Public · University

New Mexico Highlands University

Las Vegas, New Mexico · Remote town

#2 for grad earnings in New Mexico
Admit rate
$14,838
Avg net price
26%
Graduation rate
$45,937
Median earnings

New Mexico Highlands University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Las Vegas, New Mexico (remote town setting), enrolling 1,451 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicSmall · 1,451 undergradsRemote townNCAA Division II with football · Rocky Mountain Athletic ConferenceCold winters

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
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
546 miles
Nearest airport
49 miles to Santa Fe (SAF)

How New Mexico Highlands University compares

Graduation rate26%

Higher than 9% · #8 of 10 in New Mexico

First-year retention50%

Higher than 5%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,937

Higher than 26% · #2 of 10 in New Mexico

Average net price$14,838

Cheaper than 74% · #6 cheapest of 10 in New Mexico

Median debt at graduation$11,399

Lower than 96%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment1,451

Larger than 48%

Percentiles compare New Mexico Highlands University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New Mexico.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,552students
  • Undergraduate1,45157%
  • Graduate1,10143%

Undergraduates by gender

1,451undergrads
  • Women91263%
  • Men53937%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White17%
  • Black4.5%
  • Hispanic61%
  • Other or multiracial17%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,451
Graduate enrollment
1,101
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
45%
First-generation students
45%
Students over 25
41%
Median family income
$24,029
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$52,407
Endowment
$13,151,236

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 231 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New Mexico75%
  • Other U.S. states17%
  • International8.2%

Most first-years stay in state — New Mexico Highlands University draws overwhelmingly from New Mexico.

8% came from outside the U.S. 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
$7,416
Out-of-state tuition
$12,336
Room & board
$10,116
Books & supplies
$1,158
Total cost of attendance
$20,868
Average net price
$14,838

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 (within 6 years)
26%
Graduated on time (4 years)
4%
First-year retention
50%
Transferred to another college
25%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,952
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,937
Median debt at graduation
$11,399
Students with federal loans
18%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
34%

About 22% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
4%
Low-income (Pell)
44%
First-generation
43%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
518
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
36%
Housing charge (year)
$4,914
Meal plan (year)
$4,760
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
320 (188 men · 132 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 (9)

Football87
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)56
Baseball42
Wrestling34
Basketball32
Soccer24
Softball18
Volleyball18
Cross Country9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,704 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.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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.

< $30k
$13,511
$30–48k
$13,947
$48–75k
$15,175
$75–110k
$16,508
$110k+
$16,530

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$80,106

$15,175/year × about 5.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

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.

80%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,422
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 80% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,422. 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 225 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)
$45,937
Typical debt at graduation
$11,399
Debt vs. one year's pay
25%
Out-earn a HS grad
52%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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.

Women
$45,401
Men
$46,305

Men out-earn women by $904 (2%) 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

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.63.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Las Vegas Wwtp, NM US station (2 mi from campus).

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 New Mexico Highlands University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare New Mexico Highlands University side by side →

Colleges near New Mexico Highlands University

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.