New Mexico State University-Main Campus

Las Cruces, NM · Public · Midsize suburb · Carnegie R1/R2 · NMSU

Public institution in Las Cruces, NM · 11,561 undergraduates · 76% acceptance rate · $39,067 median earnings 10 years after entry.

Top 8%Average net price
Top 10%Undergraduates
Top 19%In-state tuition & fees
Top 21%Cost of attendance

Stats

College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.

Cost

Average net price: $6,747160th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
In-state tuition & fees: $8,147380th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
Out-of-state tuition & fees: $25,2711,086th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
Cost of attendance: $20,930426th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
Median graduate debt: $17,095413th lowest of 1,880 reporting

Outcomes

Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $39,0671,652nd highest of 1,969 reporting
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $32,9601,650th highest of 1,964 reporting
Graduation rate (4-year): 52.2%1,071st highest of 2,031 reporting
Full-time retention: 74.8%993rd highest of 1,853 reporting

Admissions

Acceptance rate: 75.7%769th most selective of 1,608 reporting
Average SAT: 1004937th highest of 1,024 reporting
Median ACT: 20800th highest of 954 reporting

Campus

Undergraduates: 11,561221st largest of 2,162 reporting
Student-faculty ratio: 15.0:11,317th smallest of 2,159 reporting
Pell Grant share: 40.3%694th highest of 2,140 reporting

Nearest large-hub airport: 315 mi (PHX)

On 1 of our 111 lists

Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.

Most Selective Colleges in New Mexico#3

Applying

Common App member: Yes
Application fee: $25
Personal essay: Optional / not required
Writing supplement: No

Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.

Best-paying fields of study

Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 76 reported programs.

Field	Level	1 yr	2 yr
Chemical EngineeringEngineering	bachelors	$80,964	$58,673
Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering	bachelors	$68,499	$73,635
Mechanical EngineeringEngineering	bachelors	$64,990	$61,814
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions	bachelors	$63,773	$62,384
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical EngineeringEngineering	bachelors	$58,673	$71,575
Engineering Technology, GeneralEngineering Technology	bachelors	$58,673	$59,253
Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science	bachelors	$57,860	$55,512
Civil EngineeringEngineering	bachelors	$54,109	$57,860
Industrial EngineeringEngineering	bachelors	$49,436	—
Geological and Earth Sciences/GeosciencesPhysical Sciences	bachelors	$39,927	—
MarketingBusiness	bachelors	$39,523	$40,855
Agricultural Business and ManagementAgriculture	bachelors	$38,289	$38,829

Campus facts

Founded in 1888source
Athletic nickname: "Aggies"source
Mascot: Pistol Petesource
Aggie Memorial Stadium seats about 30,343source
Competes in NCAA Division Isource
School colors: Crimson and Whitesource
Campus size: about 900 acressource
Formerly known as "Las Cruces College" (1888–1889)source
Formerly known as "New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts" (1889–1960)source
Athletic conference: FBSsource
A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
A Space-grant]]}} institutionsource
Plays for the "Silver Spade" (since 1914)source
Plays for the "The Roaster" (since 1894)source
Fight song: ""Aggies oh Aggies""source
Notable alum: Roosevelt Skerritsource
Notable alum: Jaron Laniersource
Notable alum: Pascal Siakamsource
Notable alum: Q433945source

Athletics — 11 sports

NCAA Division I-FBS · NCAA Division I

Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $8,763,381 (M $4,964,881 · W $3,798,500)

Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.