Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPrivate nonprofitHSI

University of the Southwest

Hobbs, New Mexico·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southwest·usw.edu
Acceptance
45.4%
-8.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
6-yr Graduation
17%
-32.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
1,130
peer median 1,737
Avg net price
$19,969
-$2.3k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Use this data
Ask Clema

Admissions & acceptance rate

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

Applied
282
282 candidates competed
Admitted
128
45.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
89
69.5% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
17%-32.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
13%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
17%
Full-time retention
55%

Pell equity

3.0pp gap
Pell recipients
19%
Non-Pell
22%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 3.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

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

Of 55 Title IV programs, 4 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 49 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
55
Passing
4
7.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
3.6% of portfolio
Fail rate
3.6%
+3.0pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

55programs
  • Passing4 · 7.3%
  • No Data49 · 89.1%
  • Failing2 · 3.6%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
1
Watch
0
Safe
3
No data
49

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.

6
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-21.0%
$47,483 vs $60,112
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
-4.0%
$49,484 vs $51,545
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+9.4%
$38,080 vs $34,808
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+28.4%
$59,588 vs $46,391
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+36.2%
$47,402 vs $34,808
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+74.0%
$104,595 vs $60,112

Near the line (±5%)

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

1
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
-4.0%
$2,061

Debt vs earnings

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

6
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
139%
$65,986 debt · $47,483 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
69%
$41,001 debt · $59,588 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
54%
$20,500 debt · $38,080 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
52%
$25,656 debt · $49,484 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
52%
$24,484 debt · $47,402 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
33%
$34,508 debt · $104,595 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1980Next review Aug 2034

Action history · 1

  1. Apr 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

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$17,598
$30–48k$18,554
$48–75k$22,163
$75–110k$22,814
$110k+$23,279

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

Avg net price (private)
$19,969
-$2,271vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $22,240
Federal loans
62.5%
In-state tuition
$16,670
Out-of-state
$16,670

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 224 students received $1.2M in Pell grants, alongside $9.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
224
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.2M
$1,241,254 total
Direct Loans
$9.3M
1,053 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$689K
187 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$577K
183 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$7.1M
597 loan awards
Parent PLUS$206K
27 loan awards
Grad PLUS$790K
59 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 394 borrowers who entered repayment, 18 (4.5%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
4.5%
+2.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
394
Defaulted
18
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
9.8%
2017
12.8%
2018
12.2%
2019
4.5%
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 University of the Southwest

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs44
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

293 total completions
01Education
12041.0%
02Business
4114.0%
03Health Professions
3511.9%
04Biological Sciences
3010.2%
05Parks/Recreation
227.5%
06Psychology
165.5%
07Liberal Arts
155.1%
08Philosophy/Religion
62.0%
09Security/Protective
62.0%
10Communication
20.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
1,130
12-mo unduplicated
1,353
Undergraduate
356
Graduate
997

Gender split

Men
33%443
Women
67%910

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
62.6%
White
20.2%
Black
8.3%
Unknown
4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
2.4%
Two or more
1.8%
Asian
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
297
184 M · 113 W
Women athletes
38.0%
Athletic aid
$1.9M
Total student aid
Budget
$3.5M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.1M
$732K
Recruiting expense
$7K
$6K
Head-coach salaries
$34K
$32K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 7

Baseball
73 M ·
$738K
Soccer
39 M · 32 W
$725K
Basketball
48 M · 21 W
$681K
Softball
· 32 W
$341K
Volleyball
· 20 W
$254K
Golf
12 M · 6 W
$195K

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
0.94
1 offenses · 1,066 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.94Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
1
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
1

By location

1total
  • On campus1

VAWA offenses

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

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs01
Liquor02

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
21.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
28

University of the Southwest vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions University of the Southwest 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
SubjectUniversity of the Southwest
17%45.4%1,130$19,969Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Amberton University
892Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Concordia University Texas
45%91.3%1,396$22,240Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Dallas
73%53.4%2,078$25,470Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Southern Nazarene University
49%2,198$17,838Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Parker University
50%2,308$25,491Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median49%53.4%1,737$22,240

Frequently asked questions about University of the Southwest

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about University of the Southwest.

What is the acceptance rate at University of the Southwest?

University of the Southwest's acceptance rate is 45.4% (128 admitted from 282 applicants), based on the latest IPEDS.

What is the graduation rate at University of the Southwest?

University of the Southwest reports a 6-year graduation rate of 17% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend University of the Southwest?

University of the Southwest reports a total enrollment of 1,130 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at University of the Southwest?

The average net price at University of the Southwest is $19,969 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at University of the Southwest?

University of the Southwest's yield rate is 69.5%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is University of the Southwest located?

University of the Southwest is located in Hobbs, New Mexico 88240.

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about University of the Southwest and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card