Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublicHSI

New Mexico Highlands University

Las Vegas, New Mexico·Public, 4-year or above·Southwest·nmhu.edu
6-yr Graduation
26%
-6.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
2,704
peer median 3,454
Avg net price
$14,838
+$6.2k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
26%-6.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
4%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
27%
Full-time retention
50%

Pell equity

0.2pp gap
Pell recipients
26%44 of 168
Non-Pell (all)
26%28 of 107
Subsidized loan, no Pell
19%6 of 32
No Federal Aid
29%22 of 75

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates, a notably small equity gap.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 60 Title IV programs, 13 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 47 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
60
Passing
13
21.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

60programs
  • Passing13 · 21.7%
  • No Data47 · 78.3%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
12
No data
47

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

13
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+21.7%
$59,318 vs $48,732
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+36.4%
$60,034 vs $44,010
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
+37.1%
$60,341 vs $44,010
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+42.0%
$43,926 vs $30,927
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
+48.3%
$45,868 vs $30,927
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
+54.3%
$67,891 vs $44,010
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+69.8%
$52,517 vs $30,927
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+69.9%
$82,774 vs $48,732

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

9
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
48%
$28,775 debt · $60,034 earn
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
45%
$26,469 debt · $59,318 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
36%
$29,613 debt · $82,774 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
29%
$15,513 debt · $53,566 earn
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
26%
$13,713 debt · $52,517 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
25%
$11,000 debt · $43,926 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
23%
$13,000 debt · $57,821 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
18%
$11,000 debt · $62,375 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1937Next review Aug 2028
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1926

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 5

  1. May 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  2. Jun 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  3. Jun 2018Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation Removed
    Higher Learning Commission
  4. Jun 2018Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation Removed
    Higher Learning Commission
  5. Mar 2014Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$13,511
$30–48k$13,947
$48–75k$15,175
$75–110k$16,508
$110k+$16,530

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$14,838
+$6,236vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $8,603
Federal loans
17.6%
In-state tuition
$7,416
Out-of-state
$12,336

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 860 students received $4.4M in Pell grants, alongside $7.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
860
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.4M
$4,431,513 total
Direct Loans
$7.6M
865 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$833K
219 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$544K
161 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$5.9M
456 loan awards
Parent PLUS$153K
15 loan awards
Grad PLUS$115K
14 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 627 borrowers who entered repayment, 22 (3.5%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.5%
+1.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
627
Defaulted
22
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
12.5%
2017
9.0%
2018
8.5%
2019
3.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at New Mexico Highlands

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs47
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

689 total completions
01Health Professions
24135.0%
02Education
21831.6%
03Business
12217.7%
04Psychology
314.5%
05Biological Sciences
202.9%
06Liberal Arts
152.2%
07Visual/Performing Arts
121.7%
08Comm. Technologies
111.6%
09Natural Resources
101.5%
10Security/Protective
91.3%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
2,704
12-mo unduplicated
3,413
Undergraduate
1,994
Graduate
1,419

Gender split

Men
32%1,084
Women
68%2,329

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
61.0%
White
17.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
7.9%
Black
4.5%
Non-resident
3.0%
Unknown
3.0%
Two or more
2.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.4%
Asian
0.3%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
283
185 M · 98 W
Women athletes
34.6%
Athletic aid
$1.9M
Total student aid
Budget
$6.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.1M
$758K
Recruiting expense
$37K
$25K
Head-coach salaries
$65K
$62K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Football
87 M ·
$1.3M
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
· 56 W
$453K
Baseball
42 M ·
$424K
Wrestling
34 M ·
$239K
Basketball
16 M · 16 W
$850K
Soccer
· 24 W
$348K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 2,814 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.371 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
1
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
9
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
2

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    3
    Stalking
    3 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs016
    Liquor01

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    Student-to-faculty
    10.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    184

    New Mexico Highlands vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions New Mexico Highlands selected for federal comparison reporting.

    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectNew Mexico Highlands University
    26%2,704$14,838Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
    26%3,531$8,522Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
    39%91.7%5,725$4,904Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
    34%58.1%3,377$8,683Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
    42%84.5%3,794$6,420Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
    30%98.7%2,384$13,286Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
    Peer group median32%88.1%3,454$8,603

    Institutions like New Mexico Highlands

    Explore the federal data for institutions in New Mexico Highlands's comparison group.

    New Mexico Highlands Institutional Research office

    The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

    Office
    Office of Institutional Research & Data Management
    Phone
    505-454-3026
    Address
    Box 9000, New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, NM 87701

    The Office of Institutional Research and Data Management supports the university’s mission and institutional learning outcomes by providing the information needed to support data informed decision-making and by providing leadership for the university’s assessment and accreditation efforts.

    Visit IR office page
    Team
    3 members
    • Barbara Wharton
      Director
    • Kendra Howard
      Project Manager and Analyst
    • Mario Urioste
      Research Analyst

    Frequently asked questions about New Mexico Highlands University

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about New Mexico Highlands.

    What is the graduation rate at New Mexico Highlands University?

    New Mexico Highlands University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 26% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend New Mexico Highlands University?

    New Mexico Highlands University reports a total enrollment of 2,704 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at New Mexico Highlands University?

    The average net price at New Mexico Highlands University is $14,838 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is New Mexico Highlands University located?

    New Mexico Highlands University is located in Las Vegas, New Mexico 87701.

    Who runs Institutional Research at New Mexico Highlands University?

    New Mexico Highlands University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research & Data Management.

    About the data on this page

    Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

    IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
    Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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