Information and resources for

Prospective Students

Costs, Payment Options and Financial Assistance

Estimated student costs

Students find the costs of studying at NMSU and living in Las Cruces to be reasonable. Our current annual estimated student costs at the Las Cruces main campus, used in documenting financial standing for international applicants in the application process, consist of:

	Undergraduate	Graduate
Non-resident Tuition & Fees*, full-time	$15,000	$12,300
Housing & Meals	$6060	$6060
Health Insurance**, books, other fees	$1600	$1060

Students must document their ability to meet these costs for the first year of their studies at NMSU. Documentation must be in the form of original financial documents (a bank statement, for example, in English or with translation). Time deposits are not acceptable, nor are loan documents. If the funds documented are in a name other than the applicant, an affidavit of support is required from the account holder.

If a graduate student is funded through their department with an assistantship, ISS requires written notice of the assistantship award from the department. Graduate assistants also benefit from the reduction of their tuition to NM resident rates.

*At NMSU all students in the same classification (graduate or undergraduate) regardless of program of study, are subject to the same tuition and fee rates, which you can view at the University Accounts Receivable web page. International students (F-1 visa status) are required to be full time students: 9+ credits/semester for graduate, and 12+ credits/semester for undergraduate.

**Health insurance is required of all international students and dependents without proof of other acceptable health coverage.

Health Insurance Information and current costs:

Annual: $796

Fall 2009 only: $327

Spring/Summer 2010: $485

For more information about the current NMSU student health plan, visit the web pages of the Student Health Center or inquire directly to the SHC.

Branch Campus Cost Information:

International applicants (who will be applying for F-1 student visa status) to the branch campuses will be expected to show ability to pay full-time non-resident tuition and fees at their branch, as well as meet the costs of 'Housing & Meals', and 'Health Insurance, other fees' as above.

Additional Family Member Cost Information:

If a new student is planning to bring family members, additional funds are required:

Spouse: additional $4000/year

Each child: additional $2500/year

Housing and living costs

Las Cruces housing costs vary, but popular student apartment complexes near campus range from $250 to $800 a month, for one- to four-bedroom apartments. Most first-year undergraduate students live in on-campus housing; following the first year many students rent off-campus apartments though on-campus housing options remain popular. Rent-sharing to save costs is common.

The estimated cost of living for one academic year (from mid-August to mid-May) is estimated at $6060, which includes housing, meals, and other usual living expenses. Actual living expenses may be lower or higher than our estimate. Food and energy costs (electric and gas utilities, and gas/petrol costs) in Las Cruces are generally low.

For more information, see Housing Options.

Registration and payment information

• Registration for courses cannot be made in the first semester until a ‘checklist’ of requirements is met (orientation, language testing, purchase of health insurance, and advising)
• New undergraduate students register for courses in their college (usually in the college's advising center) after meeting with an academic advisor.
• New graduate students register in Graduate Student Services after meeting with a faculty advisor in their department.
• Payment (either full payment or a 10% down payment) is due shortly after you register. If payment is not made promptly, student may be disenrolled. See more information at the University Accounts Receivable web page.
• Students may pay by credit card, money order, wire transfer, personal check (from a U.S. bank) or traveler's checks. Demand Drafts (DDs) are NOT accepted.
• After the first semester, registration and payment in most cases may be made online.
• Payment plans are available, and all campus costs can be consolidated into one account.
• Students with unpaid accounts or other campus "holds" will not be able to register for classes the following semester.

Scholarships and other financial assistance

International Alumni Scholarship

The International Alumni Scholarship is a scholarship which awards a waiver of out-of-state tuition (approximately 70% reduction on regular tuition and fees), plus a small stipend (cash award) each semester. The award is based on applicant’s GPA (grade point average) and TOEFL scores. It is only awarded to new incoming students, and is renewable subject to GPA requirements a maximum of 8 semesters. It requires an application, see the award criteria and application. The IAS awards are extremely limited.

International Out-of-State Tuition Waiver Scholarship

The International Out-of-State Tuition Waiver Scholarship is similar to the International Alumni Scholarship, but does not award a stipend. No application is necessary, all incoming admitted international students are considered. It is also based upon GPA and TOEFL scores. See the eligibility criteria.

Both these awards are extremely limited in number, and competition for them is great. Not all applicants meeting the criteria are able to secure an award. ISS advises applying early and making sure that application is complete according to our Admissions Checklist and the scholarship criteria.

Other non-NMSU sponsored awards

Many scholarship programs exist to help students study in a country other than their own. Such scholarship opportunities require some research. Three lists of such scholarships coming from non-NMSU agencies can be viewed at Opportunites for International Students, Selected Funding Sources Open to Non-US Citizens, and Scholarships/Becas. These lists are downloadable documents.

Graduate assistantships and other graduate funding

For graduate students, the optimal funding is an assistantship, which is a working position usually in one’s field of study in the form of a teaching or research position. If interested in these, an applicant should contact their academic department directly to inquire. Assistantships also reduce tuition to the in-state resident rate.

A small number of other assistantship awards, fellowships, and scholarships for graduate students are awarded through the NMSU Graduate School.

On-campus employment

Also, NMSU international students on F-1 or J-1 student visas and in good standing are eligible for on-campus employment on a part-time basis. To find suitable positions, students use the on-line campus employment webpages to register and apply for jobs. International students can only apply for regular student employment, and are not eligible for work-study positions. Employment is limited to 20 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters. To view jobs available on campus see the NMSU Student Employment Service web page.