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State profile · 30 colleges · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Colleges in New Hampshire

Colleges in New Hampshire from PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset, compared on acceptance, cost, and 10-year former-student earnings.

30
Colleges
$53,440
Avg 10-yr earnings (24 of 30)
80.2%
Avg acceptance

Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

New Hampshire · the picture in one line

New Hampshire's 24 of 30 colleges that report earnings average $53,440 in 10-year former-student earnings - 5th highest of 56 states and territories that report.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

#5
of 56 states by avg former-student earnings
$97,434
top earnings - Dartmouth College
80.2%
avg acceptance (12 reporting)
13 / 11 / 6
public / nonprofit / for-profit

Best earnings-to-cost value among New Hampshire colleges with reported figures: University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online.

New Hampshire · enrollment ≠ earnings

In New Hampshire, Southern New Hampshire University leads by undergraduate enrollment (163,164 students, #1 of 22) but ranks #12 of 22 on 10-year median earnings ($50,318), while Dartmouth College tops earnings at $97,434 (#1 of 22) with 4,541 students (#3 of 22). The biggest campus is not always the highest-paying outcome.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

163,164
Southern New enrollment #1
$97,434
Dartmouth College earnings #1
#1
Enrollment rank of earnings leader
#12
Earnings rank of enrollment leader

Enrollment is IPEDS fall headcount; earnings are Scorecard 10-year medians for federally aided former students. Different populations, not one ROI ratio.

Enrollment of New Hampshire's #1 campuses by size vs earnings

Same unit (undergraduate students) for both named leaders.

students

What this shows Southern New Hampshire University is largest by enrollment; Dartmouth College leads on 10-year earnings at $97,434.

Source IPEDS via College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

This page aggregates colleges and universities in New Hampshire returned by PlainCollege's U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard snapshot. It combines IPEDS-derived institutional fields with Treasury-derived earnings published for federal-aid recipients. Coverage includes public flagships, regional comprehensives, community and technical colleges, private nonprofit institutions, and for-profit schools.

The state-aggregate statistics below include all reporting institutions in New Hampshire as a single denominator, community colleges, public universities, private nonprofits, and for-profit institutions are pooled. State averages are therefore useful for high-level framing (in-state tuition is X, average admission rate is Y, average earnings are Z) but should not be read as representative of any specific sector or institution. Drill into individual school profiles for the full picture: admissions, costs (sticker and net), federal-aid usage, completion, retention, demographics, and earnings outcomes 6 and 10 years after enrollment.

The Scorecard data used here was retrieved in March–July 2026. That retrieval window is not the measurement year: tuition and enrollment fields retain their source reporting periods, while 10-year institution earnings describe federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year, a decade after entry.

Largest Colleges in New Hampshire by Enrollment

IPEDS Fall enrollment via College Scorecard.

students

What this shows Enrollment size reflects institutional scale, not quality or on-campus experience - a large school here can still be a small, selective program relative to its state peers.

Source IPEDS As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Highest Earnings, 10-Year Median: New Hampshire

U.S. Treasury earnings linkage via College Scorecard.

USD

What this shows Former-student earnings vary by program mix and local labor market as much as by the school itself; this comparison does not isolate a school's causal effect.

Source College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

The ROI lens

New Hampshire colleges: earnings vs. cost

New Hampshire colleges, positioned by earnings vs net price Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by completion within 150% of normal time (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = cost challenge (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 14 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. New Hampshire colleges, positioned by earnings vs net price COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $36K $102K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $9K $39K Avg Net Price ($) Southern New Hampshire University: $50K earn · $37K net · 44% grad Southern New Hamps… University of New Hampshire-Main Campus: $66K earn · $24K net · 76% grad University of New … Dartmouth College: $97K earn · $30K net · 96% grad Dartmouth College Plymouth State University: $57K earn · $19K net · 50% grad Plymouth State Uni… Keene State College: $54K earn · $18K net · 59% grad Keene State College NHTI-Concord's Community College: $49K earn · $18K net · 30% grad NHTI-Concord's Com… Saint Anselm College: $73K earn · $35K net · 82% grad Manchester Community College: $49K earn · $14K net · 39% grad Great Bay Community College: $42K earn · $16K net · 32% grad Rivier University: $52K earn · $28K net · 55% grad University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online: $66K earn · $11K net · 22% grad Nashua Community College: $46K earn · $23K net · 34% grad New England College: $42K earn · $27K net · 33% grad Franklin Pierce University: $53K earn · $27K net · 50% grad Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

National context

How New Hampshire ranks among the states

New Hampshire's average 10-year earnings of $53,440 place it in the 91st percentile among all 56 states and territories tracked by the College Scorecard.

New Hampshire: average former-student earnings vs. every state

State-average 10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$53,440 Top 9% higher than 91% of 56 states & territories

$24,000–$28,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Below this entry. $28,000–$32,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Below this entry. $32,000–$36,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Below this entry. $36,000–$40,000: 12 states & territories (21%). Below this entry. $40,000–$44,000: 14 states & territories (25%). Below this entry. $44,000–$48,000: 10 states & territories (18%). Below this entry. $48,000–$52,000: 7 states & territories (13%). Below this entry. $52,000–$56,000: 3 states & territories (5%). This entry sits in this band. $56,000–$60,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Above this entry. NH $24,000 $60,000 every state, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $4K-wide band; taller bars hold more states & territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

New Hampshire vs. every state, at a glance
EarningsAffordabilityOptionsAccess

Each axis is this state's percentile among all states & territories on that metric (Earnings/Affordability/Options/Access) -- not a composite grade, just four independent comparisons in one shape.

