Private nonprofit · University

Southern New Hampshire University

Manchester, New Hampshire · Midsize suburb

99.5%
Admit rate
$36,708
Avg net price
43%
Graduation rate
$50,318
Median earnings

Southern New Hampshire University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Manchester, New Hampshire (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 163,164 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitLarge · 163,164 undergradsMidsize suburbOpen admissionNCAA Division II without footballCold 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 suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
33 miles
Nearest airport
7 miles to Manchester-Boston (MHT)

How Southern New Hampshire University compares

Selectivity99.5%

More selective than 5% · #11 most selective of 11 in New Hampshire

Graduation rate43%

Higher than 27% · #11 of 13 in New Hampshire

First-year retention61%

Higher than 14%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,318

Higher than 40% · #13 of 15 in New Hampshire

Average net price$36,708

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

Median debt at graduation$21,082

Lower than 66%

Student–faculty ratio24 : 1

Lower than 4%

Undergraduate enrollment163,164

Larger than 99%

Percentiles compare Southern New Hampshire University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New Hampshire.

Southern New Hampshire University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

188,272students
  • Undergraduate163,16487%
  • Graduate25,10813%

Undergraduates by gender

163,164undergrads
  • Women110,41368%
  • Men52,75132%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White50%
  • Black20%
  • Hispanic15%
  • Asian2.3%
  • Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
163,164
Graduate enrollment
25,108
Student–faculty ratio
24 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
49%
First-generation students
48%
Students over 25
75%
Median family income
$27,192
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$88,245
Endowment
$64,647,512

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

Admissions

Admission rate
99.5%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$17,200
Room & board
$12,800
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$40,918
Average net price
$36,708

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)
43%
Graduated on time (4 years)
34%
First-year retention
61%
Transferred to another college
18%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$41,945
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$50,318
Median debt at graduation
$21,082
Students with federal loans
58%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
43%

About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
34%
Low-income (Pell)
20%
First-generation
21%

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
1,789
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
1%
Housing charge (year)
$9,000
Meal plan (year)
$3,800
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
449 (223 men · 226 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 (13)

Lacrosse67
Other Sports66
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)63
Soccer63
Baseball43
Ice Hockey28
Basketball27
Softball22
Field Hockey20
Volleyball18
Tennis16
Golf9
Cross Country7

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
35
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (189,531 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.

14reported offenses a year
12 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
6.0
Fondling
5.3
Burglary
1.7
Aggravated assault
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

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
$36,441
$30–48k
$36,536
$48–75k
$36,641
$75–110k
$37,704
$110k+
$38,025

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
$157,369

$36,641/year × about 4.3 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.

12%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,192
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 12% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,192. 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 2,948 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)
$50,318
Typical debt at graduation
$21,082
Debt vs. one year's pay
42%
Out-earn a HS grad
71%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.2 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
$44,680
Men
$63,042

Men out-earn women by $18,362 (41%) 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
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Massabesic Lake, NH 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 Southern New Hampshire University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southern New Hampshire University side by side →

Colleges near Southern New Hampshire 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.