Public · Community college
Luna Community College
Las Vegas, New Mexico · Fringe rural
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $4,595
- Avg net price
- 28%
- Grad / completion
- $32,461
- Median earnings
Luna Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Las Vegas, New Mexico (fringe rural setting), enrolling 423 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in the state of New Mexico in the United States. Las Vegas was established in 1835 after a group of settlers received a land grant from the Mexican government. (The land had previously been granted to Luis María Cabeza de Baca, whose family later received a settlement.) The town was laid out in the traditional Spanish Colonial style, with a central plaza surrounded by buildings that could serve as fortifications in case of attack. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe rural
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 87 miles to Albuquerque, NM
- To the ocean
- 545 miles
- Nearest airport
- 47 miles to Santa Fe (SAF)
How Luna Community College compares
Higher than 11% · #19 of 29 in New Mexico
Higher than 7%
Higher than 40% · #20 of 24 in New Mexico
Cheaper than 92% · #6 cheapest of 30 in New Mexico
Lower than 78%
Larger than 60%
Percentiles compare Luna Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in New Mexico.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women20749%
- Men21651%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White14%
- Black0.9%
- Hispanic80%
- Asian1.2%
- Other or multiracial3.8%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 423
- Student–faculty ratio
- 11 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 25%
- First-generation students
- 48%
- Students over 25
- 36%
- Median family income
- $20,363
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $53,685
- Endowment
- $967,294
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 146 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From New Mexico88%
- Other U.S. states12%
Most first-years stay in state — Luna Community College draws overwhelmingly from New Mexico.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $1,474
- Out-of-state tuition
- $3,418
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $400
- Total cost of attendance
- $10,405
- Average net price
- $4,595
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 28%
- First-year retention
- 43%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $29,547
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $32,461
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 2%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 27%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 54 (36 men · 18 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (2)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (743 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 22% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,737. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 89 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $32,461
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 34%
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $2,771 (9%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 85°F
- Winter low
- 11°F
- Annual rain
- 16.7″
- Annual snow
- 22″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Las Vegas Wwtp, NM US station (4 mi from campus).
What Luna Community College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Luna Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Luna Community College side by side →
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute
Albuquerque, New Mexico · Large suburb · 6 mi to Albuquerque
- Students
- 215
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $28k
Mesalands Community College
Tucumcari, New Mexico · Remote town · 108 mi to Amarillo
- Students
- 411
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 11%
- Earnings
- $32k
Clovis Community College
Clovis, New Mexico · Remote town · 94 mi to Lubbock
- Students
- 1,309
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $34k
New Mexico State University-Alamogordo
Alamogordo, New Mexico · Fringe rural · 86 mi to El Paso
- Students
- 591
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 32%
- Earnings
- $39k
Northern New Mexico College
Espanola, New Mexico · Distant town · 71 mi to Albuquerque
- Students
- 926
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 20%
- Earnings
- $38k
Mountain Gateway Community College
Clifton Forge, Virginia · Fringe rural · 38 mi to Roanoke
- Students
- 425
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 6%
- Earnings
- $34k
Colleges near Luna Community College
New Mexico Highlands University
Las Vegas, NM · Public · Bachelor's · 1,451 students
St. John's College
Santa Fe, NM · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 368 students
Southwest University of Naprapathic Medicine
Santa Fe, NM · Private for-profit · Graduate
Vogue College of Cosmetology-Santa Fe
Santa Fe, NM · Private for-profit · Certificate · 55 students
Santa Fe Community College
Santa Fe, NM · Public · Certificate · 3,369 students
Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development
Santa Fe, NM · Public · Bachelor's · 334 students
Glitz School of Cosmetology - Santa Fe Campus
Santa Fe, NM · Private for-profit · Certificate · 35 students
Southwestern College
Santa Fe, NM · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.