New Mexico Highlands University Nursing (BSN): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
- Public university
- Las Vegas, NM
- About 41 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
New Mexico Highlands University nursing graduates earn more than graduates of most nursing programs nationally, $88,137 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $21,392 in federal loans, less than at 86% of nursing programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying nursing degrees in New Mexico.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The New Mexico and national columns are the medians across all nursing bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, New Mexico Highlands University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $18,321 more than the New Mexico median.
Debt and first-year pay at every New Mexico nursing program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the New Mexico medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Some nursing bachelor's programs are for nurses who are already licensed and working (RN-to-BSN). College Scorecard counts them with programs for new students, and their graduates' pay reflects years of nursing experience, so high pay at a program here may not mean higher starting pay for a new nurse.
What graduates earn over time
Pay rises about 22% between the first and fifth year. Registered nurses in New Mexico earn a median of $94,340 across all experience levels.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate. BLS figures cover registered nurses at every experience level.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $227 a month, or 3.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
92% of graduates (47 of 51) were working in New Mexico one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of New Mexico outside metro areas are about 14% below the national average, so a $88,137 salary here buys what about $102,607 buys in a typical US city.
The median New Mexico RN earns $94,340, compared with a national median of $97,550. After adjusting for New Mexico prices, that pay is worth about $102,308, which puts New Mexico slightly ahead.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to nursing, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Registered Nurses
$94,340Median pay in New Mexico. 17,980 people work in this job in New Mexico. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 180,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Medical and Health Services Managers
$124,300Median pay in New Mexico. 3,150 people work in this job in New Mexico. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 24% from 2025 to 2035, with about 62,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.
Nurse Practitioners
$137,520Median pay in New Mexico. 1,770 people work in this job in New Mexico. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 41% from 2025 to 2035, with about 29,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
Nurse Anesthetists
$129,370Median pay in New Mexico. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
About New Mexico Highlands University
Nursing ranks 1st of 7 bachelor's programs at New Mexico Highlands University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($88,137), Teacher Education ($41,352), and Business Administration ($39,271).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $88,137 one year after graduating and $107,510 five years after. Registered nurses in New Mexico earn a median of $94,340 across all experience levels.
The median federal loan balance is $21,392, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 nursing bachelor's programs in New Mexico. That works out to about $227 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 24% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 36%.
Most do. 92% (47 of 51) were working in New Mexico one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of New Mexico comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the nursing program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024