Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in New Hampshire
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every New Hampshire college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our New Hampshire scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $6,900 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
New Hampshire's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
New Hampshire Promise
No tuition at UNH, Keene State or Plymouth State for New Hampshire first-year students from fall 2027 whose family income is $100,000 or less. A student also needs typical assets, a 2.7 high school GPA and financial need. Grant aid pays the tuition, with no separate application.
Sources: University System of New Hampshire and University of New Hampshire, Financial Aid
“Beginning in fall 2027, incoming first-year students who are New Hampshire residents and have a total family income of up to $100,000 a year can pay no tuition at any USNH institution, including UNH Durham, UNH Manchester, UNH College of Professional Studies Online, Keene State College, and Plymouth State University.”
“who qualify to attend a USNH institution can have their tuition costs covered by federal, state, and institutional grant aid.”
“Have a total family income of up to $100,000 with typical assets”
“including New Hampshire residency, admission to a USNH institution, a total family income of up to $100,000, demonstrated financial need based on the FAFSA, full-time enrollment, and pursuit of a first bachelor’s degree.”
“The New Hampshire Promise is open to eligible first-year and transfer students enrolling in fall 2027.”
“Have a cumulative high school GPA of 2.7 or above for new first-year students”
UNIQUE grants (UNIQUE Endowment and UNIQUE Annual)
Grants for high-need New Hampshire residents who are Pell eligible and work on a first bachelor's degree at a New Hampshire college. Keene State lists $1,400 a year from the Endowment and $3,500 from UNIQUE Annual. Ask each college which it awards.
Source: Keene State College, Financial Aid
“NH UNIQUE Programs These programs provide access and choice for deserving high-need New Hampshire residents enrolling in a NH institution.”
“UNIQUE Endowment With an annual award of $1,400, students must be a NH resident, be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, be enrolled full time, and working on their first bachelor’s degree.”
“UNIQUE Annual The annual award is $3,500. Students must be a NH resident, Pell eligible, and be working on their first bachelor’s degree.”
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth College private |
| Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay; Tuition covered — incomes between $125,000 and $175,000 | $100,242 |
| Keene State College public |
| New Hampshire Promise: no tuition for New Hampshire first-year students with a family income of $100,000 or less, from fall 2027 | $32,124 |
| New England College private |
| — | $64,303 |
| Plymouth State University public |
| New Hampshire Promise: no tuition for New Hampshire first-year students with a family income of $100,000 or less, from fall 2027 | $31,788 |
| Rivier University private |
| — | $64,528 |
| Saint Anselm College private |
| Anselmian Community Commitment: free tuition for Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont residents with a family income of $100,000 or less | $74,495 |
| University of New Hampshire public |
| New Hampshire Promise: no tuition for New Hampshire first-year students with a family income of $100,000 or less, from fall 2027 | $37,859 |
* The finder and our college comparison show this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
1 more New Hampshire college has no page here. For 0 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show it
- Southern New Hampshire University
Across state lines
The New England Tuition Break, run by the New England Board of Higher Education.
Coming to New Hampshire from elsewhere in New England
Students from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont can pay no more than 175% of resident tuition at New England public colleges, in the programs each college has approved.
Some programs are open to every New England student; others depend on the student's home state.
In New Hampshire, Keene State College, Plymouth State University, University of New Hampshire and University of New Hampshire at Manchester take part.
Going from New Hampshire to another New England state
A New Hampshire student can use it at public colleges in the other five states. The Board's search lists the approved programs and the rate at each college.
Source: New England Board of Higher Education, Tuition Break
“provides significant tuition savings to residents of the six New England states when they enroll at out-of-state public colleges and universities within New England and pursue approved programs.”
“The rate is based on a percentage (up to a maximum of 175 percent) of a college’s in-state rate.”
“The programs that are marked with a [F] are eligible for all New England residents. The programs without a [F] are state dependent for eligibility.”
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
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How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $6,900 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our New Hampshire scenarios. Each scenario is a household in New Hampshire at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in New Hampshire.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.