Institute of American Indian Arts vs. New Mexico Highlands University

Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture vs. New Mexico Highlands University comparison

	Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture	New Mexico Highlands University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Institute of American Indian Arts	New Mexico Highlands University
Location	Santa Fe, NM	Las Vegas, NM
Setting	Rural Fringe	Remote Town
Enrollment	831	2,814
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	iaia.edu	nmhu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Institute of American Indian Arts	New Mexico Highlands University
Tuition (In State)	$5,166	$4,888
Tuition (Out of State)	$5,166	$9,808
Room & Board	$12,488	$9,674
Avg Net Price	$14,334	$15,106
Avg Grant Aid	$9,024	$6,020
% Receiving Grant Aid	98%	94%

Admission	Institute of American Indian Arts	New Mexico Highlands University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	83	-
Admitted	83	-
Acceptance Rate	100%Open	Open
Enrolled %	69.9%Open	Open
Avg High School GPA	-	3.3
Typical High School Grades	-	B+
Admissions Standards	Unavailable	Unavailable
Applicant Competition
ACT Range
SAT Range
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline	Aug 4, 2026

Academics	Institute of American Indian Arts	New Mexico Highlands University
Student to Faculty Ratio	8:1	10:1
Popular Majors	Visual and Performing Arts (72%) Ethnic Studies (12%) Business (8%) English and Literature (4%) General Studies (4%)	Education (28%) Health Professions (23%) Business (20%) Social Sciences (7%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (4%)
Outcomes	Institute of American Indian Arts	New Mexico Highlands University
Graduation Rate	30%	21%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	N/A	$36,300
Making Student Loan Payments	42%	42%
Median Student Loan Debt	N/A	$13,002
Median Loan Payment	N/A	$134

Diversity	Institute of American Indian Arts	New Mexico Highlands University
% Men	3%	10%
% Women	6%	29%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	6%	21%
% Black	1%	6%
% Hispanic	6%	56%
% Native American	82%	8%
% Pacific Islander	0%	1%
% Two or More Races	0%	1%
% International	1%	6%
% Unknown Race	3%	1%

Students	Institute of American Indian Arts	New Mexico Highlands University
% In-State	54%	75%
% Out-of-State	46%	17%
Campus	Institute of American Indian Arts	New Mexico Highlands University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	No
Daycare Facility	Yes	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• New Mexico Highlands University is larger than than Institute of American Indian Arts based on total student enrollment (2,814 students vs. 831 students)

Institute of American Indian Arts vs. New Mexico Highlands University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Institute of American Indian Arts or New Mexico Highlands University?

• Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture is 5.7% more expensive to attend than New Mexico Highlands University for in-state tuition ($5,166.00 vs. $4,888.00)
• Out of state tuition is 89.9% higher at New Mexico Highlands University than Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture ($9,808.00 vs. $5,166.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture than New Mexico Highlands University ($14,334 vs. $15,106)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at New Mexico Highlands University are 29.1% lower than costs at Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture ($9,674 vs. $12,488)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture than New Mexico Highlands University (98% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture students is 49.9% larger than aid received New Mexico Highlands University ($9,024 vs. $6,020)

Which college is harder to get into, Institute of American Indian Arts or New Mexico Highlands University? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between New Mexico Highlands University or Institute of American Indian Arts .

Institute of American Indian Arts vs. New Mexico Highlands University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Institute of American Indian Arts or New Mexico Highlands University? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between New Mexico Highlands University and Institute of American Indian Arts.

• The graduation rate at Institute of American Indian Arts is higher than New Mexico Highlands University (30% vs. 21%)
• More New Mexico Highlands University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Institute of American Indian Arts students, three years after graduation. (42% vs. 42%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/