Location: Los Lunas, NM•In-State Tuition: $1,878•Out-of-State Tuition: $5,130
Est. Earnings (1yr)
$36,248
Est. from national median (299 programs)
Est. Median Debt
$7,913
Est. from national median (94 programs)

Analysis

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.22 suggests manageable financial risk for this certificate program, even when working with national estimates. Based on peer precision metal working programs across the country, first-year earnings around $36,200 paired with roughly $7,900 in debt means graduates would need to dedicate just over two months of gross income to clear their loans—a reasonable starting point for skilled trades work.

The challenge is that New Mexico has 21 schools offering this program, and without reported outcomes from any of them, it's difficult to know whether Valencia County Campus prepares students as effectively as its competitors. The national median for precision metal working certificates sits at $36,200, with top-quartile programs reaching $40,000—suggesting there's room for variation in quality. What you're betting on here is that UNM-Valencia's program performs at least at the national average, which may or may not reflect local labor market realities in the Albuquerque metro area.

The financial picture looks defensible if your child is committed to manufacturing work and this location works logistically. But given the estimation uncertainty and crowded field of New Mexico programs, ask the school directly about job placement rates and which local employers hire their graduates. Without that concrete information, you're evaluating this program largely on faith rather than evidence.

Where University of New Mexico-Valencia County Campus Stands

Earnings vs. debt across all precision metal working certificate's programs nationally

University of New Mexico-Valencia County Campus (estimated ±10%)Other precision metal working programs

Dashed lines show national medians. Upper-left = best value.

Compare to Similar Programs Nationally

Precision Metal Working certificate's programs at top institutions nationally

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SchoolIn-State TuitionEarnings (1yr)*Earnings (4yr)Median Debt*Debt/Earnings
University of New Mexico-Valencia County CampusLos Lunas$1,878$36,248*—$7,913*—
Ferris State UniversityBig Rapids$13,630$68,852*$74,137$21,765*0.32
Idaho State UniversityPocatello$8,356$64,581*$55,405$9,000*0.14
Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical CollegeBowling Green$4,656$58,996*—$9,413*0.16
Fox Valley Technical CollegeAppleton$4,916$53,507*$52,715$7,664*0.14
Elizabethtown Community and Technical CollegeElizabethtown$4,656$53,172*—$7,166*0.13
National Median—$36,248*—$9,000*0.25
* Estimated from similar programs

Career Paths

Occupations commonly associated with precision metal working graduates

Sheet Metal Workers

Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.

$60,850/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Machinists

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Tool and Die Makers

Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

$51,000/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend forging machines to taper, shape, or form metal or plastic parts.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to roll steel or plastic forming bends, beads, knurls, rolls, or plate, or to flatten, temper, or reduce gauge of material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend drilling machines to drill, bore, ream, mill, or countersink metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend milling or planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:
About This Data

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (October 2025 release)

Population: Graduates who received federal financial aid (Title IV grants or loans). At University of New Mexico-Valencia County Campus, approximately 13% of students receive Pell grants. Students who did not receive federal aid are not included in these figures.

Earnings: Median earnings from IRS W-2 data for graduates who are employed and not enrolled in further education, measured 1 year after completion. Earnings are pre-tax and include wages, salaries, and self-employment income.

Debt: Median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation. Does not include private loans or Parent PLUS loans borrowed on behalf of students.

Estimated Earnings: Actual earnings data is not available for this program (typically due to privacy thresholds when fewer than 30 graduates reported earnings). The estimate shown is based on the national median of 299 similar programs. Actual outcomes may vary.