10-yr median earnings
$45,937
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Las Vegas, New Mexico
New Mexico Highlands University
New Mexico Highlands University is a public institution in Las Vegas, New Mexico. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $14,838
- Avg net price / yr
- $45,937
- 10-yr median earnings
- 25.9%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
New Mexico Highlands University posts above-median former-student earnings.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 37%
- former-student earnings, US
- 25.9%
- 150%-time completion
- +18%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Remote
Carnegie: Master's (L)
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this New Mexico Highlands University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
D
College Value Score
45/100
New Mexico Highlands University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings C+
$45,937
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price C
$14,838
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
25.9%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt C+
$11,399
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment C
62.5%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
49.8%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$14,838
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
25.9%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 25.9%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - New Mexico Highlands University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How New Mexico Highlands University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
New Mexico Highlands University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$45,937 Top 37% higher than 63% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | New Mexico Highlands University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $45,937 | #1891 of 5103 | 63rd |
| Average net price | $14,838 | #2065 of 5020 | 59th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 25.9% | #4493 of 4858 | 8th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,451 | #1798 of 5462 | 67th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
1,451
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
25.9%
150%-time completion
$45,937
10-yr median earnings
49.8%
First-year retention
How New Mexico Highlands University ranks in New Mexico
State rank among 35 reporting New Mexico colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | New Mexico Highlands University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $45,937 | #3 of 35 | 91st |
| Average net price | $14,838 | #30 of 40 | 25th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 25.9% | #27 of 39 | 31st |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,451 | #10 of 41 | 76th |
Highest former-student earnings in New Mexico
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | $76,489 | $9,873 |
| 2 | New Mexico Military Institute | $57,410 | $4,571 |
| 3 | New Mexico Highlands UniversityThis school | $45,937 | $14,838 |
| 4 | University of the Southwest | $45,389 | $16,927 |
| 5 | St. John's College | $44,985 | $26,674 |
| 6 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | $44,792 | $15,489 |
| 7 | University of New Mexico-Gallup Campus | $44,792 | $4,868 |
| 8 | University of New Mexico-Valencia County Campus | $44,792 | $5,714 |
| 9 | University of New Mexico-Taos Campus | $44,792 | $9,165 |
| 10 | University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus | $44,792 | $13,470 |
| 11 | Western New Mexico University | $39,095 | $8,522 |
| 12 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | $39,067 | $8,889 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at New Mexico Highlands University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$13,511 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$13,947 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$15,175 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$16,530 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at New Mexico Highlands University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $7,416 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $12,336 |
| Average Net Price | $14,838 |
45.1%
Pell Grant Rate
17.6%
Federal Loan Rate
$11,399
Median Debt
$121/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at New Mexico Highlands University rose +57.4% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $8,984 in 2013 to $14,141 in 2023, a rise of $5,157 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $8,9842023 · $14,141
Over the same years, enrollment went -29.7% (2,221 → 1,561 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
62.9%
Female
45.4%
First Generation
Outcomes
49.8%
Retention Rate
$38,952
Median Earnings (6yr)
53.3%
Earning Over $25K
62.5%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 25.9% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 49.8% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $38,952 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $45,937 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 53.3% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 62.5% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $11,399 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $121/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 10 | 348 | $59,055 | $97,309 | $13,800 |
| Master's | 7 | 306 | $67,919 | $82,774 | $26,844 |
Top programs at New Mexico Highlands University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$97,309 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$82,774 median earnings
- Educational Administration…
Educational Administration and Supervision
$77,154 median earnings
- Curriculum and Instruction
Curriculum and Instruction
$67,891 median earnings
- Teacher Education and Prof…
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
$62,375 median earnings
- Special Education and Teac…
Special Education and Teaching
$60,341 median earnings
- Student Counseling and Per…
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
$60,034 median earnings
- Mental and Social Health S…
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
$59,318 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the admissions statistics for New Mexico Highlands University? ▼
New Mexico Highlands University is a public institution in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,451 students.
How much do New Mexico Highlands University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at New Mexico Highlands University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $45,937 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $38,952.
How much does New Mexico Highlands University cost? ▼
The average net price at New Mexico Highlands University is $14,838. In-state tuition is $7,416 and out-of-state tuition is $12,336. Median student debt at graduation is $11,399.
What is the graduation rate at New Mexico Highlands University? ▼
New Mexico Highlands University has a 25.9% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 49.8%.
Is New Mexico Highlands University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at New Mexico Highlands University is $11,399, while former students earn a median of $45,937 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 25% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 62.5% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $121.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from New Mexico Highlands University
- Compare New Mexico Highlands University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in New Mexico side by side.Browse New Mexico
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.