Best Small Colleges in New Hampshire 2024

Badge for BEST IN NEW HAMPSHIRE SMALL COLLEGES

Published: Mar 26, 2021
Updated: Mar 25, 2024

Small colleges in New Hampshire are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.

10 Best Small Colleges in New Hampshire 2024

Saint Anselm College
Keene State College
New England College
Plymouth State University
Franklin Pierce University
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Granite State College
Rivier University
Colby–Sawyer College

Saint Anselm College
New England College
Plymouth State University
Keene State College
Franklin Pierce University
University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
Rivier University
Granite State College
Colby–Sawyer College

New England College 100%
Plymouth State University 98%
Franklin Pierce University 93%
Keene State College 90%
University of New Hampshire at Manchester 85%
Rivier University 84%
Saint Anselm College 82%
Colby–Sawyer College 78%

Plymouth State University 17 to 1
Keene State College 15 to 1
Rivier University 15 to 1
Granite State College 14 to 1
Franklin Pierce University 12 to 1
Saint Anselm College 11 to 1
Colby–Sawyer College 10 to 1
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts 9 to 1
New England College 7 to 1
University of New Hampshire at Manchester 7 to 1

Colby–Sawyer College $47,164
Saint Anselm College $45,340
Franklin Pierce University $43,155
New England College $41,518
Rivier University $36,610
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts $28,000
University of New Hampshire at Manchester $15,150
Plymouth State University $11,870
Keene State College $11,754
Granite State College $7,536

Franklin Pierce University $37,200
Saint Anselm College $25,000
University of New Hampshire at Manchester $14,170
Colby–Sawyer College $13,800
New England College $13,678
Plymouth State University $12,109
Rivier University $11,080
Granite State College $9,810
Keene State College $9,756

Colby–Sawyer College
Rivier University
Granite State College
University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
Franklin Pierce University
Plymouth State University
New England College
Keene State College
Saint Anselm College

Colby–Sawyer College
Granite State College
Rivier University
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Franklin Pierce University
Keene State College
Plymouth State University
New England College
Saint Anselm College

Colby–Sawyer College 78%
Saint Anselm College 82%
Rivier University 84%
University of New Hampshire at Manchester 85%
Keene State College 90%
Franklin Pierce University 93%
Plymouth State University 98%
New England College 100%

New England College 7 to 1
University of New Hampshire at Manchester 7 to 1
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts 9 to 1
Colby–Sawyer College 10 to 1
Saint Anselm College 11 to 1
Franklin Pierce University 12 to 1
Granite State College 14 to 1
Keene State College 15 to 1
Rivier University 15 to 1
Plymouth State University 17 to 1

Granite State College $7,536
Keene State College $11,754
Plymouth State University $11,870
University of New Hampshire at Manchester $15,150
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts $28,000
Rivier University $36,610
New England College $41,518
Franklin Pierce University $43,155
Saint Anselm College $45,340
Colby–Sawyer College $47,164

Keene State College $9,756
Granite State College $9,810
Rivier University $11,080
Plymouth State University $12,109
New England College $13,678
Colby–Sawyer College $13,800
University of New Hampshire at Manchester $14,170
Saint Anselm College $25,000
Franklin Pierce University $37,200

Table of Contents

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.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

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

The following list of the best small colleges and universities in New Hampshire is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 10 small colleges in New Hampshire. The list below of the best small colleges in New Hampshire. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.

How do we determine New Hampshire's best small colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Small Colleges in New Hampshire 2023

Build your own college rankings

New Hampshire’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2024 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2023. That’s because we took a fundamentally different approach. For 2024 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.

Many states have great small colleges. If you’re interested in looking into what other states have to offer, check out the best small colleges in West Virginia and Iowa.

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Best Small Colleges in New Hampshire 2024

10 Best Small Colleges in New Hampshire 2024

Colleges and Universities in New Hampshire

What are New Hampshire’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Small Colleges in New Hampshire 2023

Career Outlook for degree at Saint Anselm College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Keene State College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at New England College

Most Influential Alumni

New England College’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Plymouth State University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Franklin Pierce University

Most Influential Alumni

Franklin Pierce University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at University of New Hampshire at Manchester

Career Outlook for degree at Granite State College

Granite State College’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Rivier University

Career Outlook for degree at Colby–Sawyer College

Most Influential Alumni

New Hampshire’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest

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