Public · Community college

Lakes Region Community College

Laconia, New Hampshire · Distant town

#1 for grad earnings in New Hampshire#4 best value in New Hampshire

16%
Transfer rate: $13,124
Avg net price: 46%
Grad / completion: $51,182
Median earnings

Lakes Region Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Laconia, New Hampshire (distant town setting), enrolling 482 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 482 undergradsDistant townCold wintersSnowy

About Laconia, New Hampshire

Laconia is a city in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. A large Abenaki Indian settlement called Aquadoctan once existed at the point now known as The Weirs, named by colonists for fishing weirs discovered at the outlet of the Winnipesaukee River. Laconia is home to the Winnipesaukee Muskrats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The franchise began play in 2010 at Robbie Mills Field in Laconia. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Distant town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 35 miles to Manchester, NH
To the ocean: 45 miles
Nearest airport: 40 miles to Manchester-Boston (MHT)

How Lakes Region Community College compares

Graduation rate46%

Higher than 33% · #9 of 14 in New Hampshire

First-year retention56%

Higher than 16%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,182

Higher than 92% · #1 of 9 in New Hampshire

Average net price$13,124

Cheaper than 57% · #4 cheapest of 13 in New Hampshire

Median debt at graduation$18,525

Lower than 8%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 82%

Undergraduate enrollment482

Larger than 61%

Percentiles compare Lakes Region Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in New Hampshire.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women23950%
Men24350%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White76%
Black1.0%
Hispanic6.9%
Asian1.2%
Other or multiracial15%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 482
Student–faculty ratio: 10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 27%
First-generation students: 43%
Students over 25: 27%
Median family income: $37,455
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $59,652
Endowment: $913,102

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition: $6,720
Out-of-state tuition: $14,970
Room & board: $10,470
Books & supplies: $1,400
Total cost of attendance: $21,494
Average net price: $13,124

Outcomes

Graduated: 46%
First-year retention: 56%
Transferred to another college: 16%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $37,104
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $51,182
Median debt at graduation: $18,525
Students with federal loans: 27%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 46%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: Yes
Dorm capacity: 70
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 15%
Housing charge (year): $8,220
Application fee: Free

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

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.

< $30k

$12,270

$30–48k

$17,404

$48–75k

—

$75–110k

$21,171

$110k+

$20,947

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.

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.

30%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$473

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 30% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $473. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 111 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): $51,182
Typical debt at graduation: $18,525
Debt vs. one year's pay: 36%
Out-earn a HS grad: 57%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women

$46,573

Men

$50,937

Men out-earn women by $4,364 (9%) 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: 12°F
Annual rain: 45.6″
Annual snow: 61.9″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lakeport 2, NH US station (2.9 mi from campus).

What Lakes Region Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

15 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

15———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

15 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

15———Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

15 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

15———Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———Fire ProtectionAssoc.

9 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

9———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

8 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

8———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———Culinary Arts and Related ServicesAssoc.

5 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

5———Fire ProtectionCert.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Accounting and Related ServicesAssoc.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

3 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

3———

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 Lakes Region Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Lakes Region Community College side by side →

River Valley Community College

Public

Claremont, New Hampshire · Fringe rural · 52 mi to Manchester

Students: 608
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 34%
Earnings: $45k

Manchester Community College

Public

Manchester, New Hampshire · Midsize city · 2 mi to Manchester

Students: 1,587
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $49k

Lake Region State College

Public

Devils Lake, North Dakota · Remote town · 128 mi to Bismarck

Students: 611
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $50k

Nashua Community College

Public

Nashua, New Hampshire · Small city · 14 mi to Manchester

Students: 1,135
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 21%
Earnings: $46k

Great Bay Community College

Public

Portsmouth, New Hampshire · Small suburb · 34 mi to Manchester

Students: 1,259
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 23%
Earnings: $42k

Southwest Technology Center

Public

Altus, Oklahoma · Fringe rural · 117 mi to Oklahoma City

Students: 332
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $49k

Colleges near Lakes Region Community College

Empire Beauty School-Laconia

Laconia, NH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 92 students

1 mi

NHTI-Concord's Community College

Concord, NH · Public · Associate · 2,154 students

20 mi

Plymouth State University

Plymouth, NH · Public · Bachelor's · 3,153 students

21 mi

University of New Hampshire-Franklin Pierce School of Law

Concord, NH · Public · Graduate

21 mi

Colby-Sawyer College

New London, NH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 771 students

27 mi

New England College

Henniker, NH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,022 students

29 mi

Empire Beauty School-Hooksett

Hooksett, NH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 306 students

31 mi

Southern New Hampshire University

Manchester, NH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 163,164 students

32 mi

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.