The adage "What one hand giveth, the other taketh away" could apply to college tuition in the state of New Mexico. Recently, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) signed the Opportunity Scholarship Act into law. It provides free college tuition to eligible New Mexico students.
Then, last week, New Mexico State University (NMSU) and the University of New Mexico (UNM) revealed they are raising tuition for the 2023 school year.
The tuition increase is 3% at UNM and 4% at NMSU; the hike could lead to fewer overall scholarships available from state funds.
“Raising the cost of tuition for students should always be the last resort for balancing the books at New Mexico colleges and universities, because of the other revenue sources outside of state that comes into those colleges,” Stephanie Rodriguez, cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Higher Education Department, said to KRQE.
The Opportunity Scholarship is a unique program that allows all New Mexicans seeking a college education the opportunity to receive full coverage on tuition and fees, according to KRQE. It works in conjunction with the Lottery Scholarship.
KRQE reported that some lawmakers are concerned that state universities approving tuition increases could impact the amount of money in these programs, resulting in a loss of scholarships. This might make college unaffordable for some students, as more money will need to be provided for each student in order to make up for the tuition increases.
A similar scenario occurred six years ago with the Lottery Scholarship; less money was handed out because of tuition hikes.
“It’s again going to make it a case where the amount of money will be divided up among the number of applicants – high school grads – and it may mean that they won’t get full funding for their tuition,” Rep. Joy Garratt (D-Bernalillo) said to KRQE.