Public · Community college

Manchester Community College

Manchester, New Hampshire · Midsize city

#2 for grad earnings in New Hampshire

13%
Transfer rate: $14,143
Avg net price: 41%
Grad / completion: $49,063
Median earnings

Manchester Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Manchester, New Hampshire (midsize city setting), enrolling 1,587 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,587 undergradsMidsize cityCold wintersSnowy

About Manchester, New Hampshire

Manchester is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The native Pennacook people called Amoskeag Falls on the Merrimack River—the area that became the heart of Manchester—Namaoskeag, meaning "good fishing place". Cultural landmarks include the historic Palace Theatre, the Currier Museum of Art, the New Hampshire Institute of Art, the Franco-American Center, the Manchester Historic Association Millyard Museum, the Massabesic Audubon Center, the Amoskeag Fishways Learning and Visitors Center, the Lawrence L. Lee Scouting Museum and Max I. Silber Library, the Zimmerman House and Kalil House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and the SEE Science Center. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Midsize city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 2 miles to Manchester, NH
To the ocean: 34 miles
Nearest airport: 6 miles to Manchester-Boston (MHT)

How Manchester Community College compares

#66 · Community Colleges with the Highest Graduate Earnings

Graduation rate41%

Higher than 27% · #10 of 14 in New Hampshire

First-year retention61%

Higher than 24%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,063

Higher than 90% · #2 of 9 in New Hampshire

Average net price$14,143

Cheaper than 54% · #6 cheapest of 13 in New Hampshire

Median debt at graduation$15,060

Lower than 14%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 73%

Undergraduate enrollment1,587

Larger than 79%

Percentiles compare Manchester 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

Women91858%
Men66942%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White63%
Black6.8%
Hispanic16%
Asian4.9%
Other or multiracial9.5%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,587
Student–faculty ratio: 12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 25%
First-generation students: 42%
Students over 25: 35%
Median family income: $32,782
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $69,768
Endowment: $397,461

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $7,090
Out-of-state tuition: $15,340
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,400
Total cost of attendance: $20,703
Average net price: $14,143

Outcomes

Graduated: 41%
First-year retention: 61%
Transferred to another college: 13%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $38,656
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $49,063
Median debt at graduation: $15,060
Students with federal loans: 26%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 44%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
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

$11,338

$30–48k

$19,860

$48–75k

$20,311

$75–110k

$20,380

$110k+

$20,703

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.

42%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$418

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 42% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $418. 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 269 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): $49,063
Typical debt at graduation: $15,060
Debt vs. one year's pay: 31%
Out-earn a HS grad: 59%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.1 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

$49,400

Men

$50,316

Men out-earn women by $916 (2%) 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: 81°F
Winter low: 13°F
Annual rain: 42.5″
Annual snow: 52.8″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Massabesic Lake, NH US station (5 mi from campus).

What Manchester Community College graduates study — and earn

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

57 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

57———Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

45 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

45———Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)Cert.

36 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

36———Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCert.

27 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

20 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

20———Precision Metal WorkingAssoc.

17 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

17———Design and Applied ArtsAssoc.

16 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

16———Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersAssoc.

15 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

15———Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

13 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

13———Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCert.

13 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

13———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———

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 Manchester Community College

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

NHTI-Concord's Community College

Public

Concord, New Hampshire · Fringe town · 16 mi to Manchester

Students: 2,154
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 22%
Earnings: $49k

Great Bay Community College

Public

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

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

Nashua Community College

Public

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

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

River Valley Community College

Public

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

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

Alexandria Technical & Community College

Public

Alexandria, Minnesota · Remote town · 97 mi to Fargo

Students: 1,533
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $49k

Lakes Region Community College

Public

Laconia, New Hampshire · Distant town · 35 mi to Manchester

Students: 482
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $51k

Colleges near Manchester Community College

Southern New Hampshire University

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

2 mi

University of New Hampshire at Manchester

Manchester, NH · Public · Bachelor's · 443 students

2 mi

Saint Anselm College

Manchester, NH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,087 students

2 mi

Empire Beauty School-Hooksett

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

3 mi

University of New Hampshire-Franklin Pierce School of Law

Concord, NH · Public · Graduate

13 mi

NHTI-Concord's Community College

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

14 mi

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts

Merrimack, NH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 97 students

15 mi

Harmony Health Care Institute

Merrimack, NH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 153 students

15 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.