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Fire academy in New Mexico

7 firefighter programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

4 schools offer these firefighter programs, and New Mexico has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Firefighters put out fires and answer emergencies that put people, property or the environment at risk. Most need a high school diploma, must pass written and physical tests and an interview, and then train for a few months at a fire academy run by a fire department or the state. Firefighters may also need EMT or paramedic certification.1

In New Mexico, 2 of the 7 programs take students without a high school diploma and 5 ask for a diploma or equivalent.

By kind, the 7 programs here are fire science (associate degree, 5 programs), fire academy (Firefighter I and II, 1 program) and wildland firefighter course (1 program).

See the 7 programs

How much does fire academy cost in New Mexico?

Two-year degrees (5 programs)
$5,808 to $6,835most of them
Other firefighter programs (2 programs)
$2,618 to $6,000all 2 with a price

What you pay yourself for the whole program, as the schools report it. "Most" is the middle half of the programs with a price.

In the typical program

Finished the program
Left out
7 in 10 of New Mexico's programs report exactly 100%, far more than in other states
Working 6 months later
64%
Earned a year, estimated
about $36,500
Length
38 to 64 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in New Mexico may also offer fire academy training. How these figures are made

Is there free fire academy training in New Mexico?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 7 firefighter programs in New Mexico approved for WIOA funding

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7 programs

How to pay for fire academy training in New Mexico

WIOA funding can pay for fire academy training in New Mexico

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for fire academy training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.67

GI Bill for fire academy training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.8

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Quick facts: Fire academy in New Mexico

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
13th of 15
other states where the typical program's graduates earned less
2 of 9
firefighter programs here, against the typical state's 4
7 vs 4

State comparisons use the same figures as the fire academy training by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

Fire academy in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Ruidoso and other New Mexico cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in New Mexico

How fire academy training compares with the rest of public safety: First responder training in New Mexico

Where the New Mexico firefighter program numbers come from

Which New Mexico firefighter programs are on this list?

These are the firefighter programs New Mexico approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).9 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what New Mexico offers.

How the prices and results of New Mexico firefighter programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

How reliable are the New Mexico figures?

We leave out the share who finished for New Mexico: 7 in 10 of its programs report exactly 100%, far more than in other states.

Sources for the facts about fire academy training in New Mexico

Show the 9 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Firefighters
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  8. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  9. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List