| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year community college, governed by an elected Board of Trustees; campus-based, with some courses by distance learning |
| Campus | 1 main campus in Las Vegas, New Mexico; satellite sites in Santa Rosa, Springer and Mora |
| Credentials | Associate degrees (AAS, AA, AS) and certificates; about 40 credit programs |
| Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission, listed by the college as “Accredited (no Monitoring)” since February 2026; ACEN (Nursing), CODA (Dental Assistant) |
| Federal aid | Yes: Pell Grants, Federal Work-Study and federal loans |
| Tuition | 2025-26 (latest published): $51 per credit in-district; $612 a semester for 12 to 18 credits |
| Students | 743 in fall 2024 (253 full-time, 490 part-time) |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Luna: one Las Vegas, New Mexico campus and three satellite sites
Luna Community College is a public two-year college in Las Vegas, New Mexico, governed by an elected Board of Trustees. Its credit programs, from nursing and dental assisting to cosmetology, welding and automotive repair, are taught at the main campus at 366 Luna Drive. Santa Rosa and Mora have service sites that handle admissions, registration, testing and advising and offer some courses, and Luna also lists a site in Springer, but no full program is confirmed at any of the three. Luna enrolled 743 students in fall 2024, two-thirds of them part-time. The biggest recent change is its accreditation: HLC removed Luna’s probation in February 2024 and ended its monitoring in February 2026.
Programs at Luna, all taught in Las Vegas
The college lists about 40 credit programs. The table shows the main career programs. Luna links separate cost estimates only for nursing and dental assisting; otherwise costs follow the per-credit tuition below.
| Program | Credential | Length and format | Prepares for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing (ADN) | AAS, 71 credits | 24 admitted each fall; selective | NCLEX-RN |
| Dental Assistant | Certificate, 34 credits | One year from a fall start; 300 practicum hours | DANB exams; NM expanded-function exams |
| EMT-Basic | Certificate, 12 credits | Includes a field and clinical rotation | NREMT (certificate issued after passing) |
| Cosmetology | Certificate, 62 credits | 1,600 clock hours | NIC exams and NM state law exam |
| Barbering | Certificate, 49 credits | 1,200 hours; externship | NIC exams and NM state law exam |
| Automotive Technology | Certificate, 32 credits | – | ASE tests (college says graduates may be eligible) |
| Automotive Collision Repair | Certificate, 30 credits | Six 5-credit courses | – |
| Welding Technology | Certificate, 31 credits | – | AWS micro-credentials made available |
| Culinary Arts | Certificate, 32 credits | Includes a practicum | ServSafe |
| Cybersecurity | Certificate, 32 credits | Some courses by distance | – |
| Accounting | AAS, 62 credits | Capstone course | – |
| Business Administration | AAS, 60 credits | Can be completed online | – |
| Computer Information Systems Technology | AAS, 60 credits | – | – |
| Criminal Justice | AA, 61 credits; certificate | Transfer-style degree | – |
| Early Childhood Education | AA, 61 credits; certificate | Includes practicums | – |
Nursing is accredited by ACEN and Dental Assistant by CODA. Several programs are closed to new students for 2026-27: Fire Science (AAS) and Video Game Design & Development (certificate) are not accepting students, and the Electrical Wiring Technology certificate is “under development and not accepting students”. Luna has no practical nursing (LPN) program and no computer science degree; its computer programs are Computer Information Systems Technology and Cybersecurity. The Allied Health AAS is a transfer and preparation degree, not training for a specific job.
What the main programs cover
Nursing (ADN)
The 71-credit AAS follows the New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium’s statewide concept-based curriculum and leads to the NCLEX-RN. Luna admits 24 students each fall, chosen by points; applicants need a TEAS score of at least 58.7 and a 2.75 GPA in prerequisite courses. Each of the four levels includes clinicals, and students need 77% to move on to the next level. Licensed practical nurses can enter through an LPN entrance policy at Level 1.
Dental Assistant
The certificate is at least 34 credits and runs as a fixed year: it starts in fall and continues through spring and summer. Students complete 300 hours of clinical practicum in dental offices off campus. The program prepares students for the DANB Radiation Health and Safety, Infection Control and General Chairside exams and the CDA credential, and for New Mexico’s expanded-function exams in coronal polishing, fluoride and sealants. CODA last visited in April 2025, and the next visit is due in 2032.
EMT-Basic
The 12-credit certificate has four parts: a 1-credit CPR course (AH120), the 8-credit EMT course (EMT150), a 3-credit lab (EMT150L) and a 1-credit field and clinical rotation (EMT180). It prepares students for the National Registry (NREMT) exam, and the college issues the certificate only after the student passes that exam, so finishing the courses alone does not earn the award. Luna publishes no NREMT pass rates. The certificate is also one of the electives in the Allied Health AAS.
Cosmetology and Barbering
The two programs are separate certificates. Cosmetology is at least 62 credits, covering the 1,600 clock hours that New Mexico’s Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists requires. Barbering is at least 49 credits, built around the state’s 1,200-hour barber course, and includes an externship. Both lead to the NIC theory and practical exams and the New Mexico state law exam, which licensure requires. The board is a licensing body, not an accreditor.
Automotive and Collision Repair
Automotive Technology is a 32-credit certificate with courses in automotive fundamentals, electrical systems, manual and automatic drivetrains, engine repair and performance, brakes, and steering and suspension. It follows ASE curriculum standards and offers Snap-on certifications, and the college says graduates may be eligible for ASE tests. Automotive Collision Repair Technology is a 30-credit certificate of six 5-credit courses in refinishing, collision repair, color matching, metal finishing and structural and non-structural repair. Neither program claims ASE Education Foundation or I-CAR recognition.
