| Anthropology | $12,059 | 21 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Not reported | 37 |
| English Language and Literature, General | Not reported | 27 |
| Communication and Media Studies | Not reported | 18 |
| Plant Sciences | Not reported | 18 |
| History | Not reported | 15 |
| Philosophy | Not reported | 14 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Not reported | 10 |
| Mathematics | Not reported | 9 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Not reported | 9 |
| Economics | Not reported | 9 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | Not reported | 8 |
| Physics | Not reported | 8 |
| Genetics | Not reported | 8 |
| International Business | Not reported | 7 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | Not reported | 7 |
| Apparel and Textiles | Not reported | 7 |
| Industrial Engineering | Not reported | 6 |
| Engineering Physics | Not reported | 5 |
| Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians | Not reported | 5 |
| Food Science and Technology | Not reported | 4 |
| Music | Not reported | 4 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Not reported | 4 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | Not reported | 3 |
| Botany/Plant Biology | Not reported | 2 |
| Dance | Not reported | 2 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | Not reported | 2 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | Not reported | 1 |
| Soil Sciences | Not reported | 1 |
| Geography and Cartography | Not reported | 1 |
| Agricultural Public Services | Not reported | Not reported |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | Not reported | Not reported |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Not reported | Not reported |
| Geological/Geophysical Engineering | Not reported | Not reported |
| Chemistry | Not reported | Not reported |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies | Not reported | Not reported |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | Not reported | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Not reported | Not reported |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | Not reported | Not reported |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Not reported | Not reported |
All 79 bachelor’s programs this college reported.
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