New Mexico State University-Main Campus
Las Cruces, New Mexico · Also known as NMSU · Website
$39,067
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$39,067
median earnings, 10 years after starting
New Mexico State University-Main Campus is a public 4-year college in Las Cruces, New Mexico with 11,946 undergraduates and 2,901 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $8,889 a year (tuition and fees $8,183 in-state, $25,307 out-of-state). It admits 89% of applicants and 55% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $39,067 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $17,095 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$8,889
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$8,183
Out-of-state $25,307
Admission rate
89%
US median 78%
Completion rate
55%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$17,095
About $181 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$39,067
Rank 2,847 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $8,889
- Tuition in-state
- $8,183
- Tuition out-of-state
- $25,307
- Cost of attendance
- $23,274
- Students with a need-based grant
- 38%
- Students with federal loans
- 20%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $6,648
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $7,424
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $9,861
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $13,146
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $14,049
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $6,094 in 2015-16 to $8,183 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 89%
- Average SAT
- 1,011
- SAT reading, middle
- 525
- SAT math, middle
- 505
- ACT, middle
- 20
- Undergraduates
- 11,946
- Graduate students
- 2,901
- Part-time students
- 15%
- Women
- 58%
- Students per teacher
- 16
- Completion rate
- 55%
- Retention rate
- 73%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 232
- Endowment
- $88.7M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2,847 of 5,094 US colleges and 12 of 35 in New Mexico (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NM median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $8,889 | $8,706 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $8,183 | $2,289 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 89% | 89% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 55% | 32% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 73% | 60% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $17,095 | $11,356 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $32,960 | $32,960 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $39,067 | $38,550 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 45% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 55% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
232 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 182 | $18,500 | $73,229 | $78,951 | $88,910 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 152 | $20,250 | $29,553 | $49,834 | $55,378 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 141 | $24,243 | $31,568 | $43,872 | $53,072 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 122 | $19,074 | $62,813 | $85,742 | $92,135 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 104 | $15,750 | $26,250 | $45,637 | $50,706 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 99 | $16,200 | $26,533 | $52,567 | $57,214 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 92 | $22,753 | $41,888 | $51,592 | $47,382 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 90 | $19,508 | $63,674 | $94,024 | $92,374 |
| Social WorkOnlineMaster's | Master's | 83 | $29,153 | $49,755 | $58,551 | $65,123 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 83 | $23,072 | $39,442 | $60,970 | $68,407 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 80 | $24,262 | $68,002 | $96,510 | $98,207 |
| Animal SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 77 | $18,489 | $28,475 | $36,858 | $49,634 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 76 | $19,750 | $33,191 | $63,115 | $69,303 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 74 | $20,000 | $23,701 | $50,998 | $54,562 |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 70 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 69 | $25,297 | $79,413 | $92,605 | $103,485 |
| Public HealthOnlineMaster's | Master's | 57 | $36,175 | $54,327 | $63,538 | $82,751 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 57 | $19,762 | $35,599 | $54,077 | $68,257 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 46 | $19,125 | $27,720 | $40,432 | $49,984 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 44 | $15,670 | $48,868 | $68,890 | $83,343 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 41 | $22,250 | $82,790 | $95,683 | $100,647 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 41 | $14,750 | $38,057 | $57,219 | $76,194 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 39 | $16,250 | $25,344 | $37,880 | $43,765 |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | $21,500 | $60,250 | $81,690 | $80,526 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: New Mexico on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in New Mexico
- Homes: Homes for sale in New Mexico
Questions and answers
How much does New Mexico State University-Main Campus cost?
$8,889 a year is the average net price at New Mexico State University-Main Campus after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $8,183 for in-state students and $25,307 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $23,274. Families earning under $30,000 pay $6,648 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at New Mexico State University-Main Campus?
89% of applicants are admitted to New Mexico State University-Main Campus. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,011 and the middle ACT score is 20. The median admission rate of colleges in New Mexico is 89%.
How much do New Mexico State University-Main Campus graduates earn?
$39,067 a year is the median pay of former New Mexico State University-Main Campus students who work, 10 years after they started ($32,960 after 6 years). That ranks 2,847 of 5,094 US colleges and 12 of 35 in New Mexico. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's) at $82,790.
How much student debt do New Mexico State University-Main Campus graduates have?
$17,095 is the median federal student loan debt of New Mexico State University-Main Campus graduates, about $181 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 20% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at New Mexico State University-Main Campus?
55% of first-time, full-time students at New Mexico State University-Main Campus finish within 6 years. 73% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at New Mexico State University-Main Campus?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (182 bachelor's graduates), Criminal Justice and Corrections (152 bachelor's graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (141 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 232 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.