State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard
Cheapest Colleges in New Mexico
According to U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data, 40 New Mexico colleges ranked by average net price, what students actually paid after grant and scholarship aid, not the published sticker price.
- $68
- Cheapest net price
- $9,165
- New Mexico median
- 40
- Schools ranked
Data updated June 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 46% below the $17,083 national median across 4,942 schools.
- $68
- cheapest ranked net price
- $9,165
- New Mexico median net price
- 28 public / 12 private
- schools in this ranking
- $10,511
- avg net price, <$30K income families
Average net price is the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, not counting loans that must be repaid. A very low figure at a specialty or religious institution can reflect a narrow enrollment mix rather than typical affordability, check the sector label and enrollment before comparing.
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. This is the widest sticker-to-net-price gap among ranked New Mexico schools, and a reminder that published tuition alone is a poor guide to what most admitted students actually pay.
Across all 40 ranked New Mexico schools, 28 are public institutions and 12 are private (nonprofit or for-profit). Sector is shown next to every school below because a low sticker-adjacent price at a small religious, seminary, or specialty school can reflect an unusual enrollment mix rather than broad affordability, check enrollment and sector before drawing conclusions from rank alone.
Average net price also blends every income bracket into one figure, so a family's own bracket can land well above or below the number shown here. Federal reporting requires an institution to have enough surveyed aid recipients in a bracket before that bracket is published, so a very small school can show only a partial income-bracket breakdown even when its overall average net price is fully reported. Use the school's own profile page for the full income-bracket table before treating a single average as a personal cost estimate.
New Mexico's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico State University-Grants Grants, NM · Public | $68 100% of the leader · rank #1 | $248 | $17,095 | $32,960 | 834 |
| 2 | Eastern New Mexico University Ruidoso Branch Community College Ruidoso, NM · Public | $2,042 96% of the leader · rank #2 | $736 | $16,500 | $33,619 | 745 |
| 3 | Clovis Community College Clovis, NM · Public | $3,230 93% of the leader · rank #3 | $2,226 | $7,250 | $30,567 | 2,328 |
| 4 | Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Campus Roswell, NM · Public | $3,645 93% of the leader · rank #4 | $2,982 | $16,500 | $33,619 | 2,044 |
| 5 | New Mexico Military Institute Roswell, NM · Public | $4,571 91% of the leader · rank #5 | $2,772 | $5,500 | $43,034 | 459 |
| 6 | Luna Community College Las Vegas, NM · Public | $4,595 91% of the leader · rank #6 | $3,393 | - | $29,547 | 757 |
| 7 | Central New Mexico Community College Albuquerque, NM · Public | $4,621 91% of the leader · rank #7 | $2,975 | $6,612 | $32,460 | 19,067 |
| 8 | University of New Mexico-Gallup Campus Gallup, NM · Public | $4,868 90% of the leader · rank #8 | $4,197 | $18,450 | $37,150 | 1,677 |
| 9 | Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus Portales, NM · Public | $4,904 90% of the leader · rank #9 | $3,663 | $16,500 | $33,619 | 5,386 |
| 10 | Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute Albuquerque, NM · Public | $5,181 89% of the leader · rank #10 | $4,302 | - | $22,307 | 233 |
| 11 | Navajo Technical University Crownpoint, NM · Public | $5,338 89% of the leader · rank #11 | $4,293 | - | $23,280 | 1,544 |
| 12 | University of New Mexico-Valencia County Campus Los Lunas, NM · Public | $5,714 88% of the leader · rank #12 | $3,797 | $18,450 | $37,150 | 1,309 |
| 13 | Southeast New Mexico College Carlsbad, NM · Public | $5,734 88% of the leader · rank #13 | $5,147 | - | - | 1,171 |
| 14 | San Juan College Farmington, NM · Public | $5,769 88% of the leader · rank #14 | $5,647 | $9,750 | $29,329 | 6,196 |
