Online Colleges In New Hampshire

The cost of pursuing an online degree in New Hampshire depends significantly on your choice of school. For example, you can expect to pay more by attending an elite institution like Dartmouth College than you would at a less selective school like Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). Dartmouth charges $1,551 per credit to earn an online master’s in public health, while SNHU charges $659 per credit for that same degree.

Make sure to factor in other expenses when considering the overall cost of your education, such as technology fees and book prices.

Many public colleges and universities in New Hampshire boast generous transfer policies, especially for students who begin their undergraduate education at a community college in the state. Students attending any of the schools in the Community College System of New Hampshire can receive up to 72 credits towards their bachelor’s degree at institutions like Keene State College, Plymouth State University, or the University of New Hampshire at Manchester. Applicants who previously attended a four-year school in New Hampshire may transfer up to 96 credits towards a bachelor’s at a state university.

Private institutions set their own rules for transferring credits. Southern New Hampshire University, for example, accepts up to 90 credits towards a bachelor’s degree and even provides a free credit evaluation to help applicants determine exactly how many credits they can transfer. Franklin Pierce University, by contrast, evaluates transferable credits only after a student earns admission into one of its programs.

Elite universities in the state, such as Dartmouth College, may only accept credits from other regionally-accredited institutions. To begin your research, review the information on the NH Transfer website. You should also contact your chosen program directly to learn more about the type of credits they accept and their unique transfer process.

Passing the General Educational Development (GED) tests serves as a signal to colleges and employers that an individual possesses high school-level academic skills and knowledge. As such, almost all colleges and universities in New Hampshire allow undergraduate applicants to hold a GED rather than a high school diploma.

Students with a GED, however, may face a steeper climb than those who graduated from high school. Dartmouth College, for example, does not specifically require applicants to have a diploma, but it does consider the academic rigor of a student’s high school curriculum when making admission decisions.

Public institutions such as the University of New Hampshire also allow applicants with a GED, but they may require results from the SAT or ACT as additional proof that you can succeed academically in college. If you have a GED, try to strengthen your application by doing well on these standardized exams, obtaining multiple letters of recommendation, and crafting a strong personal essay.

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) allows students to begin their studies at any one of six start dates throughout the year, or roughly every other month. New England College similarly features six terms per year, meaning students can start taking classes whenever is most convenient for them.

The vast majority of other online colleges in New Hampshire, including private schools such as Rivier University and the entirety of the state’s public university system, require distance learners to enroll in their courses at the same time as on-campus students. Typically, this means you must begin a program either at the beginning of the fall semester in September or at the beginning of the spring semester in January. Some universities that offer summer classes may also allow students to enter a program in July.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) determines your eligibility for several forms of financial support. Depending on your expected family contribution, you may qualify to receive federal grants, such as the Pell Grant, or participate in the Federal Work-Study Program, which provides jobs to undergraduate and graduate students on campus to help them pay for educational expenses. After completing the FAFSA, you may receive eligibility for low-interest student loans from the federal government or need-based grants and scholarships from your home state.

All regionally and nationally accredited institutions can receive federal financial aid awarded through the FAFSA process. Almost all online colleges in New Hampshire hold one of these two forms of accreditation, but make sure to check the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s online directory to confirm your chosen program is listed.

Generally speaking, no, you cannot take any free online classes from New Hampshire colleges and receive credit towards a postsecondary degree.

You can, however, take free Massive, Open, and Online Courses (MOOCs) offered by DartmouthX, a partnership between Dartmouth College and the edX online learning platform. Through DartmouthX, you can take college-level courses covering topics such as John Milton’s Paradise Lost, the foundations of the C programming language, Italian opera, and environmental science. While these courses offer students the opportunity to experience an Ivy League education and sample a potential course of study, you cannot receive credit from Dartmouth College for completing one of their MOOCs.

Many colleges and universities offer students the opportunity to sample an online course during its first week, also known as a “shopping period.” Some schools may allow online students to enroll in a class for a certain length of time without needing to pay anything in tuition, so long as they withdraw from the course before a particular date. Students who do not withdraw before the introductory period ends must pay the full tuition cost for the course. Check with the specific school to determine their policies for sampling online courses.

The University of New Hampshire Online serves as the primary resource for public online programs in New Hampshire. Through UNH Online, distance learners can pursue bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees in a variety of fields, such as education, nursing, and business administration. If you do not want to commit to a degree program, you can also take online courses towards a graduate certificate or for professional development and training purposes. UNH Online offers resources for students considering online education, including a survey to help you determine if distance learning is right for you.

With more than 200,000 online students as of the , Southern New Hampshire University acts as the largest private provider of online degrees in the state. SNHU provides resources to help prospective students better understand the online learning experience, including FAQs about online classes, testimonials from students and alumni, and descriptions of the services available to online students. Explore Online Degree Programs in New HampshireSearch Program