Public · Community college

River Valley Community College

Claremont, New Hampshire · Fringe rural

#5 for grad earnings in New Hampshire

34%
Transfer rate: $14,804
Avg net price: 22%
Grad / completion: $44,700
Median earnings

River Valley Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Claremont, New Hampshire (fringe rural setting), enrolling 608 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 608 undergradsFringe ruralCold wintersSnowy

About Claremont, New Hampshire

Claremont is the only city in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The Upper Connecticut River Valley was home to the Pennacook and Western Abenaki (Sokoki) peoples, later merging with members of other Algonquin tribes displaced by the wars and famines which accompanied the European settling of the region. A commercial area centered on Washington Street is Claremont's primary commercial district. An Italian Renaissance-styled City Hall building, which houses the historic Claremont Opera House, was built in 1897 and designed by architect Charles A. Rich. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Fringe rural
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 52 miles to Manchester, NH
To the ocean: 83 miles
Nearest airport: 16 miles to Lebanon (LEB)

How River Valley Community College compares

#25 · Community Colleges with the Best Transfer Rates

Graduation rate22%

Higher than 6% · #14 of 14 in New Hampshire

First-year retention41%

Higher than 6%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,700

Higher than 82% · #5 of 9 in New Hampshire

Average net price$14,804

Cheaper than 51% · #7 cheapest of 13 in New Hampshire

Median debt at graduation$16,226

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio6 : 1

Lower than 95%

Undergraduate enrollment608

Larger than 66%

Percentiles compare River Valley 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

Women43872%
Men17028%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White76%
Black4.3%
Hispanic7.7%
Asian2.3%
Other or multiracial10%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 608
Student–faculty ratio: 6 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 40%
First-generation students: 44%
Students over 25: 61%
Median family income: $28,980
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $61,083
Endowment: $541,403

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $6,940
Out-of-state tuition: $15,190
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,400
Total cost of attendance: $23,244
Average net price: $14,804

Outcomes

Graduated: 22%
First-year retention: 41%
Transferred to another college: 34%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $41,242
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $44,700
Median debt at graduation: $16,226
Students with federal loans: 42%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 44%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

22%

Low-income (Pell)

26%

First-generation

29%

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: 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

$13,183

$30–48k

$23,244

$48–75k

$23,244

$75–110k

$22,238

$110k+

—

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.

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,255

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 4% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,255. 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 26 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): $44,700
Typical debt at graduation: $16,226
Debt vs. one year's pay: 36%
Out-earn a HS grad: 55%

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

$41,993

Men

$54,477

Men out-earn women by $12,484 (30%) 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: 9°F
Annual rain: 42″
Annual snow: 66.1″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Newport, NH US station (7.8 mi from campus).

What River Valley Community College graduates study — and earn

Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

53 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

38 grads$75k 1 yr$70k 5 yr$28k debt

38$75,282$69,843$27,824 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

23 grads$62k 1 yr— 5 yr$27k debt

23$61,790—$26,541 Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssoc.

14 grads$42k 1 yr$48k 5 yr$28k debt

14$41,909$47,621$28,000 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

9 grads— 1 yr$42k 5 yr— debt

9—$42,091—Precision Metal WorkingCert.

9 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

9———Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic ServicesCert.

7 grads$24k 1 yr— 5 yr$20k debt

7$24,455—$20,312 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsAssoc.

6 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

6———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

6 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

6———Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsCert.

5 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

5———Accounting and Related ServicesCert.

5 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

5———

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 River Valley Community College

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

Great Bay Community College

Public

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

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

Lakes Region Community College

Public

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

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

Nashua Community College

Public

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

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

Manchester Community College

Public

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

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

GateWay Community College-Central City

Public

Phoenix, Arizona · Large city · 1 mi to Phoenix

Students: 595
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $46k

White Mountains Community College

Public

Berlin, New Hampshire · Remote town · 74 mi to Portland

Students: 450
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $35k

Colleges near River Valley Community College

Upper Valley Educators Institute

Lebanon, NH · Private nonprofit · Graduate

17 mi

Colby-Sawyer College

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

18 mi

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4,541 students

21 mi

New England College

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

30 mi

Landmark College

Putney, VT · Private nonprofit · Associate · 455 students

31 mi

Vermont Law and Graduate School

South Royalton, VT · Private nonprofit · Graduate

31 mi

Keene Beauty Academy

Keene, NH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 50 students

31 mi

Antioch University-New England

Keene, NH · Private nonprofit · Graduate

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.