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Western New Mexico University: Miller Library Western New Mexico University
Photo: AllenS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional university

Western New Mexico University

Silver City, NM · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $8,522 a year

Median debt at graduation: $23,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Academic Excellence

B-Academic Excellence: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.32%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.58%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.12 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$9,617

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$8,381
$30,001–$48,000$8,336
$48,001–$75,000$12,493
Over $110,000$13,210

Full cost of attendance before aid: $21,562 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
2,602
Men and women
Undergraduates, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Men 33% · Women 67%
First-generation students
Share of students who are first-generation, by the College Scorecard’s definition
48%
Total students3,570
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$8,522
Cost of attendance (per year)$21,562
Median federal debt at graduation$23,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
32%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
25%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
26%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard)
38%
First-year retention58%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$39,095
Application fee
Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS)
$30
Students receiving Pell grants43%

Value: Good · Top 46% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Nursing$84,626
Rehabilitation and therapy$56,548
Social work$49,567
Criminal justice$46,184

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Accounting, Biology, Botany/Plant Biology, Business (general), Business administration, Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Chemistry, Clinical laboratory science, Counseling and mental health, Education (general), English, Fine arts, History, Instructional design, Interdisciplinary studies, Kinesiology and exercise science, Management information systems, Marketing, Mathematics, Natural resources and conservation, Physical Sciences, Political science, Psychology, Secondary education, Social sciences, Sociology, Special education, Teacher education, Visual and performing arts, Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management, Zoology/Animal Biology.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Education25%
Business13%
Public administration and social service12%
Psychology9%
Health professions9%

Campus life

School colors
SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates38%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older38%
On-campus room and board (per year)$10,940
SportsNCAA Division II · Lone Star Conference
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member12 to 1
Faculty who are full-time43%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Endowment per student$13,475Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS)
Dorm spaceFor about 15% of studentsCampus beds divided by undergraduate enrollment. Not how many students live on campus (IPEDS)
Nearest airport with scheduled flightsGrant County Airport (SVC)About 12 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports)
Town population9,5362020–2024 five-year estimate (U.S. Census Bureau)
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreEl PasoAbout 126 miles away in a straight line (U.S. Census Bureau)
Average temperature in January44°F1991–2020 normal, from FT BAYARD, NM US, about 8 miles away (NOAA)
Average temperature in July76°F1991–2020 normal, from FT BAYARD, NM US, about 8 miles away (NOAA)

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.000.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.280.04
Burglary0.280.08
Motor vehicle theft0.280.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Western New Mexico University’s Compass Score?
Solid (grade C+). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Western New Mexico University cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $8,522 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How do Western New Mexico University’s graduates do?
32% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $39,095; the median federal debt at graduation is $23,000.

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