Public · Community college
Santa Fe Community College
Santa Fe, New Mexico · Fringe rural
- 16%
- Transfer rate
- $11,067
- Avg net price
- 23%
- Grad / completion
- $38,005
- Median earnings
Santa Fe Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico (fringe rural setting), enrolling 3,369 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Mexico. In 1598, Juan de Oñate established the area as Santa Fe de Nuevo México, a province of New Spain. Santa Fe is well known as a center for arts and for its multiculturalism; since 2005, it has been designated as a UNESCO Creative City in Crafts and Folk Art. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe rural
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 51 miles to Albuquerque, NM
- To the ocean
- 510 miles
- Nearest airport
- 5 miles to Santa Fe (SAF)
How Santa Fe Community College compares
Higher than 7% · #21 of 29 in New Mexico
Higher than 22%
Higher than 60% · #12 of 24 in New Mexico
Cheaper than 66% · #21 cheapest of 30 in New Mexico
Lower than 20%
Lower than 73%
Larger than 87%
Percentiles compare Santa Fe Community 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
- Women2,02360%
- Men1,34640%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White29%
- Black1.3%
- Hispanic55%
- Asian1.6%
- Other or multiracial13%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 3,369
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 17%
- First-generation students
- 51%
- Students over 25
- 47%
- Median family income
- $17,086
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $63,594
- Endowment
- $15,020,435
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 438 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From New Mexico98%
- Other U.S. states1.4%
Most first-years stay in state — Santa Fe Community College draws overwhelmingly from New Mexico.
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
- $1,851
- Out-of-state tuition
- $4,131
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,235
- Total cost of attendance
- $18,405
- Average net price
- $11,067
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
- 23%
- First-year retention
- 59%
- Transferred to another college
- 16%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $32,097
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $38,005
- Median debt at graduation
- $13,236
- Students with federal loans
- 1%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 26%
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
- No
- Application fee
- Free
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%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,469 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.
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.
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: 26% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,136. 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 146 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)
- $38,005
- Typical debt at graduation
- $13,236
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 35%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 44%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 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.
Women out-earn men by $2,688 (7%) 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
- 86°F
- Winter low
- 18°F
- Annual rain
- 12.8″
- Annual snow
- 20.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Santa FE 2, NM US station (1.6 mi from campus).
What Santa Fe Community 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 Santa Fe Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Santa Fe Community College side by side →
New Mexico State University-Dona Ana
Las Cruces, New Mexico · Midsize city · 44 mi to El Paso
- Students
- 5,177
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $39k
New Mexico Junior College
Hobbs, New Mexico · Remote town · 83 mi to Midland
- Students
- 2,175
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $34k
San Juan College
Farmington, New Mexico · Fringe rural · 144 mi to Albuquerque
- Students
- 4,304
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 7%
- Earnings
- $37k
Temple College
Temple, Texas · Small city · 35 mi to Waco
- Students
- 3,178
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $39k
Saint Paul College
Saint Paul, Minnesota · Large city · 8 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 3,813
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 20%
- Earnings
- $38k
Atlantic Technical College
Coconut Creek, Florida · Large suburb · 33 mi to Miami
- Students
- 3,000
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $39k
Colleges near Santa Fe Community College
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
Southwestern College
Santa Fe, NM · Private nonprofit · Graduate
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
University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus
Los Alamos, NM · Public · Associate · 218 students
Northern New Mexico College
Espanola, NM · Public · Associate · 926 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.