| 15 | New Mexico State University-Dona Ana Las Cruces, NM · Public | $6,048 88% of the leader · rank #15 | $5,475 | $17,095 | $32,960 | 6,849 |
| 16 | New Mexico Junior College Hobbs, NM · Public | $6,524 87% of the leader · rank #16 | $6,000 | $11,313 | $32,145 | 2,118 |
| 17 | Northern New Mexico College Espanola, NM · Public | $7,276 85% of the leader · rank #17 | $7,187 | $6,000 | $34,377 | 1,310 |
| 18 | New Mexico State University-Alamogordo Alamogordo, NM · Public | $7,369 85% of the leader · rank #18 | $6,714 | $17,095 | $32,960 | 1,088 |
| 19 | Western New Mexico University Silver City, NM · Public | $8,522 83% of the leader · rank #19 | $8,381 | $23,000 | $31,166 | 3,570 |
| 20 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus Las Cruces, NM · Public | $8,889 82% of the leader · rank #20 | $6,648 | $17,095 | $32,960 | 14,779 |
| 21 | University of New Mexico-Taos Campus Ranchos De Taos, NM · Public | $9,165 81% of the leader · rank #21 | $8,480 | $18,450 | $37,150 | 854 |
| 22 | Mesalands Community College Tucumcari, NM · Public | $9,445 81% of the leader · rank #22 | $9,778 | - | $27,639 | 482 |
| 23 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro, NM · Public | $9,873 80% of the leader · rank #23 | $5,136 | $19,085 | $54,530 | 1,713 |
| 24 | Santa Fe Community College Santa Fe, NM · Public | $11,067 77% of the leader · rank #24 | $10,145 | $13,236 | $32,097 | 3,478 |
| 25 | Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development Santa Fe, NM · Public | $12,570 74% of the leader · rank #25 | $10,974 | - | $20,816 | 831 |
See all 40 ranked New Mexico schools →
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Avenue Academy, A Cosmetology Institute Albuquerque, NM · Private for-profit | $13,175 73% of the leader · rank #26 | $13,196 | $6,333 | - | 97 |
| 27 | University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus Los Alamos, NM · Public | $13,470 73% of the leader · rank #27 | $10,916 | $18,450 | $37,150 | 376 |
| 28 | Glitz School of Cosmetology Las Cruces, NM · Private for-profit | $14,378 71% of the leader · rank #28 | $14,165 | $7,999 | - | 33 |
| 29 | New Mexico Highlands University Las Vegas, NM · Public | $14,838 70% of the leader · rank #29 | $13,511 | $11,399 | $38,952 | 2,814 |
| 30 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM · Public | $15,489 68% of the leader · rank #30 | $11,938 | $18,450 | $37,150 | 22,700 |
| 31 | Aveda Institute-New Mexico Albuquerque, NM · Private for-profit | $15,607 68% of the leader · rank #31 | $14,672 | $7,000 | $19,605 | 157 |
| 32 | Paul Mitchell the School-Albuquerque Albuquerque, NM · Private for-profit | $15,634 68% of the leader · rank #32 | $15,513 | $10,556 | $20,360 | 113 |
| 33 | University of the Southwest Hobbs, NM · Private nonprofit | $16,927 65% of the leader · rank #33 | $15,384 | $21,303 | $36,600 | 1,034 |
| 34 | Vogue College of Cosmetology-Santa Fe Santa Fe, NM · Private for-profit | $17,279 65% of the leader · rank #34 | $19,997 | $6,333 | $30,652 | 61 |
| 35 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide Kirtland Afb, NM · Private nonprofit | $18,725 62% of the leader · rank #35 | $18,216 | $23,666 | $65,391 | 12,268 |
| 36 | A Better U Beauty Barber Academy Albuquerque, NM · Private for-profit | $20,249 59% of the leader · rank #36 | $17,618 | - | - | 52 |
| 37 | Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque Albuquerque, NM · Private for-profit | $21,084 57% of the leader · rank #37 | $21,291 | $5,500 | $28,599 | 737 |
| 38 | St. John's College Santa Fe, NM · Private nonprofit | $26,674 46% of the leader · rank #38 | $16,014 | - | $33,770 | 447 |
| 39 | Brookline College-Albuquerque Albuquerque, NM · Private for-profit | $37,459 24% of the leader · rank #39 | $36,151 | $9,500 | $32,705 | 492 |
| 40 | Carrington College-Albuquerque Albuquerque, NM · Private for-profit | $49,030 4% of the leader · rank #40 | $50,554 | $9,500 | $34,062 | 297 |
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. 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.