State profile · 30 colleges · 2024-25

Colleges in New Hampshire

Every Title IV-eligible college in New Hampshire, compared on acceptance, cost, and graduate earnings, College Scorecard and IPEDS data.

30
Colleges
$53,440
Avg 10-yr earnings
80.2%
Avg acceptance

Data updated July 2026

New Hampshire · the picture in one line

New Hampshire's 30 colleges average $53,440 in 10-year graduate 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 graduate earnings
$97,434
top earnings - Dartmouth College
80.2%
average acceptance rate
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.

This page aggregates every Title IV–eligible college and university with a primary campus in New Hampshire, drawing from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, IPEDS institutional reports, and de-identified IRS earnings linkage 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 most-recent Scorecard release is from September 2024. Tuition figures reflect institutional reports for the 2022–23 academic year and may differ from current-year prices. Earnings data has an inherent lag, the 10-year earnings horizon reflects students who enrolled approximately a decade prior to the data publication, as the IRS-matching process requires time to accumulate post-enrollment income.

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 2024

Highest Earnings, 10-Year Median: New Hampshire

U.S. Treasury IRS earnings linkage via College Scorecard.

USD

What this shows Graduate earnings vary by program mix and local labor market as much as by the school itself - compare a school's program-level earnings before assuming the effect is purely institutional.

Source College Scorecard As of 2024

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 4-year graduation rate (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 = avoid (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 AVOID 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 NHTI-Concord's Com… Saint Anselm College: $73K earn · $35K net · 82% grad Manchester Community College: $49K earn · $14K net Great Bay Community College: $42K earn · $16K net 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 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 graduate earnings of $53,440 place it in the 91th percentile among all 56 states and territories tracked by the College Scorecard.

New Hampshire: average graduate 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 · 2024

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 graduate earnings by institution type. The pattern holds in most states: private nonprofits and public universities tend to out-earn for-profit institutions, but program mix and selectivity drive most of the gap, so read it alongside each school's own numbers below.

Average graduate earnings by school type - New Hampshire

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

avg earnings

What this shows Comparing sector averages within one state controls for at least some of the regional cost-of-living and labor-market differences that make raw earnings hard to compare across states.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of 2024
30
Total Schools
$21,749
Avg In-State Tuition
80.2%
Avg Acceptance Rate
$53,440
Avg Median Earnings
13 Public 11 Private NP 6 For-Profit
Ownership Breakdown

What the IPEDS Data Shows for Colleges in New Hampshire

New Hampshire has 30 Title IV-participating postsecondary institutions in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the federal directory that captures every college eligible to award federal student aid. The ownership mix is 13 public institutions, 11 private nonprofits, and 6 private for-profit schools – a structural split that drives most of the tuition variation visible in the table below. Public institutions typically report substantially lower in-state tuition because state appropriations subsidize the published price, while private nonprofits often show higher sticker prices that are partially offset by institutional aid.

Cost and selectivity signals vary widely even within a single state. The average in-state tuition across New Hampshire institutions is $21,749, and the average admission rate (weighted by institutions 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.

Post-graduation outcomes tie cost to return. Graduates of New Hampshire colleges earn a mean of $53,440 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal aid applicants through the College Scorecard data file. Because earnings depend heavily on field of study and local labor markets, state-level averages should be read alongside each school’s program mix. The table sorts every institution with reported IPEDS enrollment so prospective students can compare acceptance rates, enrollment scale, and median earnings side by side rather than relying on third-party rankings.

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 - - -

About This Data

According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, updated September 2024, PlainCollege tracks 6,243 postsecondary institutions nationwide, and this state's figures are drawn from that same federal release plus IPEDS institutional characteristics files. Enrollment, admissions, and earnings figures are the most recently available. Earnings represent median income 10 years after enrollment for students who received federal financial aid, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal student aid applicants.

What this means for New Hampshire applicants

  • New Hampshire has 30 Title IV-eligible colleges in the College Scorecard database, 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. Data current as of 2024-25.