Public · Community college

Northern New Mexico College

Espanola, New Mexico · Distant town

20%
Transfer rate
$7,276
Avg net price
29%
Grad / completion
$38,112
Median earnings

Northern New Mexico College is a public associate-granting institution in Espanola, New Mexico (distant town setting), enrolling 926 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 926 undergradsDistant townNAIA Division IICold winters

About Espanola, New Mexico

Española is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. Española was referred to as La Vega de los Vigiles ('the Vigils' Meadow') before the arrival of the railroad. The fountain at Plaza de Española was designed as a replica of the Alhambra. The plaza is home to the Convent Mission, administered by the Episcopal Church. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To the ocean
522 miles
Nearest airport
27 miles to Santa Fe (SAF)

How Northern New Mexico College compares

Graduation rate29%

Higher than 11% · #17 of 29 in New Mexico

First-year retention52%

Higher than 13%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,112

Higher than 60% · #11 of 24 in New Mexico

Average net price$7,276

Cheaper than 81% · #17 cheapest of 30 in New Mexico

Median debt at graduation$6,000

Lower than 95%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 82%

Undergraduate enrollment926

Larger than 72%

Percentiles compare Northern New Mexico 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

926undergrads
  • Women54259%
  • Men38441%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White14%
  • Black2.2%
  • Hispanic66%
  • Asian1.5%
  • Other or multiracial17%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
926
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
32%
First-generation students
63%
Students over 25
43%
Median family income
$16,868
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$67,023

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$6,400
Out-of-state tuition
$14,328
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$19,702
Average net price
$7,276

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)
29%
Graduated on time (4 years)
6%
First-year retention
52%
Transferred to another college
20%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$34,377
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,112
Median debt at graduation
$6,000
Students with federal loans
3%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
40%

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

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Varsity athletes
60 (31 men · 29 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 (3)

Basketball36
Cross Country16
Tennis8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,425 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.

1.7reported offenses a year
0 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.7

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
$7,187
$30–48k
$7,539
$48–75k
$6,811
$75–110k
$8,097
$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.

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
$35,161

$6,811/year × about 5.2 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.

27%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$677
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 27% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $677. 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 115 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)
$38,112
Typical debt at graduation
$6,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
16%
Out-earn a HS grad
40%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.6 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
$36,745
Men
$39,654

Men out-earn women by $2,909 (8%) 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
91°F
Winter low
16°F
Annual rain
11.1″
Annual snow
10.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.91.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Espanola, NM US station (1.5 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 Northern New Mexico College

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

Colleges near Northern New Mexico College

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.