Public · Community college

New Mexico State University-Grants

Grants, New Mexico · Remote town

#1 best value in New Mexico

14%
Transfer rate: $68
Avg net price: 26%
Grad / completion: $39,067
Median earnings

New Mexico State University-Grants is a public certificate-granting institution in Grants, New Mexico (remote town setting), enrolling 356 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 356 undergradsRemote townCold winters

About Grants, New Mexico

Grants is a city in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. Grants began as a railroad camp in the 1880s, when three Canadian brothers – Angus A. Grant, John R. Grant, and Lewis A. Grant – were awarded a contract to build a section of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad through the region. The National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management operate the El Malpais Visitor Center at Exit 85 off Interstate 40 in Grants. The visitor center highlights the many features of El Malpais National Monument and El Malpais National Conservation Area. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Remote town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 68 miles to Albuquerque, NM
To the ocean: 409 miles
Nearest airport: 58 miles to Gallup (GUP)

How New Mexico State University-Grants compares

Graduation rate26%

Higher than 9% · #20 of 29 in New Mexico

First-year retention58%

Higher than 20%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$39,067

Higher than 65% · #6 of 24 in New Mexico

Average net price$68

Cheaper than 99% · #1 cheapest of 30 in New Mexico

Median debt at graduation$17,095

Lower than 10%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment356

Larger than 56%

Percentiles compare New Mexico State University-Grants 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

Women20558%
Men15142%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White17%
Black1.1%
Hispanic38%
Other or multiracial43%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 356
Student–faculty ratio: 15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 24%
First-generation students: 44%
Students over 25: 38%
Median family income: $23,951
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $64,422

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 109 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From New Mexico98%
International1.8%

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

2% 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: $2,136
Out-of-state tuition: $4,272
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,250
Total cost of attendance: $8,514
Average net price: $68

Outcomes

Graduated: 26%
First-year retention: 58%
Transferred to another college: 14%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $32,960
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $39,067
Median debt at graduation: $17,095
Students with federal loans: 1%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 38%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

26%

Low-income (Pell)

29%

First-generation

29%

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: No
Application fee: $20

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

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

$248

$30–48k

-$789

$48–75k

$846

$75–110k

-$3,338

$110k+

—

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.

16%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,436

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 16% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,436. 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 79 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): $39,067
Typical debt at graduation: $17,095
Debt vs. one year's pay: 44%
Out-earn a HS grad: 44%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.4 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

$34,601

Men

$44,731

Men out-earn women by $10,130 (29%) 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: 92°F
Winter low: 14°F
Annual rain: 9.7″
Annual snow: 7.9″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Grants AP, NM US station (3.1 mi from campus).

What New Mexico State University-Grants graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

21 grads$28k 1 yr$33k 5 yr$10k debt

21$27,868$32,811$10,497 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsCert.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———Computer Engineering Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

9 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

9———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

7 grads— 1 yr$32k 5 yr— debt

7—$32,385—Business/Commerce, GeneralAssoc.

5 grads$31k 1 yr$40k 5 yr$8k debt

5$30,628$40,116$7,571 Education, GeneralAssoc.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———CarpentersCert.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Computer Engineering Technologies/TechniciansCert.

3 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

3———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

3 grads$28k 1 yr$37k 5 yr$7k debt

3$27,638$36,982$7,425

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 State University-Grants

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

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Colleges near New Mexico State University-Grants

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Crownpoint, NM · Public · Certificate · 1,124 students

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University of New Mexico-Gallup Campus

Gallup, NM · Public · Associate · 808 students

55 mi

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Rio Rancho, NM · Private for-profit · Certificate · 0 students

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Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute

Albuquerque, NM · Public · Associate · 215 students

67 mi

Aveda Institute-New Mexico

Albuquerque, NM · Private for-profit · Certificate · 161 students

67 mi

Brookline College-Albuquerque

Albuquerque, NM · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 542 students

68 mi

Carrington College-Albuquerque

Albuquerque, NM · Private for-profit · Certificate · 357 students

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Central New Mexico Community College

Albuquerque, NM · Public · Certificate · 15,203 students

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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.