Public · College
Keene State College
Keene, New Hampshire · Distant town
- 90.3%
- Admit rate
- $17,887
- Avg net price
- 60%
- Graduation rate
- $54,368
- Median earnings
Keene State College is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Keene, New Hampshire (distant town setting), enrolling 2,699 undergraduates.
About Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. In 1735, colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher granted lots in the township of "Upper Ashuelot" to 63 settlers who paid £5 each (equivalent to US$1,282.19 in 2025). It was settled after 1736 on Equivalent Lands. Keene has more than 20 churches, mostly Protestant, and one synagogue, Congregation Ahavas Achim. A significant landmark in downtown Keene is the United Church of Christ at Central Square, colloquially known in town as the "White Church" or the "Church at the Head of the Square". (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 42 miles to Manchester, NH
- To the ocean
- 72 miles
- Nearest airport
- 43 miles to Manchester-Boston (MHT)
How Keene State College compares
More selective than 23% · #8 most selective of 11 in New Hampshire
Higher than 60% · #5 of 13 in New Hampshire
Higher than 58%
Higher than 52% · #8 of 15 in New Hampshire
Cheaper than 60% · #3 cheapest of 13 in New Hampshire
Lower than 27%
Lower than 23%
Larger than 66%
Percentiles compare Keene State College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New Hampshire.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate2,69996%
- Graduate1234%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,52957%
- Men1,17043%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White83%
- Black2.4%
- Hispanic5.6%
- Asian1.4%
- Other or multiracial7.2%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,699
- Graduate enrollment
- 123
- Student–faculty ratio
- 17 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 26%
- First-generation students
- 23%
- Students over 25
- 4%
- Median family income
- $85,480
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $92,574
- Endowment
- $61,452,755
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 728 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From New Hampshire54%
- Other U.S. states46%
A regional draw: about 54% of first-years come from New Hampshire, the rest from elsewhere.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 90.3%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $14,784
- Out-of-state tuition
- $26,840
- Room & board
- $13,766
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $29,993
- Average net price
- $17,887
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 60%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 51%
- First-year retention
- 79%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $46,649
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $54,368
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,749
- Students with federal loans
- 67%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 71%
About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 1,999
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 74%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,616
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,040
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III without football
- Varsity athletes
- 570 (287 men · 283 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (13)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.9 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 22
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 3
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (2,848 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$16,045/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 100% — get grant money from Keene State College itself, averaging $8,573, which softens the sticker price.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 707 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $54,368
- Typical debt at graduation
- $25,749
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 47%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 65%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $8,241 (16%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 82°F
- Winter low
- 10°F
- Annual rain
- 46.1″
- Annual snow
- 59.8″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Keene, NH US station (2.5 mi from campus).
What Keene State College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Keene State College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Keene State College side by side →
Frostburg State University
Frostburg, Maryland · Remote town · 78 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 2,909
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $55k
Longwood University
Farmville, Virginia · Distant town · 55 mi to Richmond
- Students
- 3,015
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1120
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $52k
Plymouth State University
Plymouth, New Hampshire · Remote town · 54 mi to Manchester
- Students
- 3,153
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $57k
Fitchburg State University
Fitchburg, Massachusetts · Midsize suburb · 23 mi to Worcester
- Students
- 2,752
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1150
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $54k
Framingham State University
Framingham, Massachusetts · Small city · 19 mi to Worcester
- Students
- 2,566
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1180
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $52k
Western Connecticut State University
Danbury, Connecticut · Small city · 28 mi to New Haven
- Students
- 3,511
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1110
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $59k
Colleges near Keene State College
Antioch University-New England
Keene, NH · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Keene Beauty Academy
Keene, NH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 50 students
Landmark College
Putney, VT · Private nonprofit · Associate · 455 students
SIT Graduate Institute
Brattleboro, VT · Private nonprofit · Graduate · 0 students
Franklin Pierce University
Rindge, NH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 992 students
Mount Wachusett Community College
Gardner, MA · Public · Associate · 3,059 students
Greenfield Community College
Greenfield, MA · Public · Associate · 1,395 students
New England College
Henniker, NH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,022 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.














