by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend New Mexico State University-Alamogordo: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At NMSU Alamogordo, 2% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $6,062 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federally funded loan is $6,062. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at NMSU Alamogordo, 8% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $6,241 each per year. This works out to 3.0% more than the freshman federal average of $6,062.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,482 in two years and roughly $24,964 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 8% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,241 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 44 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $274,587 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at NMSU Alamogordo carry a median federal debt of $10,250 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $10,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $17,095 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,043 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for NMSU Alamogordo.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,250 |
| 25th percentile | $4,468 |
| 75th percentile | $23,359 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,728 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at NMSU Alamogordo.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at NMSU Alamogordo.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 588 | $9,512 |
| Completed (graduates) | 251 | $10,166 |
| Did not complete | 337 | $8,414 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $120.88/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at NMSU Alamogordo.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 559 | $9,600 |
| No Stafford loan | 29 | $8,000 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 427 | $9,082 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 161 | $10,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for NMSU Alamogordo.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for NMSU Alamogordo appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5246 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,688 |
| Middle income | $9,443 |
| High income | $10,250 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $10,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $9,000 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at NMSU Alamogordo.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
Did You Know?
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.