Public Associate Good 67/100

New Mexico Junior College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Hobbs, New Mexico

About New Mexico Junior College

Thinking about New Mexico Junior College, a college in New Mexico where more students graduate in Liberal Arts than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

New Mexico Junior College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Hobbs, New Mexico. It enrolls 2,175 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
Open
Graduation
22.3%
Net Price
$6,524
Median Earnings (10yr)
$34,233
Enrollment
2,175
Student : Faculty
14:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (2-Year), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
67/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes 44
Value 70
Affordability 50
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

As a two-year college, New Mexico Junior College admits essentially everyone who qualifies, so plan around cost and completion instead of your odds of getting in.

Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $6,524 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$6,524
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
27%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
2%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$1,440
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$2,280
Room & Board (on-campus)
$5,130
Room & Board (off-campus)
$8,925
Books & Supplies
$1,680
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,026
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,026
Total Cost of Attendance
$9,258

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $6,000
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $6,697
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $7,669

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$1,500
10% percentile
$2,266
25% percentile
$11,313
Median percentile
$7,652
75% percentile
$12,542
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $5,500 ↓ $5,813
No Pell $5,000 ↓ $6,313
Dependent students $5,500 ↓ $5,813
Independent students $7,360 ↓ $3,953
Female students $5,500 ↓ $5,813
Male students $5,500 ↓ $5,813
Pell recipients: 16.0% (1,811 students)No Pell: 14.6% (1,646 students)Dependent students: 16.0% (1,811 students)Independent students: 21.4% (2,423 students)Female students: 16.0% (1,811 students)Male students: 16.0% (1,811 students)Overall Median$11,313
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,000, less than completers ($11,313), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

22% of students who start here finish within six years, and 58% come back after first year. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
22%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
58%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $34,233 a year, below the national median. Weigh that against the cost above before taking on debt here. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$34,233
Earning > $25K
57%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$31,500$33,000$34,000$35,000$36,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$29,300

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$52,800

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$33,700

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$44,100

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$58,700

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $23,500, about 45% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 8.9 pts across 6 years
54.2%1yr57.1%3yr65.9%5yr63%7yr
What this signals: Moderate. Only 63% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 2,175 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 54% are the first in their family to go to college, and 49% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.

Total Enrolled
2,175
Part-Time
49%
First-Generation
54%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 58.3% 1,269
White 28.6% 621
Black 5.8% 125
Other 1.9% 40
Asian 1.4% 30
International 0.1% 1
Hispanic: 58.3% (1,269 students)White: 28.6% (621 students)Black: 5.8% (125 students)Other: 1.9% (40 students)Asian: 1.4% (30 students)International: 0.1% (1 students)Total2,175

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at New Mexico Junior College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Town: Remote Hobbs, New Mexico
Housing
Partly residential 328 beds available
Adult Learners
22% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Personal Services graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

New Mexico Junior College offers a varied set of programs: 15 distinct programs across 11 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

1 Program
2 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
2 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 14 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
14:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$7,111
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$11M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$95,631
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

74 instructional faculty across 1 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 74 100% $95,631

Pros & Cons of New Mexico Junior College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where New Mexico Junior College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Very affordable net price after aid
  • Open admissions
  • Reasonable class sizes
  • Low typical debt at graduation
  • First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • First-year retention is below typical
  • Below-average post-graduation earnings
Best for: Based on the data, New Mexico Junior College is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low; working adults or students needing part-time study options.

Frequently Asked Questions about New Mexico Junior College

The questions families ask most about New Mexico Junior College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is New Mexico Junior College hard to get into?
Not especially. New Mexico Junior College admits most qualified applicants, and reports no competitive acceptance rate. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at New Mexico Junior College?
No acceptance rate is reported, which for a college like this normally means admission is open to anyone meeting the basic requirements. Confirm with the admissions office rather than assuming it.
How much does New Mexico Junior College cost?
Budget around $6,524 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is New Mexico Junior College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: strong return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $34,233 a year against a net price of $6,524, about 5.2 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is New Mexico Junior College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Cosmetology, Criminal Justice. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do New Mexico Junior College graduates earn?
About $34,233 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is New Mexico Junior College accredited?
Yes. New Mexico Junior College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend New Mexico Junior College?
2,175 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at New Mexico Junior College?
22% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is New Mexico Junior College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is New Mexico Junior College located?
New Mexico Junior College is located in Hobbs, New Mexico.
What programs does New Mexico Junior College offer?
15 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Cosmetology, Criminal Justice. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at New Mexico Junior College?
14 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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