Public · University

Plymouth State University

Plymouth, New Hampshire · Remote town

#5 best value in New Hampshire
87.5%
Admit rate
$19,216
Avg net price
52%
Graduation rate
$57,304
Median earnings

Plymouth State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Plymouth, New Hampshire (remote town setting), enrolling 3,153 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 3,153 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 88% admitNCAA Division III with football · Massachusetts State College Athletic AssociationCold wintersSnowy

About Plymouth, New Hampshire

Plymouth is a New England town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States, in the White Mountains Region. Plymouth was originally the site of an Abenaki village that was burned to the ground by Captain Thomas Baker in 1712. This was just one of the many British raids on American Indian settlements during Queen Anne's War. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
65 miles
Nearest airport
32 miles to Lebanon (LEB)

How Plymouth State University compares

Selectivity87.5%

More selective than 29% · #6 most selective of 11 in New Hampshire

Graduation rate52%

Higher than 44% · #8 of 13 in New Hampshire

First-year retention68%

Higher than 26%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$57,304

Higher than 61% · #7 of 15 in New Hampshire

Average net price$19,216

Cheaper than 53% · #5 cheapest of 13 in New Hampshire

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment3,153

Larger than 70%

Percentiles compare Plymouth State University 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

3,678students
  • Undergraduate3,15386%
  • Graduate52514%

Undergraduates by gender

3,153undergrads
  • Women1,68854%
  • Men1,46546%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White81%
  • Black2.0%
  • Hispanic5.8%
  • Asian1.4%
  • Other or multiracial10%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,153
Graduate enrollment
525
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
28%
First-generation students
27%
Students over 25
2%
Median family income
$73,032
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$84,060
Endowment
$41,204,855

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 985 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New Hampshire47%
  • Other U.S. states52%
  • International0.8%

A regional draw: about 47% of first-years come from New Hampshire, the rest from elsewhere.

1% came from outside the U.S. 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
87.5%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$14,626
Out-of-state tuition
$25,566
Room & board
$13,158
Books & supplies
$1,400
Total cost of attendance
$29,644
Average net price
$19,216

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)
52%
Graduated on time (4 years)
45%
First-year retention
68%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,466
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$57,304
Median debt at graduation
$26,000
Students with federal loans
69%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
65%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
45%
Low-income (Pell)
48%
First-generation
48%

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
2,364
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
75%
Housing charge (year)
$7,944
Meal plan (year)
$4,160
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Massachusetts State College Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
684 (423 men · 261 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 (14)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)180
Football108
Lacrosse66
Soccer57
Ice Hockey55
Basketball40
Baseball35
Softball25
Wrestling24
Swimming22
Field Hockey21
Volleyball21
Skiing20
Tennis10

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)
30
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,707 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.

11reported offenses a year
10 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
5.7
Fondling
4.3
Burglary
0.7

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.

< $30k
$14,676
$30–48k
$14,714
$48–75k
$17,030
$75–110k
$21,157
$110k+
$23,020

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.

Est. total to a degree
$71,513

$17,030/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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,056
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 99% — get grant money from Plymouth State University itself, averaging $8,056, 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 861 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)
$57,304
Typical debt at graduation
$26,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
45%
Out-earn a HS grad
63%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.5 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
$53,680
Men
$62,438

Men out-earn women by $8,758 (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
80°F
Winter low
7°F
Annual rain
44.5″
Annual snow
68.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Plymouth, NH US station (2.6 mi from campus).

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 Plymouth State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Plymouth State University side by side →

Colleges near Plymouth State University

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.