More selective than 60% of New Mexico colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $23,274. College Scorecard.
Higher than 90% of New Mexico colleges we cover and 53% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 40% of New Mexico colleges we cover and 11% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
NMSU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 15,201 applicants, New Mexico State University admitted 11,511 and 2,391 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 870–1110 on the SAT or 17–24 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
NMSU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for New Mexico residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What NMSU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of New Mexico State University took 4.5 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in New Mexico. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $6,648 | $29,650 | 3.6 years |
| $30–48k | $7,424 | $33,111 | 4.0 years |
| $48–75k | $9,861 | $43,980 | 5.3 years |
| $75–110k | $13,146 | $58,631 | 7.0 years |
| $110k+ | $14,049 | $62,659 | 7.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.5 years, the average time graduates took (32% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($39,067) minus $30,723 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NM (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $8,344 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
NMSU majors, earnings & careers
New Mexico State University offers 79 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Science & Math · 20
- Engineering · 11
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 11
- Business & Finance · 9
- Health & Medicine · 7
- Humanities & Languages · 7
- Arts & Design · 6
- Education · 4
- Communications & Media · 3
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at NMSU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering | $96,510 | $24,537 |
| Electrical Engineering | $95,683 | $23,250 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $94,024 | $21,261 |
| Chemical Engineering | $90,091 | $15,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $85,742 | $18,759 |
| Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $81,690 | $22,000 |
| Nursing | $78,951 | $20,500 |
| Civil Engineering | $74,115 | $13,382 |
Quick list of all 79 majors
- Accounting$57,219
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering$96,510
- Agricultural Business$63,139
- Agricultural Public Services—
- Agriculture—
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$53,428
- Animal Sciences$36,858
- Anthropology—
- Apparel and Textiles—
- Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$52,567
- Botany / Plant Biology—
- Business$60,970
- Business Administration$54,077
- Chemical Engineering$90,091
- Chemistry—
- City / Urban, Community, and Regional Planning—
- Civil Engineering$74,115
- Communications—
- Community Organization and Advocacy—
- Computer and Information Sciences$94,024
- Criminal Justice$49,834
- Dance—
- Dietetics$49,080
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$51,592
- Education (Subject Teaching)$51,972
- Educational Administration and Supervision—
- Electrical Engineering$95,683
- Engineering Physics—
- Engineering Technologies / Technicians$81,690
- Engineering-Related Technologies / Technicians—
- English$32,767
- Environmental / Natural Resources Management and Policy—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies—
- Film and Photography$37,880
- Finance$68,890
- Food Science and Technology—
- Genetics—
- Geography—
- Geological / Geophysical Engineering—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- Graphic Communications$33,612
- History—
- Hospitality Management$49,444
- Human Development and Family Studies$38,142
- Industrial Engineering—
- International Business—
- Journalism$45,765
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$50,998
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$43,872
- Linguistics$40,432
- Marketing$63,115
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering$85,742
- Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions$39,293
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology—
- Music—
- Nursing$78,951
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Plant Sciences—
- Political Science$51,641
- Psychology$45,637
- Public Health$42,410
- Social Work$50,295
- Sociology$48,419
- Soil Sciences—
- Special Education$58,953
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre$30,355
- Visual and Performing Arts$27,875
- Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management$44,272
- Writing$39,479
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Las Cruces
Overall prices in the Las Cruces, NM area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,073. Housing costs 37% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 9 inches of rain a year, 1 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Dona Ana County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Dona Ana County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare NMSU with similar schools
Similar public colleges in New Mexico by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico State University | 89% | $8,889 | 55% | $39,067 | This school |
| University of New Mexico | 95% | $15,489 | 55% | $44,792 | |
| Eastern New Mexico University | 92% | $4,904 | 45% | $38,550 | |
| Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development | 97% | $12,570 | 15% | $24,505 | |
| Western New Mexico University | — | $8,522 | 32% | $39,095 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
New Mexico State University would cost you $6,600 less per year than University of New Mexico, on average.
- Higher sticker price at New Mexico State University, mostly from more University of New Mexico students living at home, which lowers its average (+$3,928).
- New Mexico State University gives aided families $8,615 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, New Mexico resident | NMSU | UNM | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $8,183 | $10,140 | −$1,957 |
| Books & supplies | $1,240 | $1,328 | −$88 |
| Housing & meals | $12,026 | $11,884 | +$142 |
| Personal & travel | $4,698 | $4,708 | −$10 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,873 | −$6,801 | +$3,928 |
| Sticker price | $23,274 | $21,259 | +$2,015 |
| Average grants | −$14,385 | −$5,770 | −$8,615 |
| You pay | $8,889 | $15,489 | −$6,600 |
“+” means NMSU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about NMSU
What is the NMSU acceptance rate?
New Mexico State University accepts 89% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 11,511 of 15,201 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 870–1110 on the SAT or 17–24 on the ACT.
How much does New Mexico State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $23,274 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $8,889 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $6,648 and families earning $110k+ pay $14,049.
How much do NMSU graduates earn?
Former New Mexico State University students earn a median $39,067 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the NMSU graduation rate?
55% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 73% return for their second year.
How long does a NMSU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at New Mexico State University costs about $43,980 after grants ($9,861 a year for 4.5 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $39,067 ten years after starting, $8,344 more than high school graduates in New Mexico ($30,723), so the cost is repaid in 5.3 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “New Mexico State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/new-mexico-state-university-main-campus (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).