New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University is a public university in Las Cruces, NM, with about 11,680 students on campus and 3,099 more studying only online.
What to know about New Mexico State University
Most undergraduates are Hispanic
64% of New Mexico State University’s undergraduates are Hispanic. The students ↓
Out-of-state students pay far more
In-state tuition and fees are $8,183 a year; students from other states pay $25,307, 3 times as much. What it costs ↓
What you study here makes a big difference to pay
Among New Mexico State University’s biggest bachelor’s programs, aerospace graduates earn a median $96,510 four years out. Animal sciences graduates earn $36,858. Program earnings cover the whole system. Majors ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard; earnings, debt and repayment are reported for the whole 4-campus system; price, graduation and earnings include online students.
The students
11,946 degree-seeking undergraduates.
By race and ethnicity
Women and men
How hard is it to get into New Mexico State University?
of applicants admitted
About 18 of every 20 applicants get in.
Test scores of admitted students
The middle 50%: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 1011.
The sticker price, and what families really pay
Sticker price: $23,274 a year
Before any grants · out-of-state tuition $25,307
After grants, the average family on aid pays $8,889.
Your family’s price
Average net price after grants, by family income
About $39,444 over 4 years · 58% off the sticker price
Do students finish, and does it pay off?
Debt vs. the paycheck
The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting (whole college system)
$181 a month against about $2,747 a month in pay.
Paying back loans
Federal student loans, whole college system
of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 50% of U.S. colleges.
Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).
Earnings by family background
Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment (whole college system)
What students study, and what it pays
Share of degrees by field
Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates
And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported); reported for the whole college system.
Living in Las Cruces
12% of Las Cruces’s 116,978 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Las Cruces pages.
Other colleges within 30 miles
Straight-line distances from New Mexico State University; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.
Ask around
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid and are reported for the whole 4-campus system. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.