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
$14,141
+$5.3k 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

7.0pp gap
Pell recipients
26%
Non-Pell
19%

Pell recipients graduate at a higher rate than non-Pell students here — unusual and worth investigating.

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$13,501
$30–48k$13,953
$48–75k$15,596
$75–110k$14,350
$110k+$14,797

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

Avg net price
$14,141
+$5,310vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $8,832
Federal loans
17.4%
In-state tuition
$7,260
Out-of-state
$12,180

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 849 students received $4.4M in Pell grants, alongside $7.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
849
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.4M
$4,356,128 total
Direct Loans
$7.4M
853 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$825K
216 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$534K
159 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$5.8M
451 loan awards
Parent PLUS$153K
15 loan awards
Grad PLUS$101K
12 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 programs43
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

724 total completions
01Health Professions
24934.4%
02Education
23732.7%
03Business
12016.6%
04Biological Sciences
273.7%
05Psychology
263.6%
06Liberal Arts
162.2%
07Visual/Performing Arts
152.1%
08Security/Protective
121.7%
09Computer Sciences
111.5%
10Natural Resources
111.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
2,704
12-mo unduplicated
3,565
Undergraduate
2,095
Graduate
1,470

Gender split

Men
33%1,168
Women
67%2,397

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
61.0%
White
14.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
8.8%
Black
5.6%
Non-resident
4.7%
Two or more
2.6%
Unknown
2.5%
Asian
0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
331
236 M · 95 W
Women athletes
28.7%
Athletic aid
$2.1M
Total student aid
Budget
$5.7M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.2M
$880K
Recruiting expense
$17K
$9K
Head-coach salaries
$68K
$60K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Football
129 M ·
$1.3M
Baseball
52 M ·
$408K
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
· 49 W
$475K
Basketball
22 M · 17 W
$883K
Wrestling
28 M ·
$329K
Soccer
· 26 W
$339K

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
0.37
1 offenses · 2,677 students

3-year trend

1.802 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.37Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
6
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
9
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
3

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
1

By location

1total
  • On campus1

Includes 1 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
3
Stalking
5 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs231
Liquor02

Residence-hall fires

  • Viles and Crimmons1 fire
    OtherDamage $100-$999

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$14,141Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Western New Mexico University
26%3,531$7,912Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
39%91.7%5,725$6,199Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
East Central University
34%58.1%3,377$9,287Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of North Texas at Dallas
42%84.5%3,794$8,376Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Sul Ross State University
30%98.7%2,384$10,991Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median32%88.1%3,454$8,832

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 $14,141 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.

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