Best Colleges in New Hampshire (2023 Rankings)

New Hampshire is rich in historical significance and natural beauty. It's the original home of the alarm clock, the first summer resort in the United States, and the birthplace of the first American to travel to space. Visit New Hampshire, and you'll also find several fantastic colleges and universities. 

With so many great New Hampshire colleges to choose from, it can be hard to know exactly where to start your search. We're here to step in and help. In the list below, in no particular order, you can explore the best colleges in the state of New Hampshire and their bachelor's degree programs.

University of New Hampshire (UNH)

Location: Durham, NH

Acceptance rate: 85% 

Undergraduate enrollment: 11,787

In-state tuition: $18,938 

Out-of-state tuition: $36,278 

Six-year graduation rate: 76% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 16:1

At the University of New Hampshire, you'll find award-winning faculty, high-quality facilities, and proximity to the ocean, mountains, and Boston. The city's main campus is located in one of the safest college towns in America, and the school also recently incorporated Granite State College in Concord as the UNH College of Professional Studies. 

The University of New Hampshire is proud to offer students more than 200 majors from 11 different colleges. Biology, psychology, and business administration are a few of the school's most popular majors. When you aren't in class, you can take advantage of the school's 30 intramural offerings and 29 club sports, or you can be one of the 16.7% of students who get involved in a fraternity or sorority. 

Dartmouth College

Location: Hanover, NH

Acceptance rate: 9% 

Undergraduate enrollment: 4,170 

Average tuition: $60,117 

Six-year graduation rate: 95%  

Student-to-faculty ratio: 7:1

Dartmouth College is an Ivy League school that was founded in 1769, and its history dates back to the American Revolution. Dartmouth is widely regarded as one of the top private institutions in the northeastern United States. 

In addition to the school's 60 majors, Dartmouth allows students to design a special major that best aligns with their specific passions. Students can also choose from a wide selection of minors and get involved with various activities on campus through the school's student life office.

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU)

Location: Manchester, NH

Acceptance rate: 94% 

Undergraduate enrollment: 111,599 

Average tuition: $9,650 

Six-year graduation rate: 37% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 21:1

Although Southern New Hampshire University began as a school of accounting and secretarial science, it's developed into a large university with over 200 degree programs. In addition to the 3,000 on-campus students, more than 100,000 additional students sign up for online classes. 

On-campus degree choices include accounting and finance, art and design, business, criminal justice, and more. Students taking in-person classes will enjoy the beautiful 300-acre campus, brand-new residence halls, and impressive state-of-the-art facilities. Students pursuing online degrees will appreciate the opportunity to take flexible classes with low tuition rates to help them advance in their careers. 

Keene State College

Location: Keene, NH

Acceptance rate: 91% 

Undergraduate enrollment: 3,096

In-state tuition: $14,638 

Out-of-state tuition: $24,350 

Six-year graduation rate: 60% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 15:1

Keene State College prides itself on its robust education methodology that prepares students for an ever-changing job market. Students at this public college can choose from one of 40  degree programs, or they can design their own degree based on their specific interests and passions. It's not uncommon for a Keane student majoring in computer science to take a class in ceramics, and it's a major part of what makes the Keane experience unique.

When you aren't in class, you can get involved with some of the many on-campus activities. Keene's OwlNet keeps undergraduate students up to date on campus-wide events, and many students will take advantage of the school's student organizations, fraternity and sorority life, and various community service opportunities. 

Saint Anselm College

Location: Manchester, NH

Acceptance rate: 76% 

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,019 

Average tuition: $42,840

Six-year graduation rate: 84% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1

Saint Anselm College first opened its doors to students in 1889, but its purpose for existing hasn't changed since day one. They continue to encourage students to listen, challenge, and transform the world. Saint Anselm was ranked as the 93rd-best liberal arts college by Forbes. Their strong alumni network includes nearly 23,000 graduates. 

