What does this program entail?
• The New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship is a new program that will, in conjunction with existing state
and federal scholarship and grant infrastructure, provide for 100 percent of tuition and fees at New
Mexico institutions of higher education for in-state resident students.
• The scholarship will ensure full tuition and fee coverage for recent high school graduates at four-year
public institutions as well as for recent high school graduates and returning adult learners at two-year
community colleges
How does it work?
• The New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship covers any tuition and fees not paid for by the New Mexico
Lottery Scholarship, which leaves an average unpaid tuition gap between 25 and 40 percent, depending
on the institution.
• The New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship combines with the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship to pay for
100% of tuition and fees at New Mexico public institutions of higher education.
Has this been done before?
• New Mexico will be only the second state in the country, after New York, to establish tuition-free
college.
• New Mexico will be the twenty-first state in the country to establish tuition-free two-year community
college.
How is this program being paid for? What are the costs?
• Legislative appropriations. The cost is estimated to be $25 to $35 million.
Is it sustainable?
• Yes. New Mexico colleges and universities have historically kept tuition low. In the short term this will
increase enrollment and student success. In the long term it will stimulate economic growth with a
highly trained and highly compensated workforce, and all the benefits that follow.
How many students will this provide for?
• This program would benefit approximately 55,000 students per year. Almost 65% of New Mexico
undergraduate students are in the highest quartile of financial need as determined by the federal
undergraduate needs assessment results.

 How many students will this provide for at each institution of higher learning?
NM Public Higher
Education Institutions

Estimated Number Students
Impacted

NM Tech

478

NMSU

4,694

UNM

9,006

ENMU

1,533

NMHU
NNMC

1,148
1,273

WNMU

698

ENMU-Roswell

1,548

ENMU-Ruidoso

417

NMSU-Alamogordo
NMSU-Carlsbad

697
972

NMSU-Dona Ana

5,662

NMSU-Grants
UNM-Gallup

511
1,293

UNM-Los Alamos

290

UNM-Taos

831

UNM-Valencia

1,093

Central NM CC
Clovis CC

13,490
1,768

Luna CC

707

Mesalands CC
NMJC

443
931

San Juan College

2,759

Santa Fe CC

2,683

Total / Average

54,924

 What does this mean for each institution?
• Students will benefit because the additional financial resources will enable students to complete their
education more quickly. The improved graduation rates will result in the receipt of more state funding
to the colleges and universities to support their instructional budgets.
Which students are eligible?
• Eligible students must be in-state residents of New Mexico with a high school diploma or equivalency
Which institutions does this apply to?
• All of New Mexico’s 29 public institutions of higher education
Can current students become retroactively eligible?
• Students cannot receive a retroactive benefit but may be eligible for tuition assistance in future
semesters.
How do future students enroll or become eligible?
• After enrolling in a public, postsecondary institution, students apply for financial aid to access this
scholarship.