Editor’s note: This commentary comes in response to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson criticizing New Mexico State University’s recent decision to offer discounted tuition to Mexican students.
COMMENTARY: We always appreciate when New Mexico State University gets noticed. It’s just too bad that Tucker Carlson didn’t have all of his facts straight before he went on the air this morning.
Courtesy photo
Garrey Carruthers
Our great university has a very reasonable tuition structure, which you can examine here. You’ll see that students from New Mexico pay the lowest rates to attend NMSU. That’s because, as a state university, we are supported by the New Mexico taxpayers.
You should also know that NMSU is part of the Western Undergraduate Exchange, which has established reciprocal agreements with other states across the West to offer reduced out-of-state tuition rates. That means tuition for students who are residents of any of the western states will pay a tuition rate one-and-a-half times higher than our in-state tuition.
This rate is the same rate we have extended to students from Mexico. Students from the El Paso area get an even better rate, at 110 percent of in-state tuition. From the link, you’ll also see that even our full out-of-state tuition (which is paid by fewer than 500 students a year) is actually cheaper than many in-state tuition rates across the country.
All of our tuition waivers for students are applied in accordance with the state of New Mexico’s laws and statutes. As part of statute, Mexico is considered a contiguous state, which is a key component of being able to offer the 150 percent tuition rate.
NMSU is an outstanding university. We were founded in 1888. We are New Mexico’s land-grant institution and we’re designated as both a Carnegie High Research University and a Hispanic Serving Institution. We have students from every state in the country and many countries around the world. We welcome them with open arms. NMSU is a caring community, transforming lives through discovery.
Since Tucker Carlson is a resident of the Washington, D.C., area, none of his tax dollars are used to subsidize the education at NMSU. That being said, we would still welcome any of his children, or anyone else from across the country, to enroll at NMSU. Our fall semester begins in August.
Garrey Carruthers is New Mexico State University’s chancellor.