Southern New Hampshire University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Manchester, New Hampshire. It enrolls 163,164 students (a very large 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.
AccreditorNew England Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
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 (4-Year Selective), 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
41/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes15
Value4
Affordability45
Selectivity1
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Southern New Hampshire University admits 99.5% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
99.5%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Southern New Hampshire University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
8.0 pts
since 2019
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 $36,708 a year on average, it sits above what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That is a serious number, so the earnings further down matter more here than usual. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$17,200
Room & Board (on-campus)
$12,800
Room & Board (off-campus)
$14,252
Books & Supplies
$1,500
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$9,888
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$12,242
Total Cost of Attendance
$40,918
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
$36,441
$30,001 – $48,000
$36,536
$48,001 – $75,000
$36,641
$75,001 – $110,000
$37,704
Over $110,000
$38,025
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.
$1,58310%percentile
$3,16625%percentile
$21,082Medianpercentile
$13,85075%percentile
$23,50090%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 $9,419
↓ $11,663
No Pell $8,695
↓ $12,387
Dependent students $6,500
↓ $14,582
Independent students $9,499
↓ $11,583
Female students $9,419
↓ $11,663
Male students $8,459
↓ $12,623
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $6,332, less than completers ($21,082), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
30% of students who start here finish within six years, and 61% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. 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
30%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
61%
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 $50,318 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)
$50,318
Earning > $25K
75%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
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
$44,400
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$58,800
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$41,700
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$50,000
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$54,800
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $14,400, about 24% 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 ↑
14.9 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 85% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 163,164 students, a sprawling student community. Worth knowing: 48% are the first in their family to go to college, and 67% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.
Total Enrolled
163,164
Part-Time
67%
First-Generation
48%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 49.8%81,223
Black 19.9%32,437
Hispanic 15.2%24,768
Other 5.2%8,533
Asian 2.3%3,785
International 0.5%832
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Southern New Hampshire University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Southern New Hampshire University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
104 distinct programs across
21 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.
There are 24 students for every instructor here: high, so expect big lectures and to work harder for one-to-one time.
Student : Faculty
24:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$1.2B
Strong financial cushion supports aid and stability
Avg Faculty Salary
$87,141
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
129 instructional faculty across 5 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
41
32%
$109,672
Associate Professors
38
29%
$81,787
Assistant Professors
38
29%
$75,238
Instructors
8
6%
$72,509
Lecturers
4
3%
$49,410
Pros & Cons of Southern New Hampshire University
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Southern New Hampshire University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
First-year retention is below typical
Best for:
Based on the data, Southern New Hampshire University 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 want a large campus with breadth and variety.
Frequently Asked Questions about Southern New Hampshire University
The questions families ask most about Southern New Hampshire University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Southern New Hampshire University hard to get into?
Not especially. Southern New Hampshire University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 99.5%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Southern New Hampshire University?
99.5% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Southern New Hampshire University cost?
Budget around $36,708 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 Southern New Hampshire University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $50,318 a year against a net price of $36,708, about 1.4 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 Southern New Hampshire University known for?
Mostly Business Administration, Business Administration, Psychology. 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 Southern New Hampshire University graduates earn?
About $50,318 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 Southern New Hampshire University accredited?
Yes. Southern New Hampshire University is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Southern New Hampshire University?
163,164 students. Large, so expect big lectures and more independence in finding your own footing. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Southern New Hampshire University?
30% 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 Southern New Hampshire University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Southern New Hampshire University located?
Southern New Hampshire University is located in Manchester, New Hampshire.
What programs does Southern New Hampshire University offer?
104 different programs, most commonly Business Administration, Business Administration, Psychology. 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 Southern New Hampshire University?
24 students per instructor. On the high side, so expect big classes and to seek out contact time yourself. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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.
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