Central New
Mexico Community College
Public Community College in Albuquerque, NM. Six-year graduation rate 31%. Median 10-year earnings $36,869.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $36,869, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. Only 31% finish within six years, so roughly two in three students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Graduates leave owing a median of $6,612 — modest by four-year standards.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.18 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 31% — below national average
Academics
Only 31% finish within six years, so roughly two in three students leave without the credential. First-year retention is 60% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. Transfer-out runs to 19% — common enough at this school that the completion rate is measuring a smaller group than the entering class. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 47% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 15,247 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $5,560 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Net price varies modestly by income — $2,975 at $0–30k against $9,432 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 53% get grants averaging $5,348, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Only 20% take federal loans. Private borrowing is not captured in this figure.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,300 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $2,975 |
| $30–48k | $3,721 |
| $48–75k | $5,897 |
| $75–110k | $8,453 |
| $110k+ | $9,432 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 3,095 of these 15,247 students, totalling $20,074,160 — an average of $6,486 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Bernalillo County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)