---
title: Western New Mexico University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Silver City, NM
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Western New Mexico University

Silver City, NM · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $39,095 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $19,266 – $60,604 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $12,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,750 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 32% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $21,562 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 55% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.32× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $11,095 | derived |

**32% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $12,500 (≈ 32% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $31,610 to $72,711 across 9 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $72,711 | $25,481 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $60,020 | not reported |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $54,681 | $18,175 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $50,375 | not reported |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. | Master's Degree | $48,216 | not reported |
| Social Work. | Master's Degree | $44,919 | $39,487 |
| Social Work. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $44,395 | $38,204 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. | Master's Degree | $42,641 | not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,610 | $13,750 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Western New Mexico University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?188304

---

Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/western-new-mexico-university-nm.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`