State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard

Cheapest Colleges in New Mexico

New Mexico's median net price sits 48% below the national Scorecard median; New Mexico State University-Grants leads the 39-school list at $68.

$68
Cheapest net price
$8,889
New Mexico median
39
Schools ranked

New Mexico State University-Grants has the lowest average net price in New Mexico among Scorecard reporters

According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, New Mexico State University-Grants posts the lowest average net price in New Mexico at $68 among 39 ranked schools, with the state median 48% below the $17,124 national median. Net price is what students paid after grant aid, not sticker tuition, and can reflect a narrow enrollment mix at specialty schools.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard

Cheapest net price
$68
New Mexico median
$8,889
Schools ranked
39
National median
$17,124

Data updated August 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage

The list in one line

New Mexico State University-Grants has the lowest average net price in New Mexico at $68/year, and the state's median net price is 48% below the $17,124 national median across 4,965 schools.

$68
cheapest ranked net price
$8,889
New Mexico median net price
28 public / 11 private
schools in this ranking
$10,313
avg net price, <$30K income families

Average net price blends every income bracket; families under $30k average $10,313 here. Loans are excluded, open a school profile for the bracket table before treating one average as a personal cost.

Sticker tuition and real net price diverge most at St. John's College, where in-state published tuition of $40,504 falls to an average net price of $26,674 after aid, a $13,830 gap, the widest sticker-to-net gap among ranked New Mexico schools.

This New Mexico ranking is mostly public (28 of 39); private campuses (11) still appear when their Scorecard net price clears the reporting bar.

The bar to make this top-25 list is $12,570. Here is where that cutoff sits among all 39 Scorecard-reporting New Mexico schools:

The bar to make New Mexico's top-25 cheapest list

Average net price after aid · 39 Scorecard-reporting schools

$12,570 more affordable than 36% of 39 New Mexico colleges

Show national distribution $0–$5,000: 9 New Mexico colleges (23%). Below this entry. $5,000–$10,000: 14 New Mexico colleges (36%). Below this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 6 New Mexico colleges (15%). This entry sits in this band. $15,000–$20,000: 5 New Mexico colleges (13%). Above this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 2 New Mexico colleges (5%). Above this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 1 New Mexico colleges (3%). Above this entry. $30,000–$35,000: 0 New Mexico colleges (0%). Above this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 1 New Mexico colleges (3%). Above this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 0 New Mexico colleges (0%). Above this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 1 New Mexico colleges (3%). Above this entry. #25 cutoff $0 $50,000 every ranked New Mexico college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more New Mexico colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · 2022–23

