Best Community Colleges in New Hampshire 2024

Badge for BEST IN NEW HAMPSHIRE COMMUNITY COLLEGES

The best community colleges provide an effective springboard into higher education, offering students high-quality two-year degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. The top-rated community colleges in New Hampshire offer a broad selection of associate’s degrees, affordable tuition rates, and strong partnerships with public four-year schools so that students can easily transfer their credits into accredited bachelor’s degree programs.

Colleges and Universities in New Hampshire

New Hampshire is also home to 21 public and private higher learning institutions, including the Ivy League school Dartmouth. Dartmouth has a 97% graduation rate, a student population of about 6,000, and a tuition rate of $55,000. Students can major in fields like English, creative writing, engineering, physics, and neuroscience. Dinesh D’Souza, Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers), and Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) are all noteworthy alumni of this school. The largest public institution, the University of New Hampshire, has its main campus in Durham.

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With a student body of almost 16,000, and a tuition rate of $18,000, UNH offers degrees in areas such as economics, biology, and social work. Those looking to earn an associate degree in fields such as early childhood education, cybersecurity networking, or aviation technology can choose from five community colleges that have tuition rates of $8,000. New Hampshire also offers three religiously affiliated colleges, ranging from $22,000 to $41,000 in tuition. Southern New Hampshire University is one of the fastest-growing universities in the United States. With its open enrollment policy, over 138,000 students attend classes both online and in person.

If maple sundaes and cider donuts sound appetizing to you, New Hampshire may be a great destination for your higher education. Take the Mount Washington Cog Railway for a scenic ride up to the 6,288-foot summit, or check out Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth, the state’s first settlement.

Whether you’re looking to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree, New Hampshire has a variety of institutions to choose from. Check out the program that best fits you.


What are New Hampshire’s Colleges & Universities?

New Hampshire’s Best Overall

New Hampshire's Best Community Colleges Badge
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We’ve identified 5 community colleges in New Hampshire. The following list shows the best community colleges and primarily associate degree granting colleges in New Hampshire.

Best Community Colleges in New Hampshire

  1. Tuition + fees

    $7K

    Graduation

    24%

    Student body

    3K

    What is Great Bay Community College known for?

    Great Bay Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

  2. Tuition + fees

    $7K

    Graduation

    37%

    Student body

    5K

    Career Outlook for degree at Manchester Community College

    Cost of Degree: $7,090
    Starting Salary: $39,600
    What is Manchester Community College known for?

    Manchester Community College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

  3. Tuition + fees

    $7K

    Graduation

    40%

    Student body

    3K

    Career Outlook for degree at Nashua Community College

    Cost of Degree: $7,140
    Starting Salary: $40,000
    What is Nashua Community College known for?

    Nashua Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

  4. Tuition + fees

    $7K

    Graduation

    53%

    Student body

    1K

    Career Outlook for degree at White Mountains Community College

    Cost of Degree: $7,050
    Starting Salary: $37,300
    What is White Mountains Community College known for?

    White Mountains Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

  5. Tuition + fees

    $7K

    Graduation

    30%

    Student body

    5K

    Career Outlook for degree at NHTI – Concord's Community College

    Cost of Degree: $7,200
    Expenses: $16,268
    Starting Salary: $41,700
    Cost Recoup Time: 11 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is NHTI – Concord's Community College known for?

    NHTI – Concord's Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

  1. White Mountains Community College
  2. Great Bay Community College
  3. NHTI – Concord's Community College
  4. Manchester Community College
  5. Nashua Community College
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