Best Colleges in New Mexico by Salary Potential

A bachelor’s degree doesn’t always mean a great salary. Before enrolling, research New Mexico colleges with the highest-paid graduates.

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Bachelor's Only
All Alumni
RankSchool NameSchool TypeEarly Career Pay
Mid-Career Pay
% High Meaning
% STEM Degrees
Rank:1School Name:New Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologySchool Type:Engineering, State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$70,500Mid-Career Pay:$129,000% High Meaning:58%% STEM Degrees:94%
Rank:2School Name:New Mexico State University-Main CampusSchool Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$53,300Mid-Career Pay:$101,600% High Meaning:58%% STEM Degrees:23%
Rank:3School Name:University of New Mexico-Main CampusSchool Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$51,200Mid-Career Pay:$100,700% High Meaning:60%% STEM Degrees:19%
Rank:4School Name:St. John's College (New Mexico)School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private SchoolEarly Career Pay:$55,600Mid-Career Pay:$95,900% High Meaning:-% STEM Degrees:0%
Rank:5School Name:Eastern New Mexico University-Main CampusSchool Type:State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$47,700Mid-Career Pay:$86,300% High Meaning:65%% STEM Degrees:4%
Rank:6School Name:Western New Mexico UniversitySchool Type:State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$46,800Mid-Career Pay:$79,200% High Meaning:73%% STEM Degrees:4%
Rank:7School Name:New Mexico Highlands UniversitySchool Type:State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$43,800Mid-Career Pay:$77,100% High Meaning:69%% STEM Degrees:8%

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College Student

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, located in Socorro, is the New Mexico is among the top colleges in New Mexico for median early-career salaries, and that trend follows into what’s known as mid-career salaries after about 10 years of experience. But if you really want to maximize your earning potential as a New Mexico Tech alum, go get a graduate degree — the median mid career salary rises when students with advanced degrees are included.

New Mexico State University, located in Las Cruces, is a highly recommended college on the list: Around three-quarters of its alumni indicated that they would recommend the school to others, while a slightly smaller percent of alumni from University of New Mexico say they recommend the school.

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology has the lowest student-to-faculty ratio (at 12:1), with an undergrad enrollment of 1,604 (also making it the smallest college on our list).

A few of the famous alumni to graduate from New Mexico colleges and universities include: John Adair, James Anaya, Christopher Andronicos, Jerry Apodaca, John Baker, Hank Baskett, Sarah Bird, David Bishop, Ken Brown, Tony Booth, and Timothy Brau.

The largest employers in New Mexico are: the University of New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Albuquerque Journal, UNM Hospitals, Albuquerque Health Partners LLC, New Mexico Department of Health, New Mexico State University, Intel Corp, Albuquerque International Support, and the Albuquerque Police Dept.