More selective than 20% of New Hampshire colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $59,350. College Scorecard.
Higher than 0% of New Hampshire colleges we cover and 18% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 0% of New Hampshire colleges we cover and 17% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
NEC acceptance rate & admissions
Of 2,841 applicants, New England College admitted 2,720 and 234 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
NEC tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What NEC costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of New England College took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in New Hampshire. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $25,598 | $108,024 | more than 20 years |
| $30–48k | $24,340 | $102,715 | more than 20 years |
| $48–75k | $26,238 | $110,724 | more than 20 years |
| $75–110k | $28,741 | $121,287 | more than 20 years |
| $110k+ | $28,249 | $119,211 | more than 20 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (26% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($42,092) minus $41,763 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NH (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $329 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
NEC majors, earnings & careers
New England College offers 48 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 13
- Business & Finance · 9
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Humanities & Languages · 5
- Arts & Design · 4
- Education · 4
- Science & Math · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
Highest-earning majors at NEC
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration | $63,909 | $27,791 |
| Accounting | $62,412 | — |
| Criminal Justice | $59,998 | $27,000 |
| Health Administration | $56,864 | $46,569 |
| Biology | $55,222 | $27,000 |
| Psychology | $48,488 | $38,285 |
| Psychology (Clinical / Counseling) | $46,270 | $43,585 |
| Studio Art | $45,694 | — |
Quick list of all 48 majors
- Accounting$62,412
- Biology$55,222
- Business Administration$63,909
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other—
- Communications—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Criminal Justice$59,998
- Economics—
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Film and Photography—
- Finance—
- Fire Protection—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$42,056
- Health Administration$56,864
- History—
- Homeland Security—
- Hospitality Management—
- Human Resources—
- Human Services—
- Information Technology—
- International Business—
- International Relations—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing—
- Medical Illustration and Informatics—
- Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions—
- Outdoor Education—
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management—
- Philosophy—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$48,488
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)$46,270
- Public Policy Analysis—
- Security / Homeland Security—
- Social Sciences—
- Sociology—
- Software and Media Applications—
- Special Education—
- Studio Art$45,694
- Sustainability Studies—
- Theatre—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Henniker
2 bedrooms $1,800.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 48 inches of rain a year, 68 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Merrimack County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Merrimack County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare NEC with similar schools
Similar private colleges in New Hampshire by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England College | 92% | $26,972 | 35% | $42,092 | This school |
| Franklin Pierce University | 93% | $27,154 | 54% | $53,353 | |
| Rivier University | 83% | $28,082 | 52% | $52,248 | |
| Colby-Sawyer College | 80% | $27,431 | 57% | $46,474 | |
| Saint Anselm College | 78% | $34,779 | 80% | $73,371 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
New England College would cost you $182 less per year than Franklin Pierce University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at New England College, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$4,504).
- Franklin Pierce University gives aided families $4,653 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, New Hampshire resident | NEC | Franklin Pierce University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $41,938 | $46,442 | −$4,504 |
| Books & supplies | $1,000 | $1,110 | −$110 |
| Housing & meals | $17,014 | $15,912 | +$1,102 |
| Personal & travel | $2,000 | $2,200 | −$200 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,602 | −$1,479 | −$1,123 |
| Sticker price | $59,350 | $64,185 | −$4,835 |
| Average grants | −$32,378 | −$37,031 | +$4,653 |
| You pay | $26,972 | $27,154 | −$182 |
“+” means NEC costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about NEC
What is the NEC acceptance rate?
New England College accepts 92% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 2,720 of 2,841 applicants were admitted.
How much does New England College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $59,350 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $26,972 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $25,598 and families earning $110k+ pay $28,249.
How much do NEC graduates earn?
Former New England College students earn a median $42,092 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the NEC graduation rate?
35% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 61% return for their second year.
How long does a NEC degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at New England College costs about $110,724 after grants ($26,238 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $42,092 ten years after starting, $329 more than high school graduates in New Hampshire ($41,763), so repaying the cost would take more than 20 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “New England College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/new-england-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).