New Mexico veteran education benefits
Stars rate how much each state offers veterans themselves for college, training and exam fees (family-only programs don't count): 5 = free public-college tuition for most resident veterans, no disability rating needed; 3 = partial grants or narrower eligibility; 1 = little or nothing beyond federal benefits. How we rate
Tuition, fees and books for nearly any post-1990 veteran with a service or campaign medal and NM ties; funding-limited.
Checked Oct 7, 2026. State benefits change often. Confirm the details with the state agency before you apply.
Verify on the official page means we could not fully confirm that detail on the agency's own page.
For veterans
Wartime Veteran Scholarship Fund
- What it covers
- Tuition, required fees and books for undergraduate, master's or doctoral work at NM public schools. Private schools are capped at the highest state rate. Tuition capped at the highest full-time undergrad tuition.
- Who qualifies and limits
- Honorable discharge. NM resident at original entry OR has lived in NM 10+ years. Awarded the Southwest Asia Service Medal, GWOT Service Medal, Iraq or Afghanistan Campaign Medal, or another campaign medal for service after Aug 1, 1990. First come, first served. Veteran only.
Vietnam Veterans Scholarship (5.7.16 NMAC)
- What it covers
- Tuition, fees and books at NM public schools
- Who qualifies and limits
- Vietnam Campaign Medal; NM resident at entry or 10+ years; honorable discharge
For spouses and children
Children of Deceased Military and State Police Scholarship
Verify on the official page
- What it covers
- Details not confirmed. Verify on the official page.
- Who qualifies and limits
- not confirmed on an official source
If you left the service 15 to 20 years ago
Good fit. No discharge time limit was found, and the 10-year residency route helps anyone who has lived in NM a long time. The GWOT Service Medal counts, which most post-9/11 service members received. Funding is first come, first served.
Who to contact
- State veterans agency
- New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services (NMDVS)
- Education office
- NM Higher Education Department (HED), financial aid
- State Approving Agency (approves schools and programs for the GI Bill)
- NMDVS State Approving Agency for Veterans' Education and Training
Sources we checked
- dvs.nm.gov/benefits/
- hed.nm.gov/financial-aid/scholarships/vietnam-veterans
- srca.nm.gov/parts/title05/05.007.0016.html
- dvs.nm.gov/veterans-education/
Federal benefits such as the GI Bill and VR&E are separate. See the FAQ and the GI Bill programs.