R2 ResearchPublicHSILand-grant

New Mexico State University-Main Campus

Las Cruces, New Mexico·Public, 4-year or above·Southwest·nmsu.edu
6-yr Graduation
55%
+4.0pp vs R2 Research
Total enrollment
15,408
peer median 13,337
Avg net price
$6,747
-$7.8k vs R2 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
13,095
13,095 candidates competed
Admitted
11,650
89.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
2,404
20.6% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
55%+4.0pp vs R2 Research
4-year graduation
34%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
55%
Full-time retention
73%

Pell equity

2.0pp gap
Pell recipients
50%
Non-Pell
48%

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 295 Title IV programs, 57 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 236 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
295
Passing
57
19.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
0.7% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.7%
+0.1pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

295programs
  • Passing57 · 19.3%
  • No Data236 · 80.0%
  • Failing2 · 0.7%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
1
At Risk
2
Watch
6
Safe
49
No data
236

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.

59
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-9.9%
$27,875 vs $30,927
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-1.8%
$30,355 vs $30,927
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+5.9%
$32,767 vs $30,927
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
+8.7%
$33,612 vs $30,927
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Associate Degree · Security And Protective Services
+15.7%
$35,798 vs $30,927
Animal Sciences
Bachelor Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+19.2%
$36,858 vs $30,927
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Associate Degree · Education
+21.3%
$37,514 vs $30,927
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+22.5%
$37,880 vs $30,927

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-1.8%
$572

Debt vs earnings

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

48
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
96%
$26,750 debt · $27,875 earn
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
71%
$23,875 debt · $33,612 earn
Public Health
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
60%
$25,500 debt · $42,410 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
58%
$25,643 debt · $43,872 earn
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
54%
$29,102 debt · $54,059 earn
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
54%
$20,500 debt · $38,142 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
50%
$16,312 debt · $32,767 earn
Hospitality Administration/Management
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
50%
$24,607 debt · $49,444 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1941Next review Aug 2028
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1926

Programmatic accreditations · 15

Action history · 17

  1. Feb 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  2. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
  3. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
  4. Jul 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  5. Jul 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics

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$5,104
$30–48k$5,724
$48–75k$8,877
$75–110k$10,223
$110k+$10,360

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

Avg net price
$6,747
-$7,842vs R2 Research median $14,589
Federal loans
22.9%
In-state tuition
$8,147
Out-of-state
$25,271

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 10,332 students received $56.5M in Pell grants, alongside $34.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
10,332
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$56.5M
$56,457,037 total
Direct Loans
$34.7M
6,340 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

9k
20
8k
21
9k
22
9k
23
10k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$11.1M
3,105 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$10.3M
2,312 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$10.0M
710 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.6M
137 loan awards
Grad PLUS$1.7M
76 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 3,182 borrowers who entered repayment, 127 (3.9%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.9%
+1.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
3,182
Defaulted
127
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
15.4%
2017
13.5%
2018
10.3%
2019
3.9%
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 NMSU

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs134
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,394 total completions
01Business
43018.0%
02Engineering
37815.8%
03Health Professions
31113.0%
04Education
29512.3%
05Computer Sciences
2078.6%
06Biological Sciences
1626.8%
07Liberal Arts
1616.7%
08Security/Protective
1576.6%
09Agriculture
1546.4%
10Psychology
1395.8%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
15,408
12-mo unduplicated
16,904
Undergraduate
13,685
Graduate
3,219

Gender split

Men
41%6,958
Women
59%9,946

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
62.8%
White
24.9%
Two or more
2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native
2.7%
Non-resident
2.5%
Black
2.4%
Asian
1.2%
Unknown
0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
414
230 M · 184 W
Women athletes
44.4%
Athletic aid
$8.8M
Total student aid
Budget
$38.9M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$5.6M
$3.3M
Recruiting expense
$531K
$148K
Head-coach salaries
$227K
$94K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Football
136 M ·
$12.6M
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
· 100 W
$1.2M
Baseball
40 M ·
$1.5M
Basketball
16 M · 15 W
$5.6M
Soccer
· 31 W
$1.2M
Swimming and Diving (combined)
· 29 W
$950K

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
4.63
66 offenses · 14,268 students

3-year trend

2.882 yrs ago7.191 yr ago4.63Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
207
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
24
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
28
Motor vehicle theft
26
Rape
3
Aggravated assault
3
Arson
2
Robbery
2
Fondling
2

By location

66total
  • On campus56
  • Non-campus8
  • Public property2

Includes 6 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

8
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
2
Stalking
10 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons017
Drugs1035
Liquor1297

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
16.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
704

NMSU vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions NMSU 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 State University-Main Campus
55%15,408$6,747R2 Research
Tarleton State University
48%89.6%17,433$20,261R2 Research
Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi
40%88.6%11,266$15,137R2 Research
Sam Houston State University
55%90.3%21,039$16,025R2 Research
The University of Texas at Tyler
54%94.0%10,362$13,931R2 Research
Prairie View A & M University
43%79.3%9,922$14,041R2 Research
Peer group median51%89.6%13,337$14,589

Frequently asked questions about New Mexico State University-Main Campus

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about NMSU.

What is the graduation rate at New Mexico State University-Main Campus?

New Mexico State University-Main Campus reports a 6-year graduation rate of 55% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend New Mexico State University-Main Campus?

New Mexico State University-Main Campus reports a total enrollment of 15,408 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at New Mexico State University-Main Campus?

The average net price at New Mexico State University-Main Campus is $6,747 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at New Mexico State University-Main Campus?

New Mexico State University-Main Campus's yield rate is 20.6%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is New Mexico State University-Main Campus located?

New Mexico State University-Main Campus is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003-8001.

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