Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Bachelor's Degrees in New Mexico
3
Meet the Ranking Threshold
2
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$9,058
With a Fully Online Option
2
General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in New Mexico
General studies bachelor's degrees in New Mexico are three programs, two public and one private, and the two that meet the ranking threshold could hardly be further apart on score. Eastern New Mexico University in Portales scores 62.9 with its Bachelor of University Studies, 42nd in the national bachelor's ranking, on 76 degrees in the latest year, a 45% graduation rate and $6,738 a year in resident tuition and required fees for 2023-24, with a fully online option. University of the Southwest in Hobbs, a private nonprofit, scores 11.3 and ranks 161st, on 15 degrees, a 17% graduation rate and $16,670, also online.
Eastern New Mexico's score comes from doing three things at once: it awards five times as many degrees as the other ranked program, graduates nearly three times the share of its students, and charges well under half the price. Non-residents pay $8,718 there, still below what a New Mexico resident pays at University of the Southwest.
The third program is at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, which awarded 3 general studies bachelor's degrees at $9,058 for residents and $26,312 for non-residents and has the highest graduation rate of the three, 57%. It sits below the 10-degree threshold without a score. Because two of the three are public, the Opportunity Scholarship reaches most of this level, and because New Mexico's general education rule covers bachelor's degrees as well as associate degrees, a community college transfer arrives with general education already settled.
The 2 Best General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in New Mexico
The best general studies bachelor's degrees in New Mexico are ranked below by their national score, from the national bachelor's degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in New Mexico. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
Eastern New Mexico University
Bachelor of University Studies
New Mexico
62.9- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 45%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $6,738 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 76
About the Program
Two areas of concentration are required in the Bachelor of University Studies, each a minimum of 15 hours completed with a C or better, while combined coursework must total at least 120 hours and you're required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of upper division courses. The college says this could be the right degree if you have gained significant learning through your work and life experiences, and the degree plan is one you propose.
Your degree plan isn't final until the dean approves it. You map the plan with the College of Education and Technology university studies advisor, an Instructor of Education Foundations, and the CET dean has final approval for each proposed plan. Choose concentrations with format in mind, because the degree may be completed online depending on the concentrations you select. Full-time and part-time students can both take the degree.
Career pathways the college lists include management positions in private and public sector. The list also includes civil and governmental service and positions requiring a completed bachelor's degree, which means that for some of these jobs the finished degree is the requirement you're meeting.
2
University of the Southwest
New Mexico
11.3- Private nonprofit
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 17%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $16,670 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 15
About the Program
Some 1,130 students attend University of the Southwest, a private nonprofit university in Hobbs, New Mexico. It conferred 15 bachelor's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 13% of the bachelor's programs ranked at this level. Of the students who start at University of the Southwest, 17% graduate, and that beats 2 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Tuition and fees hold at $16,670 a year whichever state you come from. The degree can be finished entirely online, which suits anyone who cannot move or stop working. On price it does best, reaching the 24th percentile.
Other General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in New Mexico
The other general studies bachelor's degrees in New Mexico awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.
| College | Degrees Awarded | Graduation Rate | Tuition and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro | 3 | 57% | $9,058 |
Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.
How Much Does a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Cost in New Mexico?
A general studies bachelor's degree in New Mexico costs a median of $9,058 a year in tuition and required fees for 2023-24, which is New Mexico Tech's resident figure, with Eastern New Mexico University below it at $6,738 and University of the Southwest above it at $16,670. Residency changes the picture at the two public universities: non-residents pay $8,718 at Eastern New Mexico and $26,312 at New Mexico Tech, while University of the Southwest charges everyone $16,670.
For a New Mexico resident the public price can drop further. The Opportunity Scholarship covers tuition and course-specific fees for eligible New Mexico residents who attend any public college or university in the state part time or full time, which takes in Eastern New Mexico and New Mexico Tech and leaves out University of the Southwest. The rules suit someone finishing a degree while working: you enroll in at least six credit hours but not more than 18 credit hours, and returning adults qualify when they are enrolling in college more than 16 months after graduating from high school, attaining a high school equivalency credential, or receiving a home school certificate.
How Does Credit Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in New Mexico?
Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree in New Mexico with general education already settled when you arrive from another public college, because the state rule covers bachelor's degrees as fully as it covers associate degrees. Under 5.55.6 NMAC, each institution shall adopt the following 31 credit hour statewide general education curriculum for all bachelor's degrees and all associate's degrees, other than associate's of applied science, so the universities teach the same core a community college does. And since July 2021, all general education courses completed by students at state public colleges and universities will now satisfy general education requirements at any other New Mexico public institution to which a student transfers. If your community college transcript carries the completion notation, the 31 hours are done.
Beyond general education, the state's Common Course Numbering System, a matrix of first and second-year courses with common numbering designed to ease the transfer process beyond general education requirements, is what carries your other lower-division courses. Ask Eastern New Mexico how many of your remaining credits land inside the Bachelor of University Studies and how many become electives.
University of the Southwest is private, so neither the 2021 rule nor the common numbering binds it, and it evaluates transcripts on its own terms. Ask it in writing how it treats the general education notation.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Pay in New Mexico?
Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's degree in New Mexico pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Program in New Mexico
How to choose a general studies bachelor's degree program in New Mexico is, for most residents, a question of whether Eastern New Mexico University's Bachelor of University Studies fits, because it costs $6,738, runs online, graduates 45% of its students and is covered by the Opportunity Scholarship. University of the Southwest costs $16,670, graduates 17% and sits outside the scholarship, so it needs a strong reason to win the comparison. New Mexico Tech's program, at $9,058 with a 57% graduation rate, is small, 3 degrees in the latest year, and campus-based in Socorro.
Ask Eastern New Mexico how your community college credits map onto the University Studies degree, whether your transcript already carries the general education notation, and how many credits must be taken at the university itself. If you're weighing University of the Southwest, ask how it evaluates New Mexico general education credit and what its own aid does to the $16,670 list price. Pay in the state leans toward the public-service jobs: social and community service managers in New Mexico earn a median of $81,290, above the national $80,390, while market research analysts earn $61,950 against $78,760.
If you're starting with an associate degree, the general studies associate degrees in New Mexico have their own page.