10-yr median earnings
$45,389
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Hobbs, New Mexico
University of the Southwest
University of the Southwest is a private nonprofit institution in Hobbs, New Mexico. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $45,389
- 10-yr median earnings
- $16,927
- Avg net price / yr
- 23.1%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
University of the Southwest posts above-median former-student earnings.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 38%
- former-student earnings, US
- 23.1%
- 150%-time completion
- +24%
- 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 University of the Southwest 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
F
College Value Score
38/100
University of the Southwest
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
$45,389
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price C-
$16,927
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
23.1%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$21,303
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment C
62.5%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
55.1%
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
$16,927
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
23.1%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 23.1%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - University of the Southwest 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 University of the Southwest 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.
University of the Southwest: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$45,389 Top 38% higher than 62% 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 | University of the Southwest | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $45,389 | #1953 of 5103 | 62nd |
| Average net price | $16,927 | #2472 of 5020 | 51st (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 23.1% | #4587 of 4858 | 6th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 346 | #3169 of 5462 | 42nd |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
346
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
23.1%
150%-time completion
$45,389
10-yr median earnings
55.1%
First-year retention
How University of the Southwest 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 | University of the Southwest | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $45,389 | #4 of 35 | 89th |
| Average net price | $16,927 | #34 of 40 | 15th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 23.1% | #30 of 39 | 23rd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 346 | #29 of 41 | 29th |
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 University | $45,937 | $14,838 |
| 4 | University of the SouthwestThis school | $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 University of the Southwest
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$15,384 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$14,090 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$15,943 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$21,985 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at University of the Southwest - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $16,670 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $16,670 |
| Average Net Price | $16,927 |
55.2%
Pell Grant Rate
64.1%
Federal Loan Rate
$21,303
Median Debt
$226/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at University of the Southwest swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $14,024 to $20,850 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +28.6%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.
Lowest year
$14,024
Highest year
$20,850
Most recent (2023)
$19,969
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $15,5222023 · $19,969
Over the same years, enrollment went +6.0% (318 → 337 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
47.7%
Female
46.9%
First Generation
Outcomes
55.1%
Retention Rate
$36,600
Median Earnings (6yr)
64.4%
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 | 23.1% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 55.1% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $36,600 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $45,389 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 64.4% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 62.5% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $21,303 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $226/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master's | 4 | 101 | $65,288 | $104,595 | $46,704 |
| Bachelor's | 3 | 38 | $42,741 | $47,402 | $22,625 |
Top programs at University of the Southwest by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$104,595 median earnings
- Student Counseling and Per…
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
$59,588 median earnings
- Sports, Kinesiology, and P…
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
$49,484 median earnings
- Mental and Social Health S…
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
$47,483 median earnings
- Teacher Education and Prof…
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
$47,402 median earnings
- Sports, Kinesiology, and P… $38,080
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
$38,080 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.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's | 13 | $104,595 | - |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Master's | 53 | $59,588 | $41,000 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Master's | 18 | $49,484 | $27,363 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | Master's | 17 | $47,483 | $71,750 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Bachelor's | 4 | $47,402 | $23,000 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's | 25 | $38,080 | $22,250 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Bachelor's | 9 | - | - |
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the admissions statistics for University of the Southwest? ▼
University of the Southwest is a private nonprofit institution in Hobbs, New Mexico. Undergraduate enrollment is 346 students.
How much do University of the Southwest former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at University of the Southwest who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $45,389 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $36,600.
How much does University of the Southwest cost? ▼
The average net price at University of the Southwest is $16,927. In-state tuition is $16,670 and out-of-state tuition is $16,670. Median student debt at graduation is $21,303.
What is the graduation rate at University of the Southwest? ▼
University of the Southwest has a 23.1% 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 55.1%.
Is University of the Southwest worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at University of the Southwest is $21,303, while former students earn a median of $45,389 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 47% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 62.5% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $226.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. 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 University of the Southwest
- Compare University of the Southwest 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
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
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. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure 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.