Ranked, compared, and filtered by real data: costs, outcomes, and admissions
Dartmouth gives New Hampshire an Ivy League presence that far outweighs the state's population, while the University of New Hampshire has developed strong programs in marine and coastal sciences tied to the state's short but productive stretch of Atlantic coastline.
Tuition costs run higher in New Hampshire than in most states, but the proximity to the Boston job market and the density of employers in the Manchester and Nashua corridor make the investment more practical than the sticker prices suggest.
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See how New Hampshire's colleges compare to the national average on the four measures most students and families weigh when deciding where to go: cost, acceptance rates, graduate earnings, and graduation rates.
The colleges in New Hampshire that rank highest by UCD Score, and those that deliver above-national graduate earnings at a below-average net price, two of the strongest signals when choosing a school.
Not every student is looking for the same thing. These six panels rank New Hampshire's colleges by the data that matters most for each path.
Ranked by annual graduates
Ranked by annual graduates
Ranked by annual graduates
Ranked by net price
Ranked by enrollment
Ranked by grad earnings
Which colleges give you the most for what you spend? These eight schools rank highest in New Hampshire by the ratio of 10-year graduate earnings to annual net price.
| # | College | Net Price / yr | Earnings (10yr) | Ratio | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of New Hampshire at Manchester Manchester | $9,992 | $66,479 | 6.7× | Excellent |
| 2 | University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online Manchester | $10,864 | $66,479 | 6.1× | Excellent |
| 3 | Lakes Region Community College Laconia | $13,124 | $51,182 | 3.9× | Strong |
| 4 | Manchester Community College Manchester | $14,143 | $49,063 | 3.5× | Strong |
| 5 | Dartmouth College Hanover | $29,519 | $97,434 | 3.3× | Strong |
| 6 | Keene State College Keene | $17,887 | $54,368 | 3.0× | Strong |
| 7 | River Valley Community College Claremont | $14,804 | $44,700 | 3.0× | Strong |
| 8 | Plymouth State University Plymouth | $19,216 | $57,304 | 3.0× | Good |
ROI Ratio = median earnings 10 years after enrollment ÷ annual net price. Higher is better.
The six fields of study with the most annual graduates across all colleges in New Hampshire, based on IPEDS completion data.
The specific degree programs producing the most graduates across New Hampshire's colleges. A more granular view than the Popular Majors above, useful when you already know roughly what you want to study and want to see where the volume is.
The cities in New Hampshire with the most colleges, ranked by number of institutions.
Utah crowds 14,137 students into each of its colleges, four times the national norm. These are the states where college options are scarcest per student.
There are 170 colleges that operate a medical school, and they cluster hard. Texas leads with 14, three states hold a fifth of them, and four states have none.
Northeast college graduates earn about $12,700 more a decade out than Southern ones, but they also pay thousands more to get there. The regional split, by the numbers.
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
Scout uses AI and can make mistakes. Verify important numbers on the page.
