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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 71 miles to Albuquerque, NM
- To the ocean
- 522 miles
- Nearest airport
- 27 miles to Santa Fe (SAF)
How Northern New Mexico College compares
Higher than 11% · #17 of 29 in New Mexico
Higher than 13%
Higher than 60% · #11 of 24 in New Mexico
Cheaper than 81% · #17 cheapest of 30 in New Mexico
Lower than 95%
Lower than 82%
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
- 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)
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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 $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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Espanola, NM US station (1.5 mi from campus).
What Northern New Mexico 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 Northern New Mexico College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Northern New Mexico College side by side →
New Mexico State University-Alamogordo
Alamogordo, New Mexico · Fringe rural · 86 mi to El Paso
- Students
- 591
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 32%
- Earnings
- $39k
New Mexico Junior College
Hobbs, New Mexico · Remote town · 83 mi to Midland
- Students
- 2,175
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $34k
University of New Mexico-Valencia County Campus
Los Lunas, New Mexico · Fringe rural · 25 mi to Albuquerque
- Students
- 525
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 5%
- Earnings
- $45k
University of New Mexico-Gallup Campus
Gallup, New Mexico · Remote town · 121 mi to Albuquerque
- Students
- 808
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 2%
- Earnings
- $45k
Western Oklahoma State College
Altus, Oklahoma · Remote town · 117 mi to Oklahoma City
- Students
- 815
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 11%
- Earnings
- $38k
Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Campus
Roswell, New Mexico · Remote town · 155 mi to Lubbock
- Students
- 1,300
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 2%
- Earnings
- $39k
Colleges near Northern New Mexico College
University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus
Los Alamos, NM · Public · Associate · 218 students
Vogue College of Cosmetology-Santa Fe
Santa Fe, NM · Private for-profit · Certificate · 55 students
Southwest University of Naprapathic Medicine
Santa Fe, NM · Private for-profit · Graduate
St. John's College
Santa Fe, NM · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 368 students
Southwestern College
Santa Fe, NM · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Santa Fe Community College
Santa Fe, NM · Public · Certificate · 3,369 students
Glitz School of Cosmetology - Santa Fe Campus
Santa Fe, NM · Private for-profit · Certificate · 35 students
Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development
Santa Fe, NM · Public · Bachelor's · 334 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.













