Public · Community college

University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus

Los Alamos, New Mexico · Distant town

#2 for grad earnings in New Mexico

5%
Transfer rate: $13,470
Avg net price: 23%
Grad / completion: $44,792
Median earnings

University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus is a public associate-granting institution in Los Alamos, New Mexico (distant town setting), enrolling 218 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 218 undergradsDistant townCold wintersSnowy

About Los Alamos, New Mexico

Los Alamos is a census-designated place in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States, that is recognized as one of the development and creation places of the atomic bomb—the primary objective of the Manhattan Project by Los Alamos National Laboratory during World War II. Around 1300, Tewa settlers immigrated from the Four Corners Region and built large cities but were driven out within 50 years by Navajo and Apache raids and by drought. Los Alamos is the fifth-fastest-growing city in New Mexico, after Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Las Cruces, and Ruidoso. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Distant town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 58 miles to Albuquerque, NM
To the ocean: 507 miles
Nearest airport: 23 miles to Santa Fe (SAF)

How University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus compares

Graduation rate23%

Higher than 6% · #22 of 29 in New Mexico

First-year retention50%

Higher than 11%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,792

Higher than 83% · #2 of 24 in New Mexico

Average net price$13,470

Cheaper than 56% · #23 cheapest of 30 in New Mexico

Median debt at graduation$18,450

Lower than 8%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 73%

Undergraduate enrollment218

Larger than 47%

Percentiles compare University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus 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

Women12758%
Men9142%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White41%
Hispanic50%
Other or multiracial8.2%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 218
Student–faculty ratio: 12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 15%
First-generation students: 41%
Students over 25: 36%
Median family income: $27,972
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $56,403

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 50 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From New Mexico98%
Other U.S. states2.0%

Most first-years stay in state — University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus 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: $2,214
Out-of-state tuition: $5,686
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,500
Total cost of attendance: $17,783
Average net price: $13,470

Outcomes

Graduated: 23%
First-year retention: 50%
Transferred to another college: 5%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $37,150
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $44,792
Median debt at graduation: $18,450
Students with federal loans: 14%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 41%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

23%

Low-income (Pell)

34%

First-generation

34%

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: $10

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

$10,916

$30–48k

$13,213

$48–75k

$15,910

$75–110k

—

$110k+

$17,783

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.

17%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$939

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 17% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $939. 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 29 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): $44,792
Typical debt at graduation: $18,450
Debt vs. one year's pay: 41%
Out-earn a HS grad: 50%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 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

$42,619

Men

$48,310

Men out-earn women by $5,691 (13%) 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: 82°F
Winter low: 20°F
Annual rain: 17.5″
Annual snow: 42.1″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Los Alamos, NM US station (1.5 mi from campus).

What University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

22 grads$22k 1 yr$32k 5 yr$10k debt

22$22,417$31,857$10,084 Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

12 grads$26k 1 yr— 5 yr$11k debt

12$25,698—$11,338 Health/Medical Preparatory ProgramsAssoc.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———Engineering, GeneralAssoc.

6 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

6———Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCert.

6 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

6———Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementAssoc.

2 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

2———Environmental Control Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

2 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

2———Physical Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

2 grads— 1 yr$40k 5 yr— debt

2—$40,073—Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———Accounting and Related ServicesAssoc.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

0 grads$21k 1 yr$28k 5 yr— debt

0$20,646$28,157—

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 University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus side by side →

University of New Mexico-Taos Campus

Public

Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico · Fringe rural · 104 mi to Albuquerque

Students: 377
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 9%
Earnings: $45k

New Mexico State University-Alamogordo

Public

Alamogordo, New Mexico · Fringe rural · 86 mi to El Paso

Students: 591
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 32%
Earnings: $39k

Northwest Technical Institute

Public

Springdale, Arkansas · Small city · 8 mi to Fayetteville

Students: 206
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 4%
Earnings: $42k

Lancaster County Career and Technology Center

Public

Willow Street, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 4 mi to Lancaster

Students: 279
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $45k

TCAT Athens

Public

Athens, Tennessee · Distant town · 47 mi to Chattanooga

Students: 205
Tuition: —
Transfer: 4%
Earnings: $41k

Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center

Public

Cape Girardeau, Missouri · Small city · 100 mi to St. Louis

Students: 159
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $44k

Colleges near University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus

Northern New Mexico College

Espanola, NM · Public · Associate · 926 students

15 mi

Southwestern College

Santa Fe, NM · Private nonprofit · Graduate

23 mi

Vogue College of Cosmetology-Santa Fe

Santa Fe, NM · Private for-profit · Certificate · 55 students

25 mi

Southwest University of Naprapathic Medicine

Santa Fe, NM · Private for-profit · Graduate

26 mi

Glitz School of Cosmetology - Santa Fe Campus

Santa Fe, NM · Private for-profit · Certificate · 35 students

26 mi

Santa Fe Community College

Santa Fe, NM · Public · Certificate · 3,369 students

26 mi

Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development

Santa Fe, NM · Public · Bachelor's · 334 students

27 mi

St. John's College

Santa Fe, NM · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 368 students

27 mi

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.