Quad

Head-to-head

New Mexico State
U. Central Arkansas

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    New Mexico State's grants cover 47% of its full price on average, vs. 32% at U. Central Arkansas

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    U. Central Arkansas's yield is 14 pts higher than New Mexico State's

    Yield rate
  3. 3

    New Mexico State has 9 pts more first-gen students than U. Central Arkansas (44% vs. 35%)

    First-generation students
  4. 4

    U. Central Arkansas grads earn $6.9K more ten years out than New Mexico State's ($45,938 vs. $39,067)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    New Mexico State has 1.5× as many undergrads as U. Central Arkansas

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    U. Central Arkansas's SAT midpoint is 50 points higher than New Mexico State's

    SAT midpoint

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

New Mexico State admits 89%, U. Central Arkansas 89%; U. Central Arkansas's yield is higher, at 35%.

Acceptance rate
New Mexico State89%
U. Central Arkansas89%
Quad's selectivity
  • New Mexico StateOpen
  • U. Central ArkansasOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 800–1600
New Mexico State
870–1110
U. Central Arkansas
910–1170
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • New Mexico StateGPA and school record required
  • U. Central ArkansasGPA required

Who's on each campus

New Mexico State has 1.5× as many undergrads as U. Central Arkansas; both have the same Pell share, 38%.

Undergrads
New Mexico State11.9K
U. Central Arkansas7.8K
Pell Grant share
New Mexico State38%
U. Central Arkansas38%

Majors and faculty

Criminal Justice/Safety Studies leads at New Mexico State, and Psychology at U. Central Arkansas.

Students per faculty member
New Mexico State16 to 1
U. Central Arkansas15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • New Mexico StateCriminal Justice/Safety Studies6%
  • U. Central ArkansasPsychology, General9%

What each costs

New Mexico State costs about $1.9K less a year than U. Central Arkansas on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
New Mexico State$15.9K
U. Central Arkansas$17.8K
Aid generosity
New Mexico State47%
U. Central Arkansas32%

What each pays off

U. Central Arkansas's former students earn more, a median $45.9K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
New Mexico State$39.1K
U. Central Arkansas$45.9K
Graduation rate
New Mexico State55%
U. Central Arkansas51%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. Central Arkansas got more selective while New Mexico State got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • New Mexico StateGrowing+84%
  • U. Central ArkansasGrowing+36%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why