by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which college to attend when you have so many options available. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Top New Hampshire Colleges ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
After analyzing 17 schools in New Hampshire, we came up with our list of those that offered the highest quality education. Our ranking is based on over 20 objective factors, including post graduate earnings, freshman retention, and graduation rate. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Dartmouth College tops this year’s ranking as the best school in New Hampshire for overall quality.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 88%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth make an average of $97,434 per year during the early years of their career.
Out of the 17 schools in New Hampshire that were part of this year’s ranking, University of New Hampshire - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from UNH make an average of $66,479 a year.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Southern New Hampshire University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in New Hampshire.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from SNHU go into careers with an average salary of $50,318 during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Anselm College. It ranked #4 on our 2025 Best Colleges in New Hampshire list.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from St. Anselm College make an average of $73,371 per year during the early years of their career.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at River Valley Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in New Hampshire.
The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from NH Community Technical College - Claremont make an average of $44,700 a year.
University of New Hampshire at Manchester did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in New Hampshire ranking, coming in at #6.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UNH Manchester make an average of $66,479 per year during the early years of their career.
Rivier University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in New Hampshire ranking, coming in at #7.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Rivier make an average of $52,248 a year.
Keene State College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in New Hampshire ranking.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $54,368 during the early years of their career..
With a ranking of #9, Plymouth State University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in New Hampshire list.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Plymouth State go into careers with an average salary of $57,304 during the early years of their career.
NHTI-Concord’s Community College landed the #10 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in New Hampshire ranking.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from NHTI make an average of $48,943 per year during the early years of their career.
Colby - Sawyer College landed the #11 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in New Hampshire ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Colby - Sawyer make an average of $46,474 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #12, Nashua Community College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in New Hampshire list.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Nashua Community College make an average of $46,164 per year during the early years of their career.
New England College landed the #13 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in New Hampshire ranking.
The student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. During the early years of their career, graduates from NEC make an average of $42,092 a year.
With a ranking of #14, Franklin Pierce University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in New Hampshire list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Franklin Pierce make an average of $53,353 a year.
With a ranking of #15, Granite State College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in New Hampshire list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from GSC make an average of $51,254 a year.
White Mountains Community College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in New Hampshire ranking, coming in at #16.
The student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $35,037 during the early years of their career..
Great Bay Community College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in New Hampshire ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Great Bay Community College make an average of $42,397 per year during the early years of their career.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 17 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.