18-03-2025
NMSU to increase student fees, housing costs beginning in fall
Mar. 17—The state's second-largest university system is raising student fees, citing a need to improve the quality of university-owned housing at its flagship campus and a desire to funnel more funding to student jobs and extracurricular programs.
New Mexico State University students will see a 3% increase in general student fees, causing the cost per credit hour to jump from $59.18 to $60.96. Those who live on campus will also see a 3% jump in their housing bill.
The board of regents approved both rate hikes at its March 10 meeting, and the increases will take effect at the beginning of the fall semester.
"Although history has shown that some institutions choose to use enhanced state scholarships as an opportunity to hike tuition and fees, this is contrary to the spirit of our efforts in the higher education sector and diminishes the effectiveness of our scholarships," New Mexico Higher Education Department spokesperson Auriella Ortiz said in a statement.
She added that the department is opposed in principle to "burdening students with increased tuition and fees."
The increased fee, which is expected to bring in an additional $560,000, will help fund student jobs in tutoring, student government and Greek life, said Ala Alhalholy, president of the Associated Students of NMSU.
Additionally, the university will use the 3% increase to fund more on-campus events, create a resource center for students with families, and fund five student firefighter and EMT positions.
"For us to provide ample services to the students, there has to be some give and take," Alhalholy told the Journal Monday. "Our tuition is really low, and our fees are pretty low, but a lot of the stuff on campus, you see it, and it's not the best that it can be."
The increased rate will provide a funding boost of nearly 67% to the school's cheerleaders, an infusion of almost 30% to the marching band's budget, and a 5% increase to the libraries, allowing them to extend their hours of operation.
"We listened to the band and the cheerleaders, and for us, our goal this year was to make sure that we're funding things that are very student centric," Alhalholy said.
When it comes to the cost of housing increasing, Chris Kinsley, NMSU's interim vice president of administration and finance, told the board of regents the university expects to generate $500,000 in revenue for the year from the increased housing costs, which will fund maintenance.
"It's very important to keep up the quality of the facilities. We're seeing strong demand from returning students, which is, in my estimation, a very strong sign, because returning students are not required to live on campus," Kinsley said.
According to the average rent in Las Cruces is roughly $974 a month for a one-bedroom apartment, still approximately $200 more than the monthly cost for a one-bedroom, university-owned apartment after the 3% increase.