New Mexico's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price

3
Clovis Community CollegeClovis, NM · Public
Avg net price
$3,230
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,226
Median debt
$7,250
Median earnings, 6yr
$30,567
Enrollment
2,342
5
New Mexico Military InstituteRoswell, NM · Public
Avg net price
$4,571
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,772
Median debt
$5,500
Median earnings, 6yr
$43,034
Enrollment
463
6
Luna Community CollegeLas Vegas, NM · Public
Avg net price
$4,595
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,393
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
$29,547
Enrollment
743
11
Navajo Technical UniversityCrownpoint, NM · Public
Avg net price
$5,338
Net price (<$30K income)
$4,293
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
$23,280
Enrollment
1,704
13
Southeast New Mexico CollegeCarlsbad, NM · Public
Avg net price
$5,734
Net price (<$30K income)
$5,147
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
-
Enrollment
1,431
14
San Juan CollegeFarmington, NM · Public
Avg net price
$5,769
Net price (<$30K income)
$5,647
Median debt
$9,750
Median earnings, 6yr
$29,329
Enrollment
6,452
16
New Mexico Junior CollegeHobbs, NM · Public
Avg net price
$6,524
Net price (<$30K income)
$6,000
Median debt
$11,313
Median earnings, 6yr
$32,145
Enrollment
2,235
17
Northern New Mexico CollegeEspanola, NM · Public
Avg net price
$7,276
Net price (<$30K income)
$7,187
Median debt
$6,000
Median earnings, 6yr
$34,377
Enrollment
1,425
19
Western New Mexico UniversitySilver City, NM · Public
Avg net price
$8,522
Net price (<$30K income)
$8,381
Median debt
$23,000
Median earnings, 6yr
$31,166
Enrollment
3,531
22
Mesalands Community CollegeTucumcari, NM · Public
Avg net price
$9,445
Net price (<$30K income)
$9,778
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
$27,639
Enrollment
563
24
Santa Fe Community CollegeSanta Fe, NM · Public
Avg net price
$11,067
Net price (<$30K income)
$10,145
Median debt
$13,236
Median earnings, 6yr
$32,097
Enrollment
4,469
#CollegeAvg net priceNet price (<$30K income)Median debtMedian earnings, 6yrEnrollment
1New Mexico State University-GrantsGrants, NM · Public$68100% of the leader · rank #1$248$17,095$32,960754
2Eastern New Mexico University Ruidoso Branch Community CollegeRuidoso, NM · Public$2,04296% of the leader · rank #2$736$16,500$33,619773
3Clovis Community CollegeClovis, NM · Public$3,23093% of the leader · rank #3$2,226$7,250$30,5672,342
4Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell CampusRoswell, NM · Public$3,64593% of the leader · rank #4$2,982$16,500$33,6192,082
5New Mexico Military InstituteRoswell, NM · Public$4,57191% of the leader · rank #5$2,772$5,500$43,034463
6Luna Community CollegeLas Vegas, NM · Public$4,59591% of the leader · rank #6$3,393-$29,547743
7Central New Mexico Community CollegeAlbuquerque, NM · Public$4,62191% of the leader · rank #7$2,975$6,612$32,46019,342
8University of New Mexico-Gallup CampusGallup, NM · Public$4,86890% of the leader · rank #8$4,197$18,450$37,1501,687
9Eastern New Mexico University-Main CampusPortales, NM · Public$4,90490% of the leader · rank #9$3,663$16,500$33,6195,725
10Southwestern Indian Polytechnic InstituteAlbuquerque, NM · Public$5,18189% of the leader · rank #10$4,302-$22,307215
11Navajo Technical UniversityCrownpoint, NM · Public$5,33889% of the leader · rank #11$4,293-$23,2801,704
12University of New Mexico-Valencia County CampusLos Lunas, NM · Public$5,71488% of the leader · rank #12$3,797$18,450$37,150921
13Southeast New Mexico CollegeCarlsbad, NM · Public$5,73488% of the leader · rank #13$5,147--1,431
14San Juan CollegeFarmington, NM · Public$5,76988% of the leader · rank #14$5,647$9,750$29,3296,452
15New Mexico State University-Dona AnaLas Cruces, NM · Public$6,04888% of the leader · rank #15$5,475$17,095$32,9607,200
16New Mexico Junior CollegeHobbs, NM · Public$6,52487% of the leader · rank #16$6,000$11,313$32,1452,235
17Northern New Mexico CollegeEspanola, NM · Public$7,27685% of the leader · rank #17$7,187$6,000$34,3771,425
18New Mexico State University-AlamogordoAlamogordo, NM · Public$7,36985% of the leader · rank #18$6,714$17,095$32,9601,152
19Western New Mexico UniversitySilver City, NM · Public$8,52283% of the leader · rank #19$8,381$23,000$31,1663,531
20New Mexico State University-Main CampusLas Cruces, NM · Public$8,88982% of the leader · rank #20$6,648$17,095$32,96015,408
21University of New Mexico-Taos CampusRanchos De Taos, NM · Public$9,16581% of the leader · rank #21$8,480$18,450$37,150896
22Mesalands Community CollegeTucumcari, NM · Public$9,44581% of the leader · rank #22$9,778-$27,639563
23New Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologySocorro, NM · Public$9,87380% of the leader · rank #23$5,136$19,085$54,5301,622
24Santa Fe Community CollegeSanta Fe, NM · Public$11,06777% of the leader · rank #24$10,145$13,236$32,0974,469
25Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts DevelopmentSanta Fe, NM · Public$12,57074% of the leader · rank #25$10,974-$20,816947

Showing the 25 cheapest of 39 Scorecard-reporting New Mexico schools. The remaining 14 are ranked in the same net-price order but omitted from this HTML table so the page stays crawlable.

Look up any institution's exact rank via My School Profile, or open its school page for income-bracket net price, debt, and earnings.

What this means for you

Use New Mexico's ranking as a starting point, real net price depends on your specific financial-aid package.

  • New Mexico State University-Grants reports the lowest average net price in New Mexico, but "average" blends every income bracket, check your bracket's figure before assuming it applies to you. View New Mexico State
  • See your specific school's in-state cost rank and nearest-price peers. My School Profile
  • Compare campus safety alongside cost before deciding. New Mexico safety

Figures reflect the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23 release.

Average net price = the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, excluding loans. Only schools with a reported average net price in the DOE College Scorecard dataset are ranked. This page lists the 25 cheapest; the title count is the full Scorecard-reporting cohort for New Mexico. Schools with fewer than 10 net-price-reporting institutions in a state or territory are not given a dedicated ranking page.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every ranked figure on this page is queried directly from the DOE College Scorecard dataset at request time; no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.