Why This Matters

  • 8 TWO-YEAR ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAMS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

    College Navigator reports that there are eight institutions that offer two-year associate degree programs in New Hampshire.

  • $7,094 AVERAGE IN-DISTRICT TUITION & FEES

    According to College Board, the average New Hampshire resident paid $7,094 in tuition and fees at in-district community colleges during the 2022-23 school year.

  • 452,493 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN TWO-YEAR INSTITUTIONS RECEIVED FINANCIAL AID

    During the 2019-20 school year, 80.6% of enrolled students relied on some sort of financial aid to fund their education. This includes scholarships, grants, and loans.

Our Research

This list features some of the best community colleges 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 small, midsize, and large colleges as well as trade, technical, and vocational programs. 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 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 students. Then we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.

The Top 50 Community Colleges in New Hampshire

Best Community Colleges In New Hampshire Badge 2023
01
Intelligent Pick
White Mountains Community College
01
Best Advanced Manufacturing Program
Manchester Community College
01
Best for Undetermined Majors
Nashua Community College
01
Best for Future Leaders
Great Bay Community College
01
Best For Fire Science
Lakes Region Community College
01
Most Central Location
NHTI - Concord's Community College

What You Should Know About Graduating From Community College in New Hampshire

When researching community colleges, you should consider your career potential and desired salary. In 2021, the top five highest-paying jobs in New Hampshire that require an associate degree were air traffic controllers, funeral home managers, radiation therapists, nuclear medicine technologists, and diagnostic medical sonographers.

New graduates emerging into the workforce should take into account which job fields tend to have the most openings. The top five careers with the highest employment rates for associate degree holders in New Hampshire are preschool teachers (excluding special education teachers), paralegals and legal assistants, dental hygienists, veterinary technologists and technicians, and radiologic technicians.

Along with reviewing the careers that typically have the most job openings, students should examine which fields often have low employment rates for associate degree holders. For example, mechanical drafter jobs are projected to decline over the next decade.

What’s Next?

The cost of tuition is an important factor to consider when researching community colleges. Below is a list of federal and state resources that describe some of the scholarships, grants, and other financial aid opportunities available for associate degree holders in New Hampshire.

  • New Hampshire Department of Education. The New Hampshire Department of Education offers information on both state and federal grant funding, including details about loan programs and financial aid.
  • Federal Student Aid. Every year, over $120 billion in financial aid is awarded by the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid. Students interested in aid can check their eligibility through FAFSA4caster and submit an application through the online FAFSA form.
  • CareerOneStop. CareerOneStop, which is sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, offers details about the scholarships and grants available in each state. The site lets you filter information by degree level and state, which makes it easy to find scholarships that you are qualified for.