Public Associate Fair 50/100

Nashua Community College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Nashua, New Hampshire

About Nashua Community College

Thinking about Nashua Community College, a college in New Hampshire where more students graduate in Liberal Arts than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Nashua Community College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Nashua, New Hampshire. It enrolls 1,135 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
Open
Graduation
20%
Net Price
$23,154
Median Earnings (10yr)
$46,164
Enrollment
1,135
Student : Faculty
8:1

Accreditor New England Commission on Higher Education
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (2-Year), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Fair
50/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes 35
Value 28
Affordability 20
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

As a two-year college, Nashua Community College admits essentially everyone who qualifies, so plan around cost and completion instead of your odds of getting in.

Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $23,154 a year on average, it sits in line with what public colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$23,154
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
24%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
20%
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)
$7,140
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$15,390
Room & Board (off-campus)
$16,152
Books & Supplies
$1,400
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,676
Total Cost of Attendance
$29,014

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
    $21,030
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $27,225
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $28,677
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $29,014
  • Over $110,000
    $28,492

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.

$1,750
10% percentile
$3,500
25% percentile
$11,000
Median percentile
$12,800
75% percentile
$20,000
90% 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 $8,000 ↓ $3,000
No Pell $7,125 ↓ $3,875
Dependent students $5,925 ↓ $5,075
Independent students $9,500 ↓ $1,500
Female students $7,847 ↓ $3,153
Male students $7,800 ↓ $3,200
Pell recipients: 17.3% (1,905 students)No Pell: 15.4% (1,697 students)Dependent students: 12.8% (1,411 students)Independent students: 20.6% (2,262 students)Female students: 17.0% (1,868 students)Male students: 16.9% (1,857 students)Overall Median$11,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($11,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

20% of students who start here finish within six years, and 63% come back after first year. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
20%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
63%
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

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $46,164 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$46,164
Earning > $25K
66%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$38,000$40,000$43,000$45,000$47,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$36,100

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$47,000

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$35,700

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$42,400

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$43,200

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $10,900, about 23% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

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 ↑ 15.9 pts across 6 years
62.6%1yr66.7%3yr77.9%5yr78.5%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 78% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,135 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 41% are the first in their family to go to college, and 70% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.

Total Enrolled
1,135
Part-Time
70%
First-Generation
41%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 55.8% 633
Hispanic 26.7% 303
Black 4.5% 51
Asian 4.5% 51
Other 4.1% 47
White: 55.8% (633 students)Hispanic: 26.7% (303 students)Black: 4.5% (51 students)Asian: 4.5% (51 students)Other: 4.1% (47 students)Total1,135

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Nashua Community College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Small City Nashua, New Hampshire
Housing
Commuter campus No on-campus housing
Adult Learners
34% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Nashua Community College offers a varied set of programs: 28 distinct programs across 17 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.

1 Program
4 Programs
2 Programs
2 Programs
3 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 8 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Student : Faculty
8:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$4,641
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$57,452
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$67,579
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

30 instructional faculty across 2 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 27 90% $68,277
Associate Professors 3 10% $61,302

Pros & Cons of Nashua Community College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Nashua Community College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Open admissions
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Low typical debt at graduation
  • First-gen-friendly student body
  • Flexible part-time enrollment options
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • First-year retention is below typical
  • Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Best for: Based on the data, Nashua 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 Nashua Community College

The questions families ask most about Nashua Community College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Nashua Community College hard to get into?
Not especially. Nashua Community College admits most qualified applicants, and reports no competitive acceptance rate. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Nashua Community College?
No acceptance rate is reported, which for a college like this normally means admission is open to anyone meeting the basic requirements. Confirm with the admissions office rather than assuming it.
How much does Nashua Community College cost?
Budget around $23,154 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Nashua Community College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $46,164 a year against a net price of $23,154, about 2.0 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Nashua Community College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Vehicle Maintenance, Business Administration. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Nashua Community College graduates earn?
About $46,164 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Nashua Community College accredited?
Yes. Nashua Community College is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Nashua Community College?
1,135 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Nashua Community College?
20% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Nashua Community College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Nashua Community College located?
Nashua Community College is located in Nashua, New Hampshire.
What programs does Nashua Community College offer?
28 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Vehicle Maintenance, Business Administration. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Nashua Community College?
8 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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