by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend New Mexico State University-Dona Ana: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At NMSU Dona Ana, 14% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $2,503 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $1,900, or about 34.5% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at NMSU Dona Ana (freshmen included), 13% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $2,847 per year. This works out to 49.8% above the $1,900 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $5,694 after two years and $11,388 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 13% |
| Average federal loan per year | $2,847 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 646 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,838,901 |
The median student at NMSU Dona Ana borrows $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.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for NMSU Dona Ana.
| 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 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at NMSU Dona Ana.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at NMSU Dona Ana.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 588 | $9,512 |
| Completed (graduates) | 251 | $10,166 |
| Did not complete | 337 | $8,414 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $120.88/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at NMSU Dona Ana.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 559 | $9,600 |
| No Stafford loan | 29 | $8,000 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| 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 Dona Ana.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for NMSU Dona Ana appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5246 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| 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 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $9,000 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for NMSU Dona Ana.
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.
Important to Remember
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.