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2024 Best Nursing Schools in New Mexico

17 Colleges in New Mexico
1,456 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$65,099 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #3 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 17 schools in New Mexico to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of nursing. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,456 degrees in nursing during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Nursing School

Best Nursing Schools in New Mexico Your choice of nursing school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Nursing School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Nursing Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Nursing
Bachelor's Degrees in Nursing
Master's Degrees in Nursing
Doctor's Degrees in Nursing

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Nursing Schools in New Mexico list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Nursing in New Mexico

The schools below may not offer all types of nursing degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top New Mexico Schools in Nursing

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
509 Nursing Degrees Awarded
0.2% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of New Mexico - Main Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in nursing. UNM is a fairly large public university located in the city of Albuquerque. A Best Colleges rank of #514 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNM is a great university overall.

There were about 509 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UNM in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing degree program at University of New Mexico - Main Campus get $11,811 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of New Mexico - Main Campus

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
172 Nursing Degrees Awarded
19.8% Growth in Graduates

New Mexico State University - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in nursing. NMSU Main Campus is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Las Cruces. A Best Colleges rank of #1106 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NMSU Main Campus is a great university overall.

There were approximately 172 nursing students who graduated with this degree at NMSU Main Campus in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, nursing degree recipients usually earn an average of $62,379 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in nursing from New Mexico State University - Main Campus

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
185 Nursing Degrees Awarded
15.7% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in nursing needs to look into Central New Mexico Community College. Located in the large city of Albuquerque, CNM is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #534 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means CNM is a great college overall.

There were approximately 185 nursing students who graduated with this degree at CNM in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $61,083 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in nursing from Central New Mexico Community College

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$78,018 Median Starting Salary

Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in nursing. Located in the remote town of Portales, ENMU - Main Campus is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1140 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ENMU - Main Campus is a great university overall.

There were about 34 nursing students who graduated with this degree at ENMU - Main Campus in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus make $12,919 more than the standard nursing grad.

More information about a degree in nursing from Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus

5
SJC crest
San Juan College
Farmington, NM
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$59,191 Median Starting Salary

SJC is a moderately-sized public college located in the city of Farmington. A Best Colleges rank of #1222 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SJC is a great college overall.

There were approximately 39 nursing students who graduated with this degree at SJC in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, nursing degree recipients generally make about $59,191 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in nursing from San Juan College

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$59,598 Median Starting Salary

UNM Gallup is a small public university located in the rural area of Gallup. This university ranks 17th out of 23 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Mexico.

There were about 29 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UNM Gallup in the most recent data year. After graduating, nursing degree recipients generally earn about $59,598 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of New Mexico - Gallup Campus

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$57,811 Median Starting Salary

Clovis Community College is a small public college located in the remote town of Clovis.

There were approximately 32 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Clovis Community College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program report average early career wages of $57,811.

More information about a degree in nursing from Clovis Community College

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Nursing Degrees Awarded
11.9% Growth in Graduates

NMSU Dona Ana is a medium-sized public university located in the rural area of Las Cruces. This university ranks 10th out of 23 schools for overall quality in the state of New Mexico.

There were about 42 nursing students who graduated with this degree at NMSU Dona Ana in the most recent data year. After graduating, nursing degree recipients usually earn an average of $59,682 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in nursing from New Mexico State University - Dona Ana

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$62,248 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small suburb of Santa Fe, SFCC is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 13th out of 23 schools for overall quality in the state of New Mexico.

There were approximately 32 nursing students who graduated with this degree at SFCC in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, nursing degree recipients usually earn an average of $62,248 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in nursing from Santa Fe Community College

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Nursing Degrees Awarded
2.8% Growth in Graduates

New Mexico Highlands University is a small public university located in the town of Las Vegas. A Best Colleges rank of #1152 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means New Mexico Highlands University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 36 nursing students who graduated with this degree at New Mexico Highlands University in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from New Mexico Highlands University receive $8,149 more than the standard nursing graduate.

More information about a degree in nursing from New Mexico Highlands University

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southwest Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Southwest Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Texas31721,421
Arizona28712,766
Oklahoma2573,004

View All Rankings >

Nursing is one of 34 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Registered Nursing1,422
Nursing Practice29
Nursing Science5

View All Nursing Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Allied Health Professions890
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services574
Health Sciences & Services422
Mental & Social Health Services387
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants379
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science281
Medicine268
Dental Support Services248
Communication Sciences229
Public Health222

View All Nursing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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