10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$191,786at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
New Mexico State University-Main Campus
Las Cruces, NM · 60 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 59 · Federal debt reported for 44
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$191,786 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
90.7 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−89%Estimated return after 10 years
$47,377Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $14,052 housing and food allowance plus $4,536 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$156,230
$8,000Current college-wide context−$188,230
$9,000Current college-wide context−$192,230
$16,000Annual price−$220,230
$24,000Annual price−$252,230
$32,000Annual price−$284,230
$40,000Annual price−$316,230
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Most students take at least some classes online.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- Suburban
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- Land-grant institution
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
322 high-school students took college courses.
IPEDS counts students enrolled in college credit while still in high school. A large dual-enrollment population can shape headline enrollment figures, especially at community colleges.
This is participation, not a college completion rate. It does not indicate how many students later enrolled after high school, earned a credential or entered the workforce.
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in New Mexico run 8% below the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$8,889Average net price / year
$23,274Cost of attendance
$17,095Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$181/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$47,377Median earnings · year 5 after completion
55.2%Completion rate
89.0%Admission rate
1,011Average SAT score
20ACT midpoint
11,946Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about New Mexico State University-Main Campus
What does New Mexico State University-Main Campus cost?
New Mexico State University-Main Campus reports an average annual net price of $8,889 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do New Mexico State University-Main Campus graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $47,377 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do New Mexico State University-Main Campus graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $17,095. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at New Mexico State University-Main Campus worth the same?
No. The current release contains 60 field-and-degree records for New Mexico State University-Main Campus; 59 report year-4 earnings and 44 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
17,724Students enrolled at any point
14,227Undergraduate students
3,497Graduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
50% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
274 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
43% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$34,114Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$44,138Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$54,845Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income39%
Middle income53%
Higher income63%
Undergraduate student composition
White24%
Black2%
Hispanic64%
Asian1%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$38,119Year 1
$54,874Year 4
$47,377Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Doctoral Degree$141,4222Industrial Engineering · Master's Degree$113,6913Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$96,5104Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$95,6835Computer and Information Sciences, General · Bachelor's Degree$94,0246Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$92,6057Chemical Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$90,0918Mechanical Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$85,742Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Special Education and TeachingBachelor's Degree · $58,953 reported+17%vs same-degree national median$19,000federal debt2Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree · $51,592 reported+9%vs same-degree national median$24,705federal debt3Special Education and TeachingMaster's Degree · $68,419 reported+6%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $84,961 reported+5%vs same-degree national median$16,467federal debt5Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's Degree · $68,291 reported+4%vs same-degree national median$9,995federal debt6Data ProcessingAssociate's Degree · $53,247 reported+3%vs same-degree national median$9,750federal debt
Comparable colleges in NM
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Alamogordo, NM
New Mexico State University-Alamogordo
- Annual net price
- $7,369
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,377
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -89%
Mesalands Community College
- Annual net price
- $9,445
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,991
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -95%
New Mexico State University-Dona Ana
- Annual net price
- $6,048
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,377
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -88%
Western New Mexico University
- Annual net price
- $8,522
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $50,227
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -76%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing the 40 highest-earning records from 60 field-and-degree records. Use the program directory to search the complete set.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Doctoral Degree | $141,422 | Not available | 30 |
| Industrial Engineering | Master's Degree | $113,691 | Not available | Not reported |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $96,510 | $24,537 | Not reported |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $95,683 | $23,250 | 0 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $94,024 | $21,261 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $92,605 | Not available | Not reported |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $90,091 | $15,000 | Not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $85,742 | $18,759 | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $84,961 | $16,467 | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's Degree | $82,631 | Not available | Not reported |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | Bachelor's Degree | $81,690 | $22,000 | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $78,951 | $20,500 | 0 |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $74,115 | $13,382 | Not reported |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Master's Degree | $71,678 | Not available | Not reported |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Bachelor's Degree | $68,890 | $15,670 | 0 |
| Special Education and Teaching | Master's Degree | $68,419 | Not available | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's Degree | $68,291 | $9,995 | Not reported |
| Public Health | Master's Degree | $63,538 | Not available | Not reported |
| Agricultural Business and Management | Bachelor's Degree | $63,139 | Not available | Not reported |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $63,115 | $21,297 | Not reported |
| Business/Commerce, General | Bachelor's Degree | $60,970 | $24,225 | Not reported |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies | Master's Degree | $60,227 | Not available | Not reported |
| Special Education and Teaching | Bachelor's Degree | $58,953 | $19,000 | 17 |
| Social Work | Master's Degree | $58,551 | Not available | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $57,219 | $14,750 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $54,077 | $20,000 | Not reported |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Master's Degree | $54,059 | Not available | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Bachelor's Degree | $53,428 | Not available | Not reported |
| Data Processing | Associate's Degree | $53,247 | $9,750 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $52,567 | $20,312 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Bachelor's Degree | $51,972 | $15,112 | 6 |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $51,641 | $21,500 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Bachelor's Degree | $51,592 | $24,705 | 22 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's Degree | $50,998 | $20,500 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Bachelor's Degree | $50,295 | $24,500 | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Bachelor's Degree | $49,834 | $20,642 | Not reported |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | Bachelor's Degree | $49,444 | $21,085 | Not reported |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | Bachelor's Degree | $49,080 | Not available | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $48,419 | $24,986 | Not reported |
| Journalism | Bachelor's Degree | $45,765 | $18,250 | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
Search every New Mexico State University-Main Campus program record →Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.