With all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a college degree. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Bachelor's Degree Colleges in New Mexico ranking.
After analyzing 9 schools in New Mexico, we came up with our list of those that offered the best bachelor's degree programs. Instead of depending on subjective information to rank the best schools, we focus on objective factors in our analysis. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
Early-Career Salaries Are Higher
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. Recent students who earned a bachelor's degree in New Mexico entered the job market making an average of $38,779 while those in the top 9 schools on our list made an average of $39,284.
Starting Salary ( 22910 to 46813 )
Average Student Debt
In addition to average starting salaries, we also consider the average amount of student loans that students take on while pursuing their bachelor's degree.
During their time at college, bachelor's degree seekers from schools in New Mexico take out an average of $27,879.
The average debt load at a particular school may not be bad, but it's an important thing to consider in conjunction with post-graduation earnings.
Other Ranking Factors in Our Methodology
In addition to average post-graduation earnings and average student debt loads, we also look at a host of other factors to determining our Best Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking.
Several other factors - such as how much the school spends on educational resources, the demand of the school, the availability of online learning options, and the student body caliber - go into our rankings.
If you'd rather work on your bachelor's degree in a specific area of the country, you might be interested in our rankings by place. In addition, we've put together a number of other college rankings that may help you in your search.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus tops this year’s ranking as the best school for bachelor’s degrees in New Mexico for overall quality. Albuquerque, New Mexico is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,294 students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, bachelor’s degree graduates from UNM make an average of $34,862 a year. Bachelor’s students leave the school with an average of $20,612 in student loans.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. The school came in at #2 in New Mexico on this year’s best bachelor’s degree schools ranking. New Mexico Tech is located in Socorro, New Mexico and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 225 bachelor’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from New Mexico Tech is $58,943 during the early years of their career. Bachelor’s students carry an average student debt load of about $19,298 after getting their degree.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St. John’s College. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Mexico list. St. John’s is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The school has a small population, and it awarded 48 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $20,522 during the early years of their career. Bachelor’s students leave the school with an average of $27,000 in student loans. Average monthly loan payments are around $244 for a 10-year repayment plan.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Mexico list. NMSU Main Campus is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,425 bachelor’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from NMSU Main Campus is $33,674 during the early years of their career. The average amount of student debt accumulated by bachelor’s students is $21,839.
A rank of #5 on our Best Bachelor’s Degree in New Mexico list means Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus is a great place for students working on their degree. This medium-sized public school is located in Portales, New Mexico, and it awarded 707 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from ENMU - Main Campus make an average of $39,072 per year during the early years of their career. The average amount of student debt accumulated by bachelor’s students is $20,386.
With a ranking of #6, New Mexico Highlands University did quite well on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Mexico list. This small public school is located in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and it awarded 405 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $33,628 during the early years of their career. Bachelor’s students carry an average student debt load of about $17,398 after getting their degree.
Western New Mexico University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Mexico ranking. Located in Silver City, New Mexico, the small public school handed out 232 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Western New Mexico University is $52,344 during the early years of their career. Bachelor’s students leave the school with an average of $30,882 in student loans.
University of the Southwest landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Mexico ranking. Hobbs, New Mexico is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 82 students in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from USW make an average of $31,635 per year during the early years of their career. The average amount of student debt accumulated by bachelor’s students is $25,031.
Brookline College - Albuquerque ranked #9 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Mexico list. Brookline College - Albuquerque is a small private for-profit school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 113 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $48,878 during the early years of their career. Bachelor’s students leave the school with an average of $40,689 in student loans. If the student is repaying the loan over 10 years, the average monthly payment is $384.
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).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
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