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2027 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in New Mexico

[Criminal Justice](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

College Factual analyzed 2 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value criminal justice schools.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in New Mexico

2027 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools in New Mexico

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in criminal justice, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools

1

Central New Mexico Community College
Albuquerque, NM

$2,060 In-State Tuition & Fees

$10,112 Avg Student Debt

$36,869 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in criminal justice, no school beat Central New Mexico Community College this year. Set in the city of Albuquerque, Central New Mexico Community College is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $2,060 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $8,684. Students borrow a median of $10,112 to complete the criminal justice program here. Early-career criminal justice graduates make about $35,865. That is a strong return on a $10,112 median debt.

2

New Mexico State University Dona Ana
Las Cruces, NM

$2,322 In-State Tuition & Fees

$7,425 Avg Student Debt

$39,067 Median Earnings (10yr)

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at New Mexico State University Dona Ana earned it the #2 place for criminal justice. Located in the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico State University Dona Ana is a moderately-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $2,322, while out-of-state students pay about $6,360. Students borrow a median of $7,425 to complete the criminal justice program here. Criminal Justice graduates of New Mexico State University Dona Ana earn a median of $39,399 early in their careers. Set against $7,425 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.

View All Criminal Justice Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.