Percentile rankings vs 1,600+ peer institutions. Higher is better.
Career OutcomesAzimuth ranks New Mexico Highlands University #347 for overall value on Azimuth's composite among nonprofit four-year institutions. New Mexico Highlands University sits in the 81.2 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions, reflecting outcomes that exceed what similar students achieve at comparable institutions. Azimuth ranks New Mexico Highlands University #917 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. --- New Mexico Highlands University delivers graduate outcomes that outperform expectations for its student population, with earnings beyond expectations placing the institution meaningfully above comparable schools in the Azimuth coverage set. The university's mobility ranking reflects its commitment to broad access — serving a large share of first-generation and Pell-eligible students — and converting that access into durable post-graduation outcomes.
Azimuth ranks New Mexico Highlands University #347 for overall value on Azimuth's composite among nonprofit four-year institutions. A public university in Las Vegas, NM, New Mexico Highlands University enrolls roughly 1,451 undergraduates. Retention and graduation figures reflect the institution's regional mission: serving a predominantly first-generation and Pell-eligible student body in a rural New Mexico community. What anchors New Mexico Highlands University's composite is mobility and access. 45.1% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants and 45.4% are first-generation college students — a profile that reflects the university's deep roots in serving communities with limited prior access to higher education. Azimuth ranks New Mexico Highlands University #511 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn median $55,864 four years after enrollment, and New Mexico Highlands University sits in the 81.2 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions, meaning graduates earn about $7,250 more than similar students at comparable institutions relative to similar students at comparable institutions. Access and affordability shape the composite's remaining pillars. New Mexico Highlands University sits in the 66.1 percentile for access and the 94.4 percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions, reflecting the university's broad-open admissions posture and its role as a low-cost regional option in northern New Mexico. The dominant program concentration in Education aligns with regional workforce needs, and the mobility pillar — in the 38.0 percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions — captures how well the institution converts broad access into durable economic progress for its graduates.
New Mexico Highlands University's published cost of attendance is $20,868. Financial aid reshapes that figure across income levels: low-income families pay approximately $13,511, families in the lower-middle band pay around $13,947, middle-income families pay about $15,175, families in the upper-middle band pay approximately $16,508, and higher-income families pay roughly $16,530. Azimuth ranks New Mexico Highlands University #81 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown. As a public regional university, New Mexico Highlands relies on a combination of federal and state aid, institutional scholarships, and federal loans to close the gap between sticker price and what families actually pay. The institution participates in federal (Pell Grants, Direct Loans) and state aid programs, and need-based institutional aid is available to qualifying students. The relatively modest net-price spread across income bands reflects the public tuition structure and broad-access mission typical of regional public universities. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $11,399, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $9,350; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the Parent PLUS risk framework for how household context shapes PLUS decisions. For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $55,864, median federal debt of $11,399 projects to a monthly payment of about $129 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use Azimuth's Financial GPS tool.
New Mexico Highlands University is a fit for students who want a public four-year option in NM and are weighing outcomes against cost. Azimuth ranks New Mexico Highlands University #342 for overall value on Azimuth's composite among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn median 4-year earnings of $55,864, placing New Mexico Highlands University in the 30.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $7,250 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 81.2 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Published cost of attendance is $20,868. After need-based aid, low-income families pay approximately $13,511, middle-income families pay around $15,175, higher-income families pay approximately $16,530. Students should weigh those current cost and earnings figures against the school's program mix before treating the fit as primarily an earnings, affordability, or access story.
This school profile was generated using Azimuth's proprietary ROI framework, developed by founder Daniel Rogers. Our methodology transforms federal education data into actionable insights for families.
College Azimuth is a private research initiative and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education or Federal Student Aid. Data sourced from College Scorecard.
This content is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, investment, or professional advice. Consult a qualified advisor before making any financial decisions.
Comprehensive Analysis
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This is the New Mexico Highlands University hub overview page. Related admissions, cost, outcomes, majors, and similar-school pages provide the detailed school data.
Based on federal data for students receiving aid. Actual costs may vary.
New Mexico Highlands University's published cost of attendance is $20,868. Financial aid reshapes that figure across income levels: low-income families pay approximately $13,511, families in the lower-middle band pay around $13,947, middle-income families pay about $15,175, families in the upper-middle band pay approximately $16,508, and higher-income families pay roughly $16,530.
Azimuth ranks New Mexico Highlands University #81 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.
As a public regional university, New Mexico Highlands relies on a combination of federal and state aid, institutional scholarships, and federal loans to close the gap between sticker price and what families actually pay. The institution participates in federal (Pell Grants, Direct Loans) and state aid programs, and need-based institutional aid is available to qualifying students.
The relatively modest net-price spread across income bands reflects the public tuition structure and broad-access mission typical of regional public universities. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $11,399, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $9,350; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions.
For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $55,864, median federal debt of $11,399 projects to a monthly payment of about $129 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).
Graduates of New Mexico Highlands University earn median 4-year earnings of $55,864, placing New Mexico Highlands University in the 30.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $7,250 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 81.2 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Azimuth ranks New Mexico Highlands University #511 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major.
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods reports 93 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $53,566, ranked #33 nationally in its major. Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions reports 69 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $52,517, ranked #6 nationally in its major.
Psychology, General reports 37 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $43,926, ranked #291 nationally in its major. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing reports 36 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $97,309, ranked #92 nationally in its major.
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
36 graduates
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
22 graduates
Business Administration, Management and Operations
35 graduates
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
93 graduates
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
69 graduates
New Mexico Highlands University's program mix is anchored in Education, a signature that reflects the university's deep roots in serving the educational and social-service needs of northern New Mexico. Teacher Education is the largest program by graduate count, followed by Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Psychology, General, Nursing, and Business Administration.
Across 13 programs serving roughly 379 students annually, the university's degree output is concentrated in fields oriented toward community service, public-sector employment, and regional workforce needs — a mix that shapes both the earnings profile and the labor-market destinations of its graduates. The strongest early-career earnings at New Mexico Highlands University come from Nursing, where graduates earn median earnings of $97,309 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #182 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Subject-Specific Teacher Education follows with graduates earning $62,375, with Azimuth ranking it #6 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Business Administration and Teacher Education round out the higher-earning tier, each placing graduates into stable, in-demand roles with median earnings of $57,821 and $53,566, respectively — Azimuth ranks Business Administration #272 and Teacher Education #24 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The largest programs — Teacher Education and Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions — are primarily local-labor and public-sector pathways, where graduates enter education, social work, and community health roles that anchor the regional workforce rather than high-mobility national career markets. For students drawn to these fields, New Mexico Highlands University offers a direct route into stable regional employment.
The [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides broader context for how education and social-service fields align with national labor-market trends and where regional demand remains strong.
