New Hampshire is home to 14 colleges that offer bachelor’s degrees. They include five public colleges and nine private non-profit schools.
According to College Board, these numbers are based on the 2021-22 academic year.
Many U.S. students receive thousands of dollars in financial aid for their undergraduate education. The average award amount is $14,800.
This list features some of the best brick-and-mortar schools in New Hampshire. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality for post-secondary institutions. We included liberal arts colleges and research universities as well as small, midsize, and large institutions. Next, we compared this comprehensive list to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications like the U.S. News & World Report among others to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.
The colleges on our list are accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), a reputable organization that examines the objectives, quality, and overall effectiveness of education programs in the northeastern United States.
We evaluated each school on tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, and reputation as well as the student resources provided for on-campus students. Then we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.
When choosing a New Hampshire college to attend, take into account how your college education will prepare you to enter the state’s workforce. In October 2021, the five industries that employed the most workers in New Hampshire were trade, transportation, and utilities; education and health services; goods-producing; retail trade; and government.
The state’s five fastest-growing careers for workers with a bachelor’s degree are information security analysts, actuaries, atmospheric and space scientists, logisticians, and museum technicians and conservators. Enrolling in a college degree program that’s related to one of these fields could set you up with a promising career after graduation. In some cases, you may be able to begin working in your chosen field even while completing your college program.
Many of the largest employers in New Hampshire need qualified workers in these fields and career paths. A few of the state’s largest employers are the University System of New Hampshire, Trustees of Dartmouth College, and J Jill Distribution Center.
While researching the best colleges in New Hampshire, it’s important to take into account what financial aid options are available to you. These state and federal resources have a wealth of information about grants, scholarships, and other financial aid help that you might be able to benefit from.