ENMU's out-of-state tuition efforts paying off

PORTALES — The results are in and Eastern new Mexico University's efforts to bring down costs for students outside of the Land of Enchantment have paid off.

The Portales campus recently ranked 10th out of 1,800-plus schools in a list of lowest out-of-state tuition and fees organized by U.S. News & World Report.

"I'm really glad because that was our goal to make good education as affordable as possible," said Jeff Elwell, president of ENMU-Portales.

"(T)o be literally the 10th lowest out-of-state tuition in the country I think is something to celebrate and should help recruit out-of-state students."

The efforts started in September last year when Elwell proposed and the board of regents approved a tuition reduction for out-of-state students from 203 percent to 150 percent of their in-state counterparts.

"That's what got us there I guess," Elwell said, adding that given the type of students ENMU typically draws, cost is especially crucial.

"I think it's important for the students that we get because a lot of them are first generation and cost is a significant factor if they go to college or not."

Elwell said the changes have made a difference already, with an increase of about a dozen to 18 more out-of-state students coming to the university this year; they make up about 25 percent of the university's population.

According to the ENMU website, tuition and fees for in-state students is $3,103.32 per semester and $4,063.92 per semester for out-of-state students for this school year.

Fans of the Greyhound women's soccer team should be thankful for the tuition decrease. Hayden Zuniga told The News that she and her twin sister Keyara — they have scored three of the team's 16 goals this season — have benefited greatly from the reduced rate because they are paying their way through school themselves.

"(W)ithout it, I don't know if we'd be attending here," Hayden Zuniga said.

The biology pre-med major from Tucson, Arizona, added that with the extra savings she is able to afford to live off-campus.

Elwell said the university was also recently included in a list of the 25 schools in the country with the lowest debt for its students upon graduation, another sign the school is successfully moving toward being an "access university" that does not force its students to break the bank, he said.

To draw more students from beyond the state, necessitated by an expected drop in New Mexico high school graduates over the coming years, Elwell said the university has upped its online advertising presence and joined the website RaiseMe, an online source that helps students determine what scholarships they are eligible to receive.

Elwell said the university's page has over 3,000 followers and has drawn about four dozen applicants already.