Great Bay Community College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It enrolls 1,259 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorNew England Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (2-Year). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Fair
54/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes35
Value36
Affordability29
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
As a two-year college, Great Bay Community College generally admits all qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Great Bay Community College isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $15,768 per year. That's below the typical net price for public colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$15,768
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
26%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
23%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$7,200
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$15,450
Room & Board (off-campus)
$18,938
Books & Supplies
$1,400
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$7,026
Total Cost of Attendance
$21,963
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$13,237
$30,001 – $48,000
$21,132
$48,001 – $75,000
$21,725
$75,001 – $110,000
$20,829
Over $110,000
$21,963
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$1,75010%percentile
$3,50025%percentile
$13,828Medianpercentile
$15,34175%percentile
$24,08390%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $8,275
↓ $5,553
No Pell $6,376
↓ $7,452
Dependent students $5,847
↓ $7,981
Independent students $9,500
↓ $4,328
Female students $8,102
↓ $5,726
Male students $6,250
↓ $7,578
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($13,828), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
27% of full-time students who enrolled at Great Bay Community College graduate within six years, and 65% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
27%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
65%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Great Bay Community College earn a median of $42,397 ten years after first enrolling. That's close to the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$42,397
Earning > $25K
69%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
15.5 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 85% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Great Bay Community College is home to 1,259 students, a small, close-knit community. Some distinctive traits: 35% are first-generation college students, 66% study part-time.
Total Enrolled
1,259
Part-Time
66%
First-Generation
35%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 73.5%925
Hispanic 8.6%108
Asian 4.5%57
Other 3.9%49
Black 3.2%40
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Great Bay Community College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Small SuburbPortsmouth, New Hampshire
Housing
Commuter campusNo on-campus housing
Adult Learners
34%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
What You Can Study
Great Bay Community College offers
a varied set of programs:
25 distinct programs across
16 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Great Bay Community College is 11:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$5,191
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$630,976
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$68,480
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
33 instructional faculty across 3 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
28
85%
$69,752
Associate Professors
4
12%
$61,634
Assistant Professors
1
3%
$60,233
Pros & Cons of Great Bay Community College
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Great Bay Community College tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Below-average net price
Open admissions
Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
Tight-knit, close community feel
Flexible part-time enrollment options
CONS
Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
First-year retention is below typical
Mostly part-time student body, less full-time campus feel
Best for:
Based on the data, Great Bay Community College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; working adults or students needing part-time study options; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Great Bay Community College
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Great Bay Community College.
Is Great Bay Community College hard to get into?
Great Bay Community College has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted.
What is the acceptance rate at Great Bay Community College?
Great Bay Community College has an acceptance rate of 0%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does Great Bay Community College cost?
The average net price after aid at Great Bay Community College is $15,768 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Great Bay Community College worth it?
Moderate return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $42,397 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $15,768 per year. That's roughly 2.7x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Great Bay Community College known for?
Great Bay Community College is best known for its programs in Nursing, Business Administration, Liberal Arts. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Great Bay Community College graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Great Bay Community College are $42,397, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Great Bay Community College accredited?
Yes. Great Bay Community College is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Great Bay Community College?
Great Bay Community College enrolls 1,259 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Great Bay Community College?
Great Bay Community College graduates 27% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Great Bay Community College a public or private college?
Great Bay Community College is a Public institution.
Where is Great Bay Community College located?
Great Bay Community College is located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
What programs does Great Bay Community College offer?
Great Bay Community College offers 25 distinct programs. The most popular include Nursing, Business Administration, Liberal Arts.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Great Bay Community College?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Great Bay Community College is 11:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in New Hampshire
Other colleges in New Hampshire share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
