Public · University
New Mexico State University-Main Campus
Las Cruces, New Mexico · Midsize suburb
- 89.0%
- Admit rate
- $8,889
- Avg net price
- 55%
- Graduation rate
- $39,067
- Median earnings
New Mexico State University-Main Campus is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Las Cruces, New Mexico (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 11,946 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against New Mexico State University-Main Campus's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 89.0%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 870–1110
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 2.92
Enter a test score to see where you land against New Mexico State University-Main Campus's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and New Mexico State University-Main Campus's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces is a city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States, and its county seat. During the Mexican–American War, the Battle of El Bracito was fought nearby on Christmas Day, 1846. The settlement of Las Cruces was founded in 1849, when the US Army first surveyed the town, thus opening up the area for American settlement. The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum is state-operated and shows the history of farming and ranching in New Mexico. It is located just east of New Mexico State University. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 39 miles to El Paso, TX
- To the ocean
- 378 miles
- Nearest airport
- 10 miles to Las Cruces (LRU)
How New Mexico State University-Main Campus compares
More selective than 26% · #3 most selective of 6 in New Mexico
Higher than 9%
Higher than 51% · #2 of 10 in New Mexico
Higher than 40%
Higher than 12% · #7 of 10 in New Mexico
Cheaper than 93% · #3 cheapest of 10 in New Mexico
Lower than 87%
Lower than 28%
Larger than 91%
Percentiles compare New Mexico State University-Main Campus 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
- Undergraduate11,94680%
- Graduate2,90120%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women6,88858%
- Men5,05842%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White24%
- Black2.2%
- Hispanic64%
- Asian1.0%
- Other or multiracial8.7%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 11,946
- Graduate enrollment
- 2,901
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 38%
- First-generation students
- 44%
- Students over 25
- 20%
- Median family income
- $23,951
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $91,782
- Endowment
- $88,674,297
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 2,391 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From New Mexico79%
- Other U.S. states19%
- International2.0%
Most first-years stay in state — New Mexico State University-Main Campus 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.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 89.0%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 870–1110
- SAT average
- 1011
- SAT reading
- 450–570
- SAT math
- 420–540
- ACT composite
- 17–24
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 2.92
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $8,183
- Out-of-state tuition
- $25,307
- Room & board
- $12,282
- Books & supplies
- $1,250
- Total cost of attendance
- $23,274
- Average net price
- $8,889
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)
- 55%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 34%
- First-year retention
- 73%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- 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
- 20%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 38%
About 21% 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)
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
- 3,269
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 27%
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,506
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,520
- Application fee
- $25
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I-FBS
- Football conference
- Conference USA
- Varsity athletes
- 489 (247 men · 242 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 (11)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 4.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 26
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 175
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (15,408 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$9,861/year × about 4.6 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.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 73% — get grant money from New Mexico State University-Main Campus itself, averaging $8,707, which softens the sticker price.
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 2,292 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.
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.
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
- 96°F
- Winter low
- 30°F
- Annual rain
- 9.1″
- Annual snow
- 1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, State Univ, NM US station (0.4 mi from campus).
What New Mexico State University-Main Campus 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 New Mexico State University-Main Campus
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare New Mexico State University-Main Campus side by side →
Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana · Fringe rural · 70 mi to Lafayette
- Students
- 5,632
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $7k
- SAT
- 1022
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $42k
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky · Small city · 60 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 12,155
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $11k
- SAT
- 971
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $44k
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, North Carolina · Midsize city · 51 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 5,762
- Admission
- 82%
- Net price
- $8k
- SAT
- 959
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $40k
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, North Carolina · Distant town · 71 mi to Myrtle Beach
- Students
- 5,330
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $10k
- SAT
- 1056
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $43k
Marshall University
Huntington, West Virginia · Small city · 43 mi to Charleston
- Students
- 7,266
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $8k
- SAT
- 1061
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $46k
Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, Tennessee · Midsize city · 41 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 7,560
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $10k
- SAT
- 1088
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $44k
Colleges near New Mexico State University-Main Campus
Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
Las Cruces, NM · Private for-profit · Graduate
Glitz School of Cosmetology
Las Cruces, NM · Private for-profit · Certificate · 124 students
New Mexico State University-Dona Ana
Las Cruces, NM · Public · Associate · 5,177 students
Western Technical College
El Paso, TX · Private for-profit · Associate · 600 students
The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX · Public · Bachelor's · 21,005 students
Southwest University at El Paso
El Paso, TX · Private for-profit · Associate · 2,073 students
Texas Tech University Health Scienes Center El Paso
El Paso, TX · Public · Bachelor's · 242 students
Pima Medical Institute-El Paso
El Paso, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 617 students
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.