School type matters

How school type shapes earnings in New Hampshire

Average 10-year former-student earnings by institution type. Program mix, selectivity, student background, and local labor markets all contribute to the observed gaps, so read this beside each school's own figures.

Average former-student earnings by school type - New Hampshire

Mean of per-school 10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

avg earnings

What this shows Keeping schools within one state reduces some regional variation, but this descriptive comparison does not control for program mix, selection, or student background.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
30
Total Schools
$21,749
Avg In-State Tuition (21 of 30)
80.2%
Avg Acceptance Rate (12 of 30)
$53,440
Avg Median Earnings (24 of 30)
13 Public 11 Private NP 6 For-Profit
Ownership Breakdown

What the IPEDS Data Shows for Colleges in New Hampshire

PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset contains 30 postsecondary institutions in New Hampshire. The ownership mix is 13 public institutions, 11 private nonprofits, and 6 private for-profit schools. Public institutions often report lower in-state tuition because state appropriations subsidize the published price, while private nonprofits may show higher sticker prices partly offset by institutional aid.

Cost and selectivity signals vary widely even within a single state. The average in-state tuition among the 21 of 30 New Hampshire institutions that report one is $21,749, and the average admission rate among the 12 that report one sits at 80.2%. Admission rates from IPEDS exclude open-enrollment institutions, which is why community colleges and many for-profits show as unreported rather than at 100 percent. Looking at the table, the acceptance-rate column is blank for schools that don’t screen applicants, a meaningful distinction when evaluating selectivity alongside earnings.

Institution-level earnings connect cost to one observed outcome. Among the 24 of 30 New Hampshire colleges that report 10-year median earnings, federally aided former students show a mean of $53,440, based on Treasury-derived records published through the Scorecard. Because earnings depend heavily on field of study, student background, and local labor markets, state-level averages should be read alongside each school’s program mix. The table sorts institutions with reported IPEDS enrollment so users can compare acceptance rates, enrollment scale, and median earnings side by side.

All Schools in New Hampshire

School Name City Type Enrollment Acceptance Rate 10yr Earnings
Southern New Hampshire University Manchester Private NP 163,164 99.5% $50,318
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham Public 11,261 88.2% $66,479
Dartmouth College Hanover Private NP 4,541 5.4% $97,434
Plymouth State University Plymouth Public 3,153 87.5% $57,304
Keene State College Keene Public 2,699 90.3% $54,368
NHTI-Concord's Community College Concord Public 2,154 - $48,943
Saint Anselm College Manchester Private NP 2,087 78.0% $73,371
Manchester Community College Manchester Public 1,587 - $49,063
Great Bay Community College Portsmouth Public 1,259 - $42,397
Rivier University Nashua Private NP 1,231 82.6% $52,248
University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online Manchester Public 1,157 - $66,479
Nashua Community College Nashua Public 1,135 - $46,164
New England College Henniker Private NP 1,022 92.1% $42,092
Franklin Pierce University Rindge Private NP 992 93.5% $53,353
Colby-Sawyer College New London Private NP 771 80.1% $46,474
River Valley Community College Claremont Public 608 - $44,700
Lakes Region Community College Laconia Public 482 - $51,182
White Mountains Community College Berlin Public 450 - $35,037
University of New Hampshire at Manchester Manchester Public 443 80.9% $66,479
Empire Beauty School-Hooksett Hooksett For-Profit 306 - $33,546
Empire Beauty School-Somersworth Somersworth For-Profit 184 - -
Harmony Health Care Institute Merrimack For-Profit 153 84.2% -
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts Merrimack Private NP 97 - $53,565
St Joseph School of Nursing Nashua Private NP 93 - -
Empire Beauty School-Laconia Laconia For-Profit 92 - $33,546
Paul Mitchell the School-Portsmouth Portsmouth For-Profit 73 - -
Keene Beauty Academy Keene For-Profit 50 - -
University of New Hampshire-Franklin Pierce School of Law Concord Public - - $66,479
Antioch University-New England Keene Private NP - - $51,541
Upper Valley Educators Institute Lebanon Private NP - - -

Featured Colleges in New Hampshire

Quick picks from this state – compare two schools side by side

Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH
163,164 students
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
Durham, NH
11,261 students
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
4,541 students
Plymouth State University
Plymouth, NH
3,153 students
Keene State College
Keene, NH
2,699 students
Compare Southern New Hampshire University vs University of New Hampshire-Main Campus →

Explore more New Hampshire data

Highest-earning colleges → Best value colleges → ROI calculator → Compare states →

Guides & Resources

Is College Worth It?

A data-driven answer using earnings and cost data.

How to Compare Colleges

A framework for picking schools with data, not rankings alone.

Financial Aid & Net Price

How net price differs from sticker price and financial aid.

Understanding College Earnings Data

How Scorecard earnings figures are measured and their limits.

About This Data

According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, PlainCollege's current snapshots were retrieved in March–July 2026. This state's institution-level figures come from the July retrieval, including IPEDS-derived characteristics. Earnings represent median income 10 years after enrollment for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year, using U.S. Treasury-derived records published through the Scorecard.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

What this means for New Hampshire applicants

  • New Hampshire has 30 colleges in PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset, spanning community colleges, public flagships, and private institutions.
  • Average reported admission rate across New Hampshire colleges is 80.2% - individual schools vary widely, check each profile for its own rate.
  • State-level averages pool every reporting institution together; run a specific school's numbers before assuming the state figure applies to it.Use the ROI calculator

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or educational advice. State-level averages pool every reporting institution and do not predict any individual school's outcome.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. State-level rollups are computed directly from College Scorecard and IPEDS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.