Saint Anselm students pick from 45 majors and 52 minors to study. They also have the option to pursue one of several pre-professional programs in fields such as dentistry, medicine, engineering, and theology. Students are also encouraged to explore the surrounding nature, eat great food, play, volunteer, and lead during their time in school. 

Colby-Sawyer College

Location: New London, NH

Acceptance rate: 91% 

Undergraduate enrollment: 878 

Average tuition: $44,930 

Six-year graduation rate: 65% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1

Colby-Sawyer College is a private university that first opened in 1837. The liberal arts school values hands-on experience, which is why all students participate in at least one internship during their time in school. Students also complete a Capstone project before graduation that demonstrates the knowledge they have gained in their particular field.

In total, Colby-Sawyer offers more than 25 unique majors from four different schools. They also provide several pre-professional tracks in fields such as law, physical and occupational therapy, and veterinary and medical work. In addition, the school's student activities office plans events such as Mountain Day along with ongoing programs such as campus sports and the Emerging Leaders initiative.

Plymouth State University

Location: Plymouth, NH

Acceptance rate: 89% 

Undergraduate enrollment: 3,739 

In-state tuition: $14,492 

Out-of-state tuition: $23,902 

Six-year graduation rate: 58% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 17:1

Plymouth State University has put students first since they opened in 1871. Recently, they announced a new cluster learning model that enables students to design a degree program that best aligns with their future aspirations and goals. Their incredible 170-acre campus blends a timeless New England look with modern, up-to-date amenities. In addition, 97% of students live on campus or less than one mile away.

Plymouth State offers students a wide range of major choices along with master's degrees in fields like Applied Meteorology, Athletic Training, and Health Education and Promotion. The school also has doctoral degree programs for higher education and learning, leadership, and community. Plymouth State takes student engagement seriously and works hard to ensure students always have activities to enjoy on campus. 

Rivier University

Location: Nashua, NH

Acceptance rate: 76% 

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,296 

Average tuition: $34,510 

Six-year graduation rate: 56% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 15:1

Rivier University is a four-year private Catholic school that first opened in 1933. They have several fantastic graduate and undergraduate programs. Students can choose to attend classes online or in person at the school's gorgeous 68-acre campus. Although the school has Catholic roots, the student body is diverse and the faculty and staff are welcoming to students from all backgrounds. 

Franklin Pierce University

Location: Rindge, NH

Acceptance rate: 85% 

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,436 

Average tuition: $40,680 

Six-year graduation rate: 51% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 12:1

Franklin Pierce University sits on a 1,200-acre campus in Rindge. They also have additional operational centers in the state in Manchester and Lebanon along with a Goodyear, Aarizona, location. The school was founded in November 1962 and prides itself on encouraging students to "Be Frank." They hope to make it possible for more students to attend school, and they awarded $30 million of university funds to students during the 2022-2023 school year alone.  

Honorable mentions

Here are a few more schools that deserve our attention as we think about the best colleges and universities in New Hampshire.

• New England College (Henniker, NH)
• Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (Merrimack, NH)
• Magdalen College of Liberal Arts (Warner, NH)

Your path to success among New Hampshire's premier institutions starts with College Rover

As you can see, New Hampshire is a great place to continue your education over the next four years. If you want to learn more about any of the above schools, we encourage you to visit the college in person so you can speak directly with faculty and current students and experience for yourself what it's like to step on campus.

If you want to do your own research on schools, programs, and campus life, check out College Rover. You can create an account to save your top options and build a spreadsheet to instantly compare your preferred choices alongside each other.

Check out College Rover today! We think you'll quickly see how it can help make the process of searching for higher education a little more awesome.

College Rover gets the majority of its data directly from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). The DOE publishing schedule "lags" the most current data which some colleges post on their official websites. This may cause there to be a difference in the data you see on College Rover and an individual college website. College Rover's website is updated as the DOE data becomes available and is configured for the College Rover website.