New Mexico
State University-Dona Ana
Public Community College in Las Cruces, NM. Six-year graduation rate 19%. Median 10-year earnings $39,067.
Ten-year median earnings of $39,067 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. Completion is the weak point: 19% graduate within six years. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $17,095, neither a bargain nor a burden.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 19% — below national average
Academics
Only 19% finish within six years, so roughly four in five students leave without the credential. First-year retention is 63% — 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. 14% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 43% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 4,812 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $7,936 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price varies modestly by income — $5,475 at $0–30k against $13,381 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 71% get grants averaging $5,869, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 13% of students.
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 · 976 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 | $5,475 |
| $30–48k | $5,904 |
| $48–75k | $7,663 |
| $75–110k | $10,624 |
| $110k+ | $13,381 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 646 of these 4,812 students, totalling $1,838,901 — an average of $2,847 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Dona Ana 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)