Welding Technology
The 31-credit certificate covers shielded metal arc (SMAW), gas metal arc (GMAW) and gas tungsten arc (GTAW) welding, along with fabrication and print reading. The college says American Welding Society micro-credentials are made available to students during the program. Like the other career certificates, Welding Technology counts toward the Vocational/Technical Studies AAS, an umbrella degree that the certificates stack into, so students can keep going to an associate degree after finishing the certificate.
Tuition, fees and paying for Luna
Luna had not published 2026-27 tuition when we checked in October 2026, so the table shows the 2025-26 rates, the latest the college has published. Everyone pays $51 per credit for up to 6 credits. Above that, the rate depends on residency and applies to every credit, and a full load of 12 to 18 credits is billed at a flat rate.
| 2025-26 tuition per semester | NM resident, in-district | NM resident, out-of-district | Out-of-state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 credits | $51 per credit | $51 per credit | $51 per credit |
| 7 to 11 credits | $51 per credit | $69 per credit | $132 per credit |
| 12 to 18 credits (flat) | $612 | $828 | $1,584 |
| Each credit above 18 | $51 | $69 | $132 |
Per-credit fees add to this: a $22 per credit bookstore fee and a $7.50 per credit technology fee, so a 12-credit semester carries $354 in these two fees on top of tuition. Other fees include a $25 registration and activity fee, a $1.50 per credit student activity fee and course-specific fees.
Luna takes federal student aid: Pell Grants, Federal Work-Study and federal loans. Luna also lists New Mexico’s Opportunity Scholarship and Lottery Scholarship, which use FAFSA data. The college has a Veterans Resource Center for students using military benefits.
Open admission, with selective entry to nursing
Luna has open admission, and its placement testing uses Accuplacer. Nursing is the exception: 24 seats each fall, awarded by points. Dental Assistant starts only in fall. Applications were open for fall 2026, spring and summer 2026 and fall 2027 when we checked.
Accreditation and results
Luna is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Its record includes earlier sanctions: a show-cause order in 2017, probation that was removed in November 2020, and a second probation from November 2021. In February 2024 HLC removed the probation and reaffirmed Luna’s accreditation with interim monitoring, finding the college “at risk of future noncompliance” on four Core Components and requiring a focused visit.
In February 2026 HLC accepted the focused-visit findings that those concerns had been addressed, and the monitoring ended. The college now lists its status as “Accredited (no Monitoring)”. Its next full HLC evaluation is due in 2027-28.
Nursing is accredited by ACEN, and the New Mexico Board of Nursing lists it at “full approval with warning”; the college does not give a date or reason. The college’s nursing page reports these results:
| Nursing ADN measure | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCLEX-RN first-attempt pass rate | 75% | 86.9% | 76.1% |
| Completion within 4 terms | 70% | 79.2% | 77% |
| Employment rate | 86% | 100% | 100% |
No 2025 NCLEX results were posted when we checked. Dental Assistant is accredited by CODA; the DANB exam results the college posts are weak but come from very small groups of students.
Across the college, the federal graduation rate was 28% for students who started in fall 2021, measured at 150% of normal time, and 43% of full-time students returned from fall 2023 to fall 2024, according to College Navigator.
Before you enroll
- Fire Science and Video Game Design & Development are not accepting students for 2026-27, and the Electrical Wiring Technology certificate is “under development and not accepting students”.
- The nursing program is on “full approval with warning” with the New Mexico Board of Nursing, and its first-attempt NCLEX-RN pass rate fell from 86.9% in 2023 to 76.1% in 2024.
- The $22 per credit bookstore fee is large next to $51 tuition: at 12 credits the bookstore and technology fees add $354 a semester.
- The federal graduation rate is 28%: students who started in fall 2021, measured at 150% of normal time.
- No full program is confirmed at the Santa Rosa, Springer or Mora sites; plan on classes in Las Vegas.
Housing through New Mexico Highlands University
Luna has no college-owned housing. For 2026-27 it reserved 65 beds in New Mexico Highlands University residence halls, with charges, including a meal plan, billed to the student’s Luna account. In January 2026 the state gave Luna a $2.8 million emergency grant for 84 beds of modular student housing, after Highlands cancelled housing contracts for Luna students just before fall 2025; the college targeted fall 2026 for the new housing.
What students say
On Niche, Luna Community College is rated 3.78 out of 5 from 54 reviews, with an overall grade of C+ (checked 12 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise small classes and personal attention, approachable instructors and advisors, and low cost. The most common complaints are disorganized communication and administration, trouble with financial-aid paperwork and deadlines, and little campus life without on-campus housing. Niche showed only a few review excerpts, so these themes are a rough guide, and we could not tell whether the reviews were invited by the college.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Nursing and Health
- Nursing (AAS, ADN/RN)
- Dental Assistant
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-Basic)
- Community Health Worker
- Substance Abuse
- Allied Health (transfer and preparation AAS)
Career and Technical
- Automotive Technology
- Automotive Collision Repair Technology
- Welding Technology
- Building Technology
- Culinary Arts
- Cosmetology
- Barbering
- Vocational/Technical Studies (AAS)
Business
- Accounting
- Business Administration (can be completed online)
- General Business
- Business Management
- Small Business Management
Computers and IT
- Computer Information Systems Technology
- Cybersecurity
- Computer Information Specialist
Criminal Justice and Education
- Criminal Justice
- Early Childhood Education (Birth to Grade 3)
- Early Childhood Development
- Teacher Education
Campus Locations
Las Vegas, NM 366 Luna Drive, Las Vegas, NM 87701