2026 Best Value Health & Physical Education Schools in New Mexico
[Health & Physical Education](/majors/parks-recreation-fitness/health-and-physical-education/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools to find the best return on investment for health & physical education students.
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2026 Best Value Health & Physical Education Schools in New Mexico
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in health & physical education, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Health & Physical Education Schools
Central New Mexico Community College earned the #1 spot for value among health & physical education schools in New Mexico. Central New Mexico Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Albuquerque. In-state tuition and fees average $2,060, with out-of-state students paying around $8,684. Students borrow a median of $10,112 to complete the health & physical education program here. Health & Physical Education graduates of Central New Mexico Community College earn a median of $34,751 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $10,112 median debt.
A rank of #2 makes New Mexico State University Main Campus one of the best values for health & physical education. New Mexico State University Main Campus is a large public school located in the suburb of Las Cruces. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,183, with out-of-state students paying around $25,307. Health & Physical Education graduates carry a median of $20,500 in student loans. Soon after graduation, health & physical education degree recipients from New Mexico State University Main Campus generally make around $23,701. Set against $20,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. New Mexico State University Main Campus admits about 89% of applicants.
A rank of #3 makes Western New Mexico University one of the best values for health & physical education. Western New Mexico University is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Silver City. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,855, compared with $14,341 for out-of-state students. Health & Physical Education graduates carry a median of $27,425 in student loans. Health & Physical Education graduates of Western New Mexico University earn a median of $48,366 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of The Southwest earned it the #4 place for health & physical education. Located in the town of Hobbs, University Of The Southwest is a small private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $16,670. Typical student debt for health & physical education graduates is $28,011. Early-career health & physical education graduates make about $43,873. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
More Health & Physical Education Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 7 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
