New Hampshire Board of Delegates
Ross Gittell
Chancellor, Community College System of New Hampshire
Todd Leach
Chancellor,University System of New Hampshire
Michele D. Perkins
President, New England College
The Honorable Andrew R. Peterson
Senator David Watters
Capital Budget and Transportation Committees (chair)
Michael Seidel
Director, Division of Higher Education
New Hampshire Department of Education
New Hampshire Legislative Advisory Committee Members
Senator David Watters*
Chair: Capital Budget; Transportation
Member: Energy and Natural Resources
Senator Melanie Levesque
Chair: Election Law and Municipal Affairs
Member: Judiciary; Transporation
Senator Jay Kahn
Chair: Education and Workforce Development
Member: Finance
*NEBHE Board Member
Higher Education Fast Facts
• Read the 2017-18 Published Tuition and Fees at Colleges and Universities in New Hampshire. In academic year 2017-18, the average combined in-state cost of tuition and fees in New Hampshire were $5,275 at public two-year colleges and $13,326 at public four-year colleges. These prices mark an increase of 2% and 1%, respectively, over 2016-17.
• The share of income needed to pay the average tuition and fee prices (both before and after the maximum Pell Grant award) has increased since 2011-12 in all income quintiles, except for the highest quintile (Figures 1 and 2).
• New Hampshire is considered a “high-debt state;” it ranks 1st in the nation among states in which college students graduate with the most debt. The average debt amount for students graduating from four-year public and private institutions in New Hampshire in 2016 was $36,367, and 74% of students graduated with loans. For comparison, the national average debt amount in 2016 was $28,699, and the proportion of students graduating with debt across the U.S. was 59%.
• In 2016-17, 17,277 first-time degree-/certificate-seeking undergraduates were enrolled in a New Hampshire postsecondary institution, marking an increase of 22.3% since 2009-10.
• New Hampshire’s postsecondary attainment goal is for 65% of 25-64 year-olds to hold a “high quality postsecondary credential or degree” by 2025. (“65×25,” New Hampshire Coalition for Business & Education ) According to A Stronger Nation, a report by the Lumina Foundation, New Hampshire’s current total attainment rate is 50.6% .
Program Participation and NEBHE’s Added Value
NEBHE’s Regional Student Program (RSP) Tuition Break provides New Hampshire residents with access to specialized undergraduate and graduate degree programs at public campuses in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont — all at a substantial tuition discount.
• In FY 2018, 2,433 New Hampshire residents participated in RSP Tuition Break and saved a total of $13,974,966 on tuition costs. The average program participant saved $7,271.
• In FY 2018, RSP provided $10,058,124 in tuition revenue and $1,184,177 in fee revenue to participating New Hampshire postsecondary institutions.
The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is a voluntary, nationwide agreement among its member states and U.S. territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance-education courses and programs. It is intended to increases the accessibility of distance education courses to students across state lines. Institutions that choose to participate agree to operate under common standards and procedures, providing a more uniform and less costly regulatory environment for institutions, more focused oversight responsibilities for states, and better resolution of student complaints. New Hampshire is a NEBHE state that serves as a member of SARA in this reciprocal relationship. For more information about New Hampshire’s participation and a list of approved institutions, click here.
