Private for-profit · Community college

Porter & Chester Institute of Hamden

Hamden, Connecticut · Large suburb

#5 for grad earnings in Connecticut
0%
Transfer rate
$20,549
Avg net price
32%
Grad / completion
$42,914
Median earnings

Porter & Chester Institute of Hamden is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Hamden, Connecticut (large suburb setting), enrolling 402 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 402 undergradsLarge suburbCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

About Hamden, Connecticut

Hamden is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The peaceful tribe of Quinnipiacs were the first residents of the land that is now Hamden; they had great regard, awe and veneration for the Blue Hills Sleeping Giant Mountain. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Certificate
Nearest big city
3 miles to New Haven, CT
To the ocean
3 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Tweed New Haven (HVN)

How Porter & Chester Institute of Hamden compares

Graduation rate32%

Higher than 16% · #22 of 23 in Connecticut

First-year retention30%

Higher than 3%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,914

Higher than 79% · #5 of 13 in Connecticut

Average net price$20,549

Cheaper than 30% · #14 cheapest of 23 in Connecticut

Median debt at graduation$12,350

Lower than 26%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 67%

Undergraduate enrollment402

Larger than 59%

Percentiles compare Porter & Chester Institute of Hamden 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 Connecticut.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

402undergrads
  • Women16441%
  • Men23859%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White20%
  • Black41%
  • Hispanic26%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial12%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
402
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
70%
First-generation students
55%
Students over 25
44%
Median family income
$18,161

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$14,337
Room & board
Books & supplies
$2,053
Total cost of attendance
$26,042
Average net price
$20,549

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
32%
First-year retention
30%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$41,103
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$42,914
Median debt at graduation
$12,350
Students with federal loans
12%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
28%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
$25

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%.

Campus safety

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (402 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.

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
$19,045
$30–48k
$19,711
$48–75k
$25,192
$75–110k
$25,217
$110k+
$25,490

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.

9%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,974
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 9% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,974. 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 89 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)
$42,914
Typical debt at graduation
$12,350
Debt vs. one year's pay
29%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.9 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
$23,722
Men
$47,527

Men out-earn women by $23,805 (100%) 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
85°F
Winter low
20°F
Annual rain
50.4″
Annual snow
33.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, MT Carmel, CT US station (4.5 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 Porter & Chester Institute of Hamden

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Porter & Chester Institute of Hamden side by side →

Colleges near Porter & Chester Institute of Hamden